Description
AmeriCorpsHealthCorps is a partnership between IPHA, Iowa Commission on Volunteer Services and AmeriCorps to meet public health and wellness needs of Iowa's communities. Nearly 1.6 million cases of seven common chronic diseases (cancers, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, mental disorders, and pulmonary conditions) were reported in Iowa in 2003. The cost of treating those with chronic disease in Iowa has been estimated to total $2.9 billion, and obesity is risk factor for many chronic diseases.
Through the work of ten members placed in local and state public health agencies and non-profit groups across Iowa, the IPHA AmeriCorps Health Corps project will reduce the risk of preventable disease and obesity and improve the health and quality of life for Iowans in the host communities. Members will work with youth, in the workplace, and in the general community.
IPHA AmeriCorps members will work to improve the quality, availability, and effectiveness of community-based programs and support behavior change to improve nutrition, exercise and healthy choices. IPHA AmeriCorps members will utilize evidence-based community health projects selected from of strategies and activities that are custom made for Iowa community based solutions. Strategies and toolkits from the Iowa Department of Public Health, the National Prevention Strategy, and the Center for Disease Control are examples of possible community efforts.
The IPHA AmeriCorps HealthCorps project begins September 1, 2011
