AmeriCorps Seniors (Ages 55+) Public Health Workforce Program
The C4P AmeriCorps Seniors Public Health Workforce Program at the University of Chicago provides adults 55+ with the opportunity to engage in service and job training to prepare them for careers in public health. We are now accepting applications on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. Available positions are described below and more positions will be posted as they become available.
What is AmeriCorps?
AmeriCorps is the federal agency for national service and volunteerism that provides opportunities for Americans of all backgrounds to serve their country, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, and improve lives and communities.
AmeriCorps Seniors and Public Health AmeriCorps are two programs under the AmeriCorps umbrella that are collaborating to support the C4P AmeriCorps Seniors Program.
What is C4P?
The Comprehensive Care, Community and Culture Program (C4P) aims to improve the overall health and well-being of patients in the program by addressing a wide range of medical and social needs. The C4P program builds on the Comprehensive Care Physician Program, which offers patients at increased risk of hospitalization a comprehensive care physician (CCP) who will care for them in both the hospital and the clinic. In addition to receiving care from a CCP, C4P patients are regularly asked about a range of unmet social needs and given access to a community health worker and a community-based arts and culture program.
Who is eligible to apply?
To be eligible for the C4P AmeriCorps Seniors program, you must be:
- 55 or older at the time you begin the program;
- a U.S. citizen or permanent resident;
- able to complete most if not all service hours in person (reimbursement for some transportation related costs is provided);
- able to commit to at least three days (approximately 24 hours) of volunteer service and job training per week, totaling 1,000 hours over 10 months; and
- interested in applying for employment following completion of AmeriCorps service.
Persons who are younger than age 55 but interested in AmeriCorps service are encouraged to learn more and apply about our C4P AmeriCorps State and National Program.
What are the benefits of participating in the C4P AmeriCorps Seniors program?
Volunteers will:
- engage in 1,000 hours of public health related service through the C4P AmeriCorps Seniors program and earn a stipend up to $7,500 for the total hours served;
- receive job training in one of two pathways (clinical research and community health) and support in making the transition to employment after the service period ends;
- receive individual health insurance through AmeriCorps Cigna Corps network plan, which includes medical, dental and vision;
- receive reimbursement for transportation costs to and from their volunteer service site up to $120 per month; and
- receive liability insurance through the program that includes volunteer accident insurance, personal liability insurance, and excess automobile coverage.
What will I do as a volunteer with C4P AmeriCorps Seniors?
AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers will be responsible for extending the reach of C4P and related programs to improve participating patients’ experience with care and health outcomes, reduce their rate of hospitalization, and address their unmet social needs.
As part of their service, volunteers will also receive job training and support in applying to jobs in clinical research or community health, including at the University of Chicago, other academic medical centers and hospitals, and in community organizations. We support job training in two primary pathways:
- Clinical Research: Volunteers in this pathway will complete training to help prepare them for clinical research roles as clinical research coordinators.
- Community Health: Volunteers in this pathway will complete training to help prepare them for roles as community health workers.
In both pathways, job training includes relevant hands-on experiences, didactic instruction, and mentorship.
Clinical Research Pathway
Below are examples of the available AmeriCorps Seniors roles in the clinical research pathway.
C4P Research at the University of Chicago
This position will be based at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park. Responsibilities include:
- recruiting Medicare patients of diverse ages who are at increased risk of hospitalization for the C4P program, which is designed to serve their medical and social needs (participants will also have opportunities to recruit in a range of community-based settings on Chicago’s South Side and to recruit for additional studies);
- assessing hospitalized patients for unmet medical and social needs;
- serving as a community resources specialist and help implement community-based arts and culture programming;
- helping evaluate the effects of the C4P program and conduct three-month follow up phone calls with participant; and
- helping train and mentor volunteers and new AmeriCorps members to support the C4P Program.
