While the COVID Public Health Emergency ended on May 11, OCHIN continues our efforts to rebuild and strengthen the health care workforce of the future by continually expanding our OCHIN+ training portfolio. A new $720,000 award from AmeriCorps and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will support up to 25 new Public Health AmeriCorps positions to bolster local public health efforts in rural and medically underserved communities across the country.

“We’re grateful to Public Health AmeriCorps for funding this program again for the second year,” said Lilian Gutierrez, director of federal programs and workforce development at OCHIN. “It’s made a real difference for our members, our learners, and their local communities by providing the resources and training to create new career opportunities that meet critical operational needs and expand access to care.”

In August 2022, OCHIN began recruiting applicants looking for a career in health care to fill 25 positions at 10 member sites across six states. The new award will allow us to double our training efforts by recruiting up to 50 total program participants in Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and Wisconsin.

Participants can pursue one of two learning tracks to receive technical training and real-world, hands-on experience:

1. Community Health Worker, which helps patients and their families gain timely, individualized access to the quality health care and specialized community support services they deserve, or
2. Clinical Data and Quality Analyst, which supports a comprehensive Electronic Medical Record system, provides technical insights, and creates innovative solutions that help facilitate a higher standard of community care.

Sarah Meyer is currently completing the Data and Clinical Quality Analyst training with Mattapan Community Health Center (MCHC) in Mattapan, Massachusetts.

“The most valuable part of my experience thus far has been learning and working in Epic and the other databases,” said Meyer. “My experience with OCHIN+ and Mattapan Community Health Center has allowed me to get my first job post-graduation, specifically working in the public health industry and with data. I also work with a diverse group of individuals, who I have been able to learn and grow from.”

 
“I would recommend this program because it allows you to serve others and really make a difference in a community. The work experience is extremely valuable, and the skills you learn can be applied to just about any future job.”

“We engaged in the program because MCHC believes in supporting educational growth,” said Sarah’s onsite supervisor, Sophonia Lucien, director of population health and a family nurse practitioner at MCHC. “This was an opportunity to extend our ability to improve outreach efforts in the community, incorporating the learners’ past experiences with the skills they learned in AmeriCorps.

For more information or to apply, visit the OCHIN+ website.

This material is based upon work supported by AmeriCorps under Grant No 23ND253546. Opinions or points of view expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of, or a position that is endorsed by, AmeriCorps.