April 13, 2022

In its mission to advance health equity and help sustain the vital work of community health care organizations after the devastating toll of COVID-19, OCHIN is pleased to announce a new $2.1M AmeriCorps grant that will fund up to 25* AmeriCorps positions at 10 OCHIN member clinics in six states, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Building on a similar workforce development pilot program that OCHIN participated in through the Washington Service Corps last year and the recent launch of OCHIN+, the new, national Public Health AmeriCorps job placement program is designed to further accelerate learning and diversify workforce development opportunities across the OCHIN network, while expanding the clinical capacity of member sites who offer culturally and linguistically appropriate care for underserved communities.

In order to maximize the value for program participants by offering the highest possible monthly allowance, OCHIN and participating health centers will subsidize the program by contributing more than $900,000 in additional funding and technology per year; including a laptop, monitor, keyboard, mouse, cable, and an internet stipend for each AmeriCorps member. These program enhancements are designed to increase workforce equity by providing learning and job opportunities to those who may have otherwise found a career in health care to be unattainable.

“The workforce of the future depends on the opportunity we create today,” said OCHIN’s President and CEO Abby Sears. “Our aim is to help our members address current workforce challenges with an eye toward creating a health care system that is more representative, more skilled, and more culturally competent—to ensure everyone has access to the best possible care, regardless of their circumstances.”

The support is coming at a pivotal time, as burnout has reached unprecedented levels across the national health care workforce and many community care organizations struggle to attract and retain talent, especially in rural areas. In the OCHIN network alone, 36% of providers report feeling burned out and many members have experienced a high rate of staff turnover, particularly among technical and operational staff. Rural areas and other underserved communities are particularly vulnerable to losing access to care in light of these workforce challenges, even as COVID-19 and other health disparities persist.

The new AmeriCorps opportunities through OCHIN will support underserved communities across the U.S., with all 10 participating health centers serving health professional shortage areas as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Several of the sites, listed below, are the only source of health care for the medically underserved and very low-income patients in their geographic area.

• The Wallace Medical Concern – Portland, OR
• Winding Waters Medical Clinic – Enterprise, OR
• Family Health La Clinica – Wautoma, WI
• Progressive Community Health Centers, Inc. – Milwaukee, WI
• Mattapan Community Health Center – Mattapan, MA
• Whittier Street Health Center – Roxbury, MA
• Southside Community Health Services, Inc. – Minneapolis, MN
• Neighborhood Family Practice – Cleveland/Lakewood, OH
• Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center – Ahoskie, NC
• Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare – Portland, OR

“Winding Waters is thrilled that, through our strong partnership with OCHIN, we’ll be a new Public Health AmeriCorps site,” said the health center’s CEO Nicolas Powers. “There is no local health department in Wallowa County, so placement of an AmeriCorps member with our organization will help directly improve public health across our frontier service area.”

Positions will include community and public health work (ex. immunization outreach), data and clinical quality positions to help relieve burdens on the frontline, and information technology service desk work to help patients connect to and use digital tools. For more information about the program, email riverac@ochin.org.

About AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteerism and national service, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency places more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.

*This blog has been updated to reflect expanded program capacity to accommodate 25 participants (rather than 20), as well as to reflect an expansion of funding to $2.1 million (the previous funding amount was $1.7 million).