Institute of Rural Health awarded $860,000 to provide health education and health screenings for Idahoans
The Institute of Rural Health (IRH) hosted by Idaho State University’s Kasiska Division of Health Sciences announced recently that it has received competitive funding for its Idaho HealthCorps AmeriCorps program of $860,000 from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. The grant will expand the IRH’s presence throughout Idaho where it has provided services to improve the health of communities through research, education, and service since 1989.
The Idaho HealthCorps AmeriCorps program, formerly known as the Idaho Healthcare for Children and Families AmeriCorps program, has been continuously funded since 2009. The program has seen immense growth in funding and in the number of organizations and community members who participate. Services offered by the program have been enhanced and developed to meet community needs. Additionally, up to 118 of the AmeriCorps positions with this program are offered to ISU students in health profession studies including dental hygiene, audiology, radiographic sciences, nursing, physical and occupational therapy, and dietetics. Members will earn education awards, similar to a scholarship, upon completion of their term with the program.
With this new funding, the Institute of Rural Health will leverage the skills and experience of AmeriCorps members throughout Idaho to educate individuals to make healthy choices, provide low-income and rural Idahoans access to essential health and mental health services, and enable communities to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in designated Medically Underserved Areas/Populations statewide including rural communities. Members will also help community members who are homeless or fall into poverty find access to resources such as housing assistance, medical assistance, and food pantries.
Kayla Fielder, Project Coordinator of the AmeriCorps programs, says “Our team is thrilled to be able to host more AmeriCorps members and assist more community members throughout the state. We really hope to increase the awareness of AmeriCorps as a whole so more community members know we are available and ready to serve them.”
The IRH is currently seeking host site applicants as well as AmeriCorps volunteers. To learn more about the program contact the IRH at (208) 282-4436 or IHC@isu.edu.
AmeriCorps continues to invest in the nation’s COVID-19 recovery. With existing programs in more than 40,000 locations across the country, AmeriCorps is uniquely positioned to bolster community response efforts. For the past two years, thousands of AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers across all 50 states and U.S. territories have continued their service, quickly adapting to meet the changing needs caused by the pandemic and have provided vital support, community response, and recovery efforts, providing support to more than 12 million Americans, including 2.5 million people at vaccination sites.
