WASHINGTON, D.C. – AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteering and national service, has launched Public Health AmeriCorps, a new partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the recruitment, training, and development of a new generation of public health leaders who will be ready to respond to the nation’s public health needs.

The program, which is supported by a $400 million investment from the American Rescue Plan Act, is anticipated to fund up to 5,000 AmeriCorps positions over the next five years and comes as part of a larger $7 billion investment in the public health workforce announced by the Biden-Harris Administration.

Today, AmeriCorps released the notice of federal funding availability for Public Health AmeriCorps through AmeriCorps’ State and National program. The competition is open to nonprofit, faith-based and community-based organizations; higher-education institutions; state, local and territorial government entities, such as cities or counties; and Indian Tribes. New organizations are encouraged to apply for these grants. The window for funding availability will be open for 60 days from this announcement.

“In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health AmeriCorps will help vulnerable communities recover from COVID-19 and address broader public health needs, especially those exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Mal Coles, acting CEO at AmeriCorps. “This is an exciting new partnership that builds upon the expertise, best practices, and lessons learned from both existing AmeriCorps and CDC programs to support communities and also provide much-needed surge capacity for state and local public health agencies who continue to bear the burden of caring for a nation in crisis.”

“The experience and networks AmeriCorps brings to this partnership provide a valuable opportunity to engage communities around the United States, including many people who may have never considered a deeply fulfilling career in public health,” said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H.  “This program is a critical component of CDC’s effort to develop a strong, diverse workforce to face the public health challenges of the future.”

Potential applicant organizations are encouraged to fully review the information posted on americorps.gov funding opportunities webpage. The deadline for applications is Monday, Nov. 8, 2021.

AmeriCorps will host a variety of technical assistance calls, webinars and workshops to answer questions about this funding opportunity, including how to submit an application. Times and dates for these calls, along with additional technical assistance information, will be posted on its funding opportunity page. Questions from organizations about the grant competition can be directed to AmeriCorpsGrants@cns.gov.

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 year and half, 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 11.5 million Americans, including 2.5 million people at vaccination sites.

• Participatory budgeting
• Blending/braiding/layering funding
• Use of wellness funds
• Use of local foundations
• Collaborations with community based organizations (with a focus on finance/resource sharing)
• Establishment of 501c(3) administrative hubs/backbones of community health coalitions
• Cross jurisdictional sharing

We would like to hear from local health departments who are engaged in these activities to help inform the development of the snapshots and possible highlight your LHDs story as a case example. These interviews will take place in late April – May and should not take longer than an hour. If interested, please completethis form. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ashley Edmiston,aedmiston@naccho.org

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Click here for more information.

Federal laws restrict the use of federal funds for lobbying activities. The Network was recently contacted by a public health officer asking for clarification on the distinction between lobbying and advocacy. Broadly, the use of federal funding cannot “…influence an officer or employee of any agency or Congressional member/staff regarding federal awards.” But a more accurate answer is more complex. The Network provided the public health officer with several additional resources to provide clarification on the issue.

by LaMar Hasbrouck

Mon, September 28, 2015

Federal spending on public health emergency preparedness, response, and recovery has been falling since 2005, and Congress is now considering how much to spend in the 2016 fiscal year. The final spending figure will play a key role in determining how well the American people are protected from disease, injury, and death in times of emergency.

Public health emergencies occur all too frequently across the United States. Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, floods, infectious disease outbreaks, terrorist attacks, airline crashes, train wrecks, industrial explosions, chemical and radiological emergencies, and other calamities have all hit the United States in the past – and unfortunately are certain to hit again. When they do, the nation’s 2,800 local health departments will spring into action to protect their communities, save as many lives as possible, and help communities recover.

Ready to Respond & Recover

Local health departments are in the business of expecting the unexpected, because they must be prepared 24/7 to respond to the next public health emergency. Public health emergency responders require frequent training exercises, education, medical supplies, and other equipment to do their jobs. Those who are full-time employees require salaries and benefits. All this makes public health preparedness, response, and recovery activities an expensive task. Although many state and local governments help pay for this, more than 55 percent of the nation’s local health departments rely solely on federal funds for their emergency preparedness activities.

One area where the role of public health agencies often gets overlooked is in community recovery. Recovery after an emergency requires collaboration, planning, and advocacy for the rebuilding of critical health systems to at least a level of functioning comparable to pre-incident levels. Local health departments serve a vital role in the visioning and developing of community strategic and disaster recovery planning efforts so that plans are based on communities’ needs and assets, to ensure that communities are able to build back stronger.

