National Health Corps funded for new three-year cycle

Philadelphia, PA - The Health Federation of Philadelphia’s (HFP) National Health Corps (NHC) program has been funded for a new three-year cycle.  In addition to continuing to operate NHC in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, and Chicago, the program will expand to partner with new organizations and serve community members in San Francisco and New York State. Furthermore, the priority areas NHC will be focusing on will also be new and include addressing the opioid epidemic, obesity through nutrition and exercise and increasing the ability for older adults to remain in their own homes.  

The funder – The Corporation for National and Community Service – awarded NHC with a generous $1.6 million dollar annual grant for three years ($4.959 million total). The grant will be matched with $1.6 million annually in private/public funding from local nonprofits, hospitals, and government agencies as well, increasing the annual budget to $3,253,267 and approximately $9,759,801 over three years.   In 2019, NHC will have a total of 118 National Health Corps members providing health education and access to underserved communities in its six cities. Since 1994, NHC members have provided health services to 120,000 + underserved community residents every year.  

To achieve the program goal of improving health outcomes in underserved communities, National Health Corps focuses on three major program objectives:

Objective 1: Empower youth and adults to make smart choices about their health and lead healthier lives.

Objective 2: Foster emerging leaders’ skills related to professional development, commitment to health-related careers, ethic of service, and reducing health disparities.

Objective 3: Support organizations that aim to improve health outcomes in underserved communities.

About National Health Corps: National Health Corps connects people who need it most with health education and services today, while developing tomorrow’s compassionate health leaders.

About Health Federation of Philadelphia: The Health Federation of Philadelphia serves as a keystone supporting a network of Community Health Centers as well as the broader base of public and private-sector organizations that deliver health and human services to vulnerable populations. We promote community health by improving access to and quality of health care; by identifying, testing and implementing solutions to health disparities; and by providing training and technical assistance to help other organizations operate more efficiently and effectively.