AmeriCorps Host Sites
Become a Host site
Learn more about what hosting an Iowa Public Health AmeriCorps member can offer.
Why Should I Become an AmeriCorps Host Site?
The Iowa Public Health AmeriCorps (IAPHA) program places service members at public health organizations to deliver innovative disaster preparedness trainings and support a myriad of essential public health services in counties, communities, hospitals, and other organizations across the State of Iowa. This program aims to address several areas of high need in the public health sector, including supporting the existing public health workforce by providing student assistance for prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery initiatives; connecting students and young professionals with hands-on experience to supplement their education; and creating a direct pipeline for young professionals to be hired into and retained by the public health workforce throughout the State of Iowa.
Organizations working directly in public health or those working in related fields (community engagement, social determinants of health, etc.) with a need to increase project capacity in the short-term or long-term should consider hosting a IAPHA service member to assist in delivering your community service needs.
What Do AmeriCorps Members Do?
IAPHA focuses on disaster preparedness and public health workforce training and capacity building. Our goal is to provide opportunities for service members to gain valuable professional skills to better prepare and retain the next generation of public health practitioners in the State of Iowa. Service positions and projects are based on the organization’s current needs and will fall into one of the following service tracks:
Disaster Prepwise
The Disaster PrepWise program helps individuals and families developed tailored disaster management plans before a disaster or emergency situation happens. As recommended by federal agencies, Disaster PrepWise program uses an all-hazards approach to address various types of emergency situations. Disaster PrepWise AmeriCorps members conduct outreach to establish partnerships in community and deliver Disaster PrepWise presentations and programs.
Public Health Capacity
These apprenticeship-style service placements are intended to offer professional training and support to current students and recent graduates in health-focused disciplines before they continue on their public health career paths. Project focus areas are flexible and should be designed to fulfill the organization’s specific needs over the service term.
Examples of potential public health capacity projects might include:
- Policy review and development
- New program implementation and/or evaluation
- Literature review and best practice research
- Community health assessment (CHA)
- Community health improvement plan (CHIP)
- MAPP assessment
- Infographics and communication design
- Food system assessment
- Report preparation for stakeholders
- Digital communication & outreach
- Maternal health needs assessment
- Host topic tool
- Internal tool & resource development
- Data analysis
- Disease investigation
- Contact tracing
- Vaccine outreach and education
- Volunteer coordinator
- Environmental health projects
- Research assistance
What Support Does AmeriCorps Provide?
The IAPHA staff will provide a wealth of input and guidance over the course of project development, recruitment, and the member service term.
- Project Development: Organizations may already know how they would like to utilize an AmeriCorps Service Member. For organizations that are unsure, IAPHA is available to provide guidance and assistance in developing an appropriate member service description and recommending project ideas based on your organization’s mission and goals.
- Member Recruitment: IAPHA staff will assist in active member recruitment and interviewing using our network and affiliation with the University of Iowa and other colleges and universities across the state. While the primary target member group are current students and recent graduates, community members are also able to serve as corps members. Organizations who do not want assistance finding members may opt to fulfill all recruitment needs on their own.
- Service Term Support: IAPHA staff will oversee the initial AmeriCorps orientation process and will provide regular quarterly check-ins with both host site supervisors and current service members. IAPHA staff will also conduct monthly required virtual seminars for service members that will cover professional development skills, such as professional communication, resumes and cover letters, time management, managing up, and other topics designed to help members succeed in the workforce.
What is Expected of Host Sites?
To become a host site with IAPHA, an organization must host work that is related to public health or is public health-adjacent. The organization’s primary mission does not need to be in public health, so long as the department or member project is in the realm of public health. Host sites will be expected to:
- Identify and develop the primary project(s) for an AmeriCorps Service Member.
- Conduct an on-site service member orientation.
- Provide a physical office space for member to use during the duration of their service term.
- Review and sign the annual Host Site Agreement (HSA) provided by IAPHA staff.
- Assign a primary host site supervisor who is able to complete required host site supervisor training, meet with the service member weekly, and attend quarterly check-ins with IAPHA staff.
How Long Do Member Serve?
The service term for each member can vary and will depend on the need and capacity of the organization. Host sites can review the following service term lengths below.
| Service Term | Minimum hours |
|---|---|
| Three quarter time (TQT) | 1200 hours |
| Half time (HT) | 900 hours |
| Reduced half time (RHT) | 675 hours |
| Quarter time (QT) | 450 hours |
| Minimum time (MT) | 300 hours |
Term length by month may vary. For example, a minimum time placement could be 30 hours/week over 10 weeks OR it could be 10 hours/week over an academic year (30 weeks). Placements terms should not exceed 1 year. Three quarter time placements should begin and end in August/September to correspond with the AmeriCorps grant funding cycle.
Contact Us
Need more information? Reach out to our staff and learn more about hosting a Public Health Iowa Corps member.