National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference 2024

Presenters: Emilee Drerup, Dan Remley, Susan Zies, Destiny Pettus, Samantha Maxwell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuU19AeLjto

The Extension Public Health AmeriCorps program supports the recruitment, training, and development of public health leaders who will be ready to respond to the nation’s public health needs.

EPHAC was developed to provide credentials, professional development, career exploration, and mentorship. The program was implemented within Extension’s already existing network to leverage partnerships and support programmatic efforts related to health and well-being.
In one year of operation, EPHAC members have served their communities by supporting existing Extension programming, addressing topics such as diabetes, nutrition, food insecurity, vaccine hesitancy, sustainability, and mental health. Members have also taken leadership roles in new key projects and encouraged participants, especially youth, to explore opportunities in public health. In addition to onsite experience, EPHAC develops members by offering:

• An intensive onboarding with instruction from a diverse group of professionals on leadership and health and wellbeing topics, along with CDC’s Foundational Public Health AmeriCorps training course.
• Professional development opportunities such as conferences, workshops, LeaderCorps.   
• Certifications such as Mental Health First Aid and Service Speaks 
• Collaboration and leadership experience through committees and National Day of Service project planning.

As a brand-new program, we also implemented program evaluation tools to document important outcomes.  Since inception, EPHAC has certified twenty-two members in Adult Mental Health First Aid and members have participated in 116 hours of professional development opportunities. Seven members have completed a service term.  Out of our seven graduates, three earned a Segal Education Award and two used their experience for gainful employment after service in the field of public health.
Integrating an AmeriCorps program in your organization can be a win for everyone involved.  Conference participants can expect to learn the process of creating a new statewide program, aligned with AmeriCorps and the CDC national work of strengthening the public health workforce.