SCHUMER ANNOUNCES OVER $1.2 MILLION TO EXPAND HEALTHCARE SERVICES IN RURAL SOUTHERN TIER & UNDERSERVED ROCHESTER NEIGHBORHOODS; SENATOR DELIVERS NEW PUBLIC HEALTH AMERICORPS FUNDING THROUGH THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN TO BOLSTER UPSTATE NEW YORK’S HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE AND BUILD NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTH LEADERS
Schumer-Negotiated American Rescue Plan Included $400 Million Investment in AmeriCorps And CDC To Bolster Public Health AmeriCorps Program
Now Thanks To Senator’s Advocacy, Over 60 AmeriCorps Members Will Be Added To Southern Tier And Rochester To Meet Public Health Needs
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced over $1.2 million in funding to bolster Upstate New York’s access to healthcare in underserved areas. Specifically, the Rural Health Network of South Central NY will receive $684,377 to increase healthcare accessibility in Upstate New York counties, primarily in rural areas of the Southern Tier, and the City of Rochester will receive $634,300 to boost public health services in underserved Rochester neighborhoods. In addition, Schumer said AmeriCorps will also provide $155,880 to the Rural Health Network of South Central NY and $142,890 to the City of Rochester in education scholarships for the Public Health AmeriCorps members supported by this award to help pay for college, vocational training, or pay back student loans.
“AmeriCorps is one of the world's greatest service programs and this funding will boost public health across underserved areas of Upstate New York from the rural towns of the Southern Tier to Rochester’s inner city neighborhoods,” said Senator Schumer. “The pandemic put a spotlight on the already tremendous need for expanding healthcare accessibility in our most vulnerable areas, which is why I fought so hard to get Public Health AmeriCorps the support it needed in the American Rescue Plan. This funding will go a long way to bolstering healthcare accessibility for residents that need it most and get volunteers the training and financial support they need to strengthen the medical workforce of these areas for years to come.”
“The Rural Health Network of SCNY is thrilled to be receiving the Public Health AmeriCorps funding. This funding will allow us to deploy 40 AmeriCorps members throughout South Central New York to address social determinants of health,” said Mark Bordeau, Executive Director of the Rural Health Network of SCNY. “The mission of Rural Health Network of SCNY is to advance the health and wellbeing of rural people and communities. This award helps us to build capacity to achieve our mission and the mission of our host site partners.”
Specifically, the $684,377 for the Rural Health Network of South Central New York will support 40 part-time AmeriCorps members and help provide health access services and increased capacity in upstate New York counties, primarily the rural Southern Tier. Similarly, the $634,300 for the City of Rochester will support 22 full-time AmeriCorps members to assist in establishing neighborhood preventative health clinics, facilitating youth mentoring and training in public health, supporting health educational and training programming, and providing mental health education and awareness, community outreach, emotional regulation skill building within high-poverty, urban and marginalized neighborhoods in Rochester.
This funding was created by the American Rescue Plan, which Schumer led to passage in the Senate, allocating $400 million over 5 years for the Public Health AmeriCorps. The senator explained that AmeriCorps and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established Public Health AmeriCorps to help meet the public health needs of local communities by providing surge capacity and support while also creating pathways to public health-related careers.
Grantees are actively recruiting adults of all ages and education backgrounds to serve in Public Health AmeriCorps. Public Health AmeriCorps members may be eligible to receive a living allowance, professional development, health and childcare support, and an education award. Those interested in joining Public Health AmeriCorps can learn more at AmeriCorps.gov/PublicHealth.
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