A recent report from the Institute of Medicine highlighted the need to leverage resources to achieve healthy, resilient, and sustainable communities after disasters. Communities become more resilient by addressing the fundamental social determinants of health. As public health agencies are tasked with addressing these determinants – such as housing, transportation, education, access to healthcare, nutrition, and others prior to a disaster – reduction in funding to support preparedness puts communities at risk of not becoming more resilient after disasters.

Key Public Health Programs

The three key federal public health emergency preparedness, response, and recovery programs that Congress funds to aid state and local health departments are: Public Health Emergency Preparedness grants through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the Hospital Preparedness Program through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the Department of Health and Human Services; and the Medical Reserve Corps through the Office of the Surgeon General.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness grants go to all 50 state health departments, eight health departments in territories, and four metropolitan health departments. In addition, some local health departments receive funding through subcontracts with their state health departments. Health departments use the funds to pay the salaries of staff who work with hospitals, law enforcement, fire departments, and local government to develop emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plans and conduct training. Some health departments use the grants to establish and maintain systems that make possible early detection of disease outbreaks, rapid information sharing, and public notification. The funding has been vital – for example, for programs to prepare for and respond to Ebola.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness grants provided $919 million to local health departments in 2005, but the amount fell to $644 million in the 2015 fiscal year – a 30-percent cut. The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is seeking an increase to $675 million for the grants in the 2016 fiscal year – still $244 million below the 2005 funding level. President Barack Obama’s 2016 budget request seeks to maintain funding at $644 million. The House Appropriations Committee proposes spending $675 million, while the Senate Appropriations Committee proposes spending $644 million. Neither the full House nor Senate has voted on the spending.

The Hospital Emergency Preparedness Program provides funding for local health departments to partner with hospitals and other healthcare providers to ensure that the healthcare system at the community level can conduct activities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. This program received $487 million in federal funds in 2005 but only $255 million in 2015. NACCHO is seeking an increase to $300 million in 2016. The president’s 2016 budget seeks to hold funding steady at $255 million, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have both proposed spending that amount. Neither house has voted on the appropriation.

The Medical Reserve Corps costs far less than the other programs, but still has great impact. The emergency medical response program is staffed by more than 200,000 volunteers organized into a network to protect the health and safety of their communities. Sixty-seven percent of Medical Reserve Corps units are housed within local health departments. The units deploy doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, mental health professionals, and nonmedical volunteers with specialized skills who assist healthcare professionals to care for people in emergencies. For example, following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, more than 6,000 Medical Reserve Corps volunteers from 150 units supported the emergency response and recovery efforts.

The Medical Reserve Corps received $10 million in federal funding in 2005 and $9 million in 2015. NACCHO is seeking $11 million for 2016, whereas the president’s budget requests $6 million. The House Appropriations Committee has proposed $6 million for the program, whereas the Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed $4 million – a 55-percent cut from current funding. The funding has not come up for a vote by the full House or Senate.

Dire Consequences of Funding Cuts

Previous spending cuts by federal, state, and local governments for public health programs have already taken a toll on public health emergency preparedness, response, and recovery activities. A survey of local health departments by NACCHO that was published in June 2015 found that funding cuts have forced the gradual elimination of the jobs of nearly 52,000 health professionals in county, city, metropolitan, district, and tribal health departments across the United States since 2008. Remaining employees are working hard to protect their communities, but it is impossible for them to take on all the duties performed by colleagues who held the 52,000 jobs that were eliminated.

Work to prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies is vital and deserves bipartisan support in Congress. When emergencies strike, all people are impacted, regardless of political party affiliation. The modest funding increases that NACCHO is asking Congress to approve for Public Health Emergency Preparedness grants, the Hospital Preparedness Program, and the Medical Reserve Corps would be money well spent – helping Americans live safer, healthier, longer, and more productive lives.

 LaMar Hasbrouck, MD, MPH, is executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). He has public health experience at the local, state, national, and international levels, including serving as the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health; public health director in Ulster County, New York; a member of the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and a faculty member at three medical schools.

Visit www.nacchoprofilestudy.org/forces-of-change to view an infographic of the findings, state-level budget cuts and jobs losses, and to learn more.

Findings show that LHDs continue to experience budgetary challenges. Likely as a result, LHD leaders value budget management skills in their professional public health staff. The fiscal and political environments have had an impact on the type and scope of services LHDs provide: some have decreased clinical services to focus on population-based health activities, while others continue to provide these services in their communities with the help of revenue from billing third-party payers. LHDs have also explored new opportunities for collaboration as a result of health reform, including with non-profit hospitals and primary care providers.

