New AmeriCorps health project will address obesity and chronic disease in Iowa

CEDAR RAPIDS – Linn and Johnson counties are among nine Iowa sites selected for a new AmeriCorps health project.

Ten Iowa AmeriCorps HealthCorps members will be recruited for placement in local public health agencies and non-profit groups across the state.

Ralph Rosenberg, AmeriCorps HealthCorps program director for the Iowa Public Health Association, said the goal is to reduce the risk of preventable disease and obesity and improve the health and quality of life for Iowans.

“It's really community-based,” he said, noting that each site will be able to tailor the program to its needs.

Doug Beardsley, director of Johnson County Public Health, said the AmeriCorps member will work with the county's Obesity Task Force.

The AmeriCorps member can act as a resource person for the all-volunteer coalition, he said.

Stephanie Neff, deputy director of Linn County Public Health, said obesity also will be targeted in Linn County.

The AmeriCorps member will work with the Healthy Living Coalition to address physical activity and nutrition needs, she said.

“This affects all age groups and populations,” Neff said, citing obesity as one of seven priorities in Linn County's Community Health Needs Assessment.

The Child Health Specialty Clinics, based at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, was also selected as a site.

Rosenberg said the yearlong program, which begins Sept. 1, is a partnership with AmeriCorps and the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service.

He noted that recent college graduates, retirees and others with an interest in health are encouraged to apply to become an AmeriCorps member as part of the project.

Members receive a living stipend and financial aid for college tuition.

Other sites selected to host the program are: Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health; Child and Family Policy Center in Des Moines; FAMILY Inc., in Council Bluffs, which will have two AmeriCorps members; Siouxland District Health Department; Trinity Muscatine and Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa in Des Moines.

More information is available on the Iowa Public Health Association AmeriCorps HealthCorps page at: www.iowapha.org.

Rosenberg can be reached at (515)509-5057 or Rosenberg_ralph@yahoo.com