Oral Health Project at the University of Chicago
The Program in Oral Health seeks to address important problems in oral health through research and training of researchers. Within the program, the purpose of Dental Care Research Study, a randomized trial, is to understand how offering no-fee dental care to older adults who lack routine dental coverage or care affects their quality of life, health, and health care costs.
All Oral Health AmeriCorps Seniors will work closely with the oral health team at the University of Chicago Medicine Hyde Park campus and nearby locations. All trainings and research will be conducted in person mostly on weekdays with expectations to work on some weekends and evenings.
Responsibilities of Oral Health AmeriCorps members include:
- recruiting older adults to participate in the Dental Care Research Study at UCM Hyde park campus and other UCM locations in the Chicagoland area;
- supporting the care of patients in the treatment arm of the study by helping the oral health team to facilitate their visits for care;
- helping evaluate the effects of access to no-fee dental care through interviews of participants and by supporting in-person visits to assess outcomes;
- supporting patients in completing study activities, such as submission of rebate forms and lists of medications;
- identifying and participating in community events to create awareness about oral health and its association with general health and recruit participants for the study; and
- helping train and mentor volunteers and new AmeriCorps members to support the oral health Program.
Additional roles in the Clinical Research Pathway that are currently under development include:
Emergency Department Recruitment at the University of Chicago
This position will be based at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park and will focus on recruiting patients visiting the emergency room into the C4P and Oral Health research studies. Participants in this pathway should be prepared to work some weekend and evening hours, when patients with greatest need often receive care in the emergency room.
C4P at St. Bernard Hospital
This position will be based at St. Bernard Hospital, a community hospital in Englewood (326 West 64th Street, Chicago, IL, 60621). St. Bernard is preparing to start a C4P program in the coming months.
Community Health Pathway
Below are examples of the available AmeriCorps Seniors roles in the community health pathway. These positions will be accepting applications in the coming months.
C4P Social Services at the University of Chicago – Community Health Pathway
This position will be based at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park. Responsibilities include:
- serving on the C4P Social Service Team and attending team check-ins, Complex Care Rounds, and team operations meetings through a combination of in-person/on-site and remote work (~1 day/week);
- helping support the research, data collection, and clinical operations of Living Well Financially, a program for C4P patients to help them achieve financial wellness (the program includes individual meetings with social workers in clinic and virtually to discuss patients’ financial goals and needs and/or town hall sessions focused on different topics related to finances); and
- assisting the team to identify and develop resources to address patients’ unmet needs (examples include compiling information on utility bill and rental assistance programs; other projects have involved updating mental health care and dental care resource lists for patients).
C4P Roommates Project at the University of Chicago – Community Health or Clinical Research Pathway
This position will be based at the Health Lab office in downtown Chicago and at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park. This position will help develop a shared housing program for seniors, recruit participants, address participants’ unmet social needs and promote the success of the program.
How do I apply?
To apply to positions at University of Chicago, please submit an application through our online portal. You may select more than one position that is of interest to you.
You will be asked to submit:
- a resume;
- a cover letter or statement describing your interest in the C4P AmeriCorps Seniors Program; and
- demographic information to confirm your eligibility for the program (citizenship status, birthdate, etc.).
Applicants who submit a complete application and meet eligibility criteria will be invited for a Zoom call with members of the C4P AmeriCorps Seniors team. This initial meeting is a chance to discuss the program requirements, the available positions, and the next steps in the interview process.
Contact Information
Natasha Beals, MA
Training and Communications Program Manager
Center for Health and the Social Sciences (CHeSS), UChicago
nbeals@bsd.uchicago.edu
773-702-3726
Fahad Sajid, PhD
Director of Training Programs and Communications
Center for Health and the Social Sciences (CHeSS), UChicago
fahad.sajid@bsd.uchicago.edu
773-834-7449
Non-Discrimination Statement
The University of Chicago, the C4P AmeriCorps Program, and its host sites do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law (including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972). Read the full statement and learn more here.