NALBOH's Conference program is now available with session details and schedule. Go to the NALBOH website to learn more!

Please remember to register before June 30, 2015 to receive the early bird rate.

Join NALBOH to receive a Discounted Member rate for the 2015 Conference.

When registering, don't forget to make your session selections!

Invitation to Participate in the Management Essentials for New Local Health Officials Training -  Pre-Conference Workshop at NACCHO Annual

Developed to provide local health officials and staff the most comprehensive educational and networking opportunities, NACCHO is pleased to announce the launch of the Management Essentials Series for new local health officials with this preconference preview workshop.  

This course covers selected topics in strategic planning, financial management, and people management from the full Management Essentials Training Series. Click here to learn more about this incredible day you won't want to miss.  

Participants will learn some of the best practices used to lead a strategic planning effort, identify strategic issues, and develop the action plans to address them. They will also be able to describe the steps necessary to monitor financial performance and to point out whether strategies are working or if financial indicators are suggesting unanticipated environmental changes. Health officials will be able to recognize their critical role in creating a motivating environment, leading high performance teams and managing conflict.  

This preconference workshop will leave you inspired to successfully lead your health department and continue to learn these critical skills well after the conference. 

To register for this unique opportunity click here. If you are already registered for NACCHO Annual and would like to sign up email NACCHOreg@conferencemanagers.com. 

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is seeking at least 15 reviewers (subject matter experts) to evaluate three courses: Strategic Planning, Successful People Management, and Fundamentals of Business Management. Course reviewers help maintain the outstanding reputation of NACCHOs training programs by providing industry-based expertise that will help to design real-world examples to support the content, refine practice activities that will assist learners in applying their newly acquired knowledge and skills, determine proper levels of content depth, and adjust content as needed to provide an optimal and relevant learning experience.

Benefits of Participation in the Course Review:
• Free registration to NACCHO Annual 2015.
• Acknowledgement in the final version of the training program as a contributor.
• Rewarding opportunity to help advance the profession by participating in the development of courses designed to refine a critical skill set.
• Collaboration with colleagues regarding vital topics relevant to your role as a LHO.

Upon providing your full commitment and requested engagement throughout the entire review process, you will be credited as a program contributor within the training material, and we encourage you to indicate your service on your CV.

Eligibility and Requirements
Reviewers should:
• Be an active member of NACCHO.
• Commit 6-8 weeks consisting of up to 4 hours per week including:
o 1 hour collaborative phone call per week, as needed.
o Approximately 2-3 hours for course review.
o Responding timely to questions from course developers/facilitators as needed.
• Review all content featured in the PowerPoint slide deck and other supplemental documents. Reviewers will be required to review each slide taking into consideration how the content aligns with the roles and responsibilities of LHOs and document feedback using the tools provided in a Googledocs spreadsheet.

Apply today!

If you would like to share your input and feedback to assist in validating the content for these exciting new learning events please click here to let us know you are interested in being a reviewer. Please note that the last day to volunteer for this opportunity is Friday, February 24.

All interested, eligible reviewers will be entered into a pool and selected by NACCHO. If you are selected to review, you will be notified via email by Friday, February 27. The kick-off meeting for course reviewers will take place during the week of March 2.

Thank you for your interest in serving as course reviewer. The training review cycle used by NACCHO will enhance the effectiveness and maximize the quality of the trainings LHOs receive. All NACCHO members are welcomed and encouraged to volunteer as a reviewer.

Questions? Email membership@naccho.org for more information.

In alignment with the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ (NACCHO's) commitment to provide local health officials with the most comprehensive educational and networking opportunities, NACCHO is pleased to announce the launch of the Management Essentials for New Local Health Officials series. 

This series is designed to enhance the skills of new local health officials (LHOs) to address the complex, real-world, issues facing local health departments on a daily basis. NACCHO encourages LHOs with one to three years of experience who are seeking additional management training to take these trainings. 

The series will cover the following topics: 

1. Strategic planning 

2. Successful personnel management

3. Fundamentals of business management 

Using guided role play, real-world examples, practice sessions, and other exercises, participants will discover how to fine-tune their management style, develop and implement a strategic plan, adopt key financial management skills such as managing budgets, and plan for tackling new challenges. In-depth training combined with interactive activities will take participants through the paces of motivation, delegation, coaching, communication, performance management, and leadership. The series will feature instructor-led training with online pre- and post-seminar assessments, tune-up courses, and other resources to maximize participants' training goals.

The series will launch in April 2015, with a full-day training at the NACCHO Annual 2015 conference. To receive additional information about this series, please sign up at here.