How Young Adults Can Build a Healthier Future

(Family Features) Shaping the future of public health into an equitable one means ensuring all people and communities have access to the health care and resources they need to live well. The nation requires a strong, diverse public health workforce to accomplish that goal. That’s why AmeriCorps and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched Public Health AmeriCorps – to support the recruitment, training and development of early career public health workers who can serve their local communities. Bridging national service and public health, the initiative supports a diverse group of early career professionals working to address today’s public health challenges in a range of roles, including: Health education and training Community outreach and engagement System navigation, referrals and linkage to care Research, data collection, analysis and assessment What Members are Saying Everyone was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic – including Dionne Johnson, who lost a loved one to the virus. “I had a family member die from COVID-19, and it really touched me,” Johnson said. “That gave me the passion and lit the fire under me to actually pursue a career in public health.” Now, Johnson is realizing her dreams of transforming public health in her community. In her work, she wants to teach people in Black and brown communities how they can learn to be healthy and advocate for themselves. Another member, Jaiden Singh, is the son of immigrants. Singh launched a promising career in public health so he can give back to the community where he grew up. “Being a part of the organization not only has really supplemented my education that I’m working toward in public health and policy, it has also given me the opportunity to do work that I am really passionate about in a community that I have known all my life and really do love,” Singh said. “I would highly recommend being a part of this really valuable and inspiring community.” Action That Creates Impact The diverse work of Public Health AmeriCorps benefits not only program members but also the communities they serve. As examples of the program at work, members have: Provided overdose rescue education, raised awareness about opioid use disorder and harm reduction strategies and distributed overdose rescue kits containing naloxone (an overdose-reversing nasal spray). Held back-to-school COVID-19 testing events, distributed early childhood health education and built community gardens in underserved communities. Participated in a community mental health crisis intervention system to assess, stabilize and link people in crisis to follow-up care and services. Supported elementary schools as part of a dental hygiene program that sends out staff and volunteers to provide free teeth cleanings to students. Learn More and Apply If you want to start your career and make a difference in public health, consider member benefits such as: Education awards to apply to higher education or student loan forgiveness Student loan deferment and forbearance Living allowance Hands-on experience Training from experts Visit AmeriCorps.gov/PublicHealth for a list of opportunities to serve and contact your desired opportunity by phone or email to learn more and apply. You can also subscribe to the newsletter to learn more about the initiative.