Americorps

Community Health Corps.

 

Founded: 1995 by the National Association of Community Health Centers

 

Vision

 

High-quality, affordable health care for all, coupled with the knowledge and ability to lead a healthy life.

 

Mission

 

Improve health care access and enhance workforce development through community health center sponsored AmeriCorps and related programs.

 

Goals

 

  • Increase access to and utilization of primary and preventive health care among at-risk and vulnerable populations in communities served by health centers.
  • Encourage Community HealthCorps members, through experiential learning, to pursue further education and careers in community health.
  • Create a culture of civic engagement and volunteerism in community health centers to augment and strengthen primary and preventive health care for the underserved.
  • Foster collaborations and partnerships that ensure the continuity and sustainability of the Community HealthCorps and community health centers.

 

Community HealthCorps Members are Community Health Workers:

An Effective Model for Health Care Delivery

 

Referred to by many names (i.e. HealthCorps members), community health workers have various long-standing roles in the United States and worldwide, but all strive to positively impact the health and well-being of communities they serve. Research indicates that community health workers are particularly effective at:

  • Increasing access to health services;
  • Increasing knowledge about a variety of health issues;
  • Facilitating behavior change; and
  • Providing social support and culturally competent, cost-effective care for medically underserved populations.

 

In Syracuse, CHC members work in outreach capacities at the SCHC School Based Health Centers, SCHC primary locations and in the community, reaching out to the medically underserved to provide access to much-needed services, as well as to provide health education information. CHC members also recruit and develop volunteers to support SCHC.

For more information regarding qualifications and benefits, go to www.communityhealthcorps.org.

For more information about CHC opportunities at Syracuse Community Health Center, please contact Ms. Colette Emmons, Interim AmeriCorps Community Healthcorps Coordinator, at 315-476-7921 ext. 2424.