Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers is seeking a dynamic individual to serve as a full time (1700 hours within ten months) Community HealthCorps Member in the Department of Environmental Health.

Service Description: Community HealthCorps Members increase access to health care, provide health education and support that lead to appropriate use of health care services and better “self-care” by health center patients, and recruit and develop volunteers to support community health centers. At Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, the Community HealthCorps (AmeriCorps) Member in the Department of Environmental Health will focus his/her contribution primarily on the Kinnickinnic River Corridor Neighborhood Plan. The plan seeks to improve health and quality of life outcomes through improvements to the built and natural environment of the Kinnickinnic River neighborhood, where an $80 million flood management project is underway. The project demands coordination of community outreach, engagement and organizing. Member will be expected to lead the planning and coordination of two large River clean up events, assist in the facilitation of community garden programming for youth and families, conduct outreach for ongoing programming and events in collaboration with residents, the local police department, institutional partners and other stakeholders. Member will also help identify other projects that meet community needs and assist in soliciting resources to support projects. In addition to their primary service roles, Members at Sixteenth Street meet on a regular basis for team-building, training (related to the health center, their positions, and professional development), and planning upcoming service projects. Community HealthCorps Members recruit and develop volunteers, plan and carry out service projects, receive training and participate in team-building activities. Spanish fluency preferred but not required.

A testimonial from a previous Americorps member:

“Serving with the Department of Environmental Health at the Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers (SSCHC) helped me learn about public health through service to a dynamic and energizing community. I wanted to take a year off following undergraduate education and give back, and I ended up enhancing career skills and fostering a love for public health along the way. Each day presented opportunities to practice and master my Spanish through conversation with native-speaking residents in the neighborhood we served. I was given the freedom and support to plan and initiate community empowerment activities, events and outreach, such as river cleanups, bicycle days, littering prevention, home improvement and rain garden installations. The staff was amazing to work with and they inspired me with their drive to improve the Southside Milwaukee Community. The combination of a wonderful workplace and rewarding community health improvements following my hard work motivated me every day and made the experience invaluable. My year spent with SSCHC has sustained my passion for public health and I am currently earning a joint degree in medicine and public health and the University of Minnesota Medical School.”

Deadline to apply is October 1^st at the following link:

http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps