American Heart Association, AmeriCorps Service Member
HeartCorps Service Member
Part of HeartCorps, an initiative with Public Health AmeriCorps and the American Heart Association
Are You Ready to Be a Champion of Health Equity?
With support from Public Health AmeriCorps, the American Heart Association is launching HeartCorps to accelerate our work and advance more equitable health outcomes for rural communities. In general, people in rural America face higher death rates from heart disease and stroke, lower life expectancy and higher maternal mortality. Broad, innovative, and sustained approaches are needed to address the range of challenges faced by rural populations. HeartCorps is a new service opportunity for those interested in driving health equity in rural America with the AHA. We are seeking full-time service members to support this work as AmeriCorps members for the 2022-2023 service year.
HeartCorps members will participate in extensive training, coaching, and one-on-one supervision, building a transferrable skill set that can be activated in rural communities. Service members will learn from both AHA leaders and their host site leaders, and they will be exposed to a variety of health-related opportunities. Upon completion of service, HeartCorps members will be better equipped to pursue future opportunities in public health or healthcare.
To address the disproportionate rates of uncontrolled hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases in rural communities, HeartCorps members will be responsible for facilitating the adoption and implementation of sustainable systems changes and support strategies necessary to achieve blood pressure (BP) control. Example activities may include BP self-monitoring initiatives, increasing adoption of evidence-based BP measurement and treatment practices, facilitating BP screenings, connecting health centers with social platforms to facilitate ongoing screening and referral for social needs, establishing local support for patients/community members in navigating the care or resources they need, and more.
Program locations include:
ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MAINE, MINNESOTA, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NEW MEXICO, NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, TEXAS, UTAH, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSON, WYYOMING.
HeartCorps members will work in health centers, community organizations, and public health departments in rural communities to help people improve and control their blood pressure and promote cardiovascular health. Their work may include:
- Supporting blood pressure self-monitoring initiatives
- Increasing adoption of evidence-based blood pressure measurement and treatment practices
- Facilitating blood pressure, tobacco, and nutrition security screenings and referrals to care.
- Connecting health centers with social platforms to facilitate ongoing screening and referral for social needs
- Establishing local support for patients/community members in navigating the care or resources they need
- Building community capacity to support healthy living and skill building including organizing, connecting, and/or delivering community training and education opportunities.
- Engaging local media in blood pressure and healthy living promotion
- Mobilizing the community in addressing contributing conditions such as nutrition and tobacco.
- Engaging youth in health promotion via cultivating and managing volunteer clubs in local schools or community organizations.
This is a paid opportunity supported by a federal AmeriCorps grant. Service Members receive a bi-weekly stipend of $1062.50, healthcare benefits, child subsidy (if eligible) and an educational award with successful completion of the program.
For questions, email HeartCorps@heart.org.