Linn County Public Health and Linn County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) are excited to bring on five members helping with various projects.
Linn County Public Health and Linn County EMA each have one Public Health AmeriCorps member that is working in conjunction with the University of Iowa College of Public Health’s Disaster PrepWise AmeriCorps program. Developed by researchers at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, Disaster PrepWise is a free program that consists of five modules as well as two additional sections on special topics: preparedness for caregivers of persons with dementia and preparing pets and service animals. Participants will develop a personalized disaster management plan they can share with their family, friends, and neighbors.
AmeriCorps members working with Linn County on the Disaster PrepWise program include:
Josie Dalton is working with Linn County Public Health and is a third-year undergraduate student studying public health at the University of Iowa.
Brigid Smith is helping Linn County EMA and completed her public health degree at the University of Iowa in December 2023. In addition to promoting the Disaster PrepWise program, Brigid will also be promoting Alert Iowa, developing public education messaging and videos, and assisting with preparedness planning and training.
Anyone interested in creating a personalized plan for themselves or who would like a Disaster PrepWise AmeriCorps member to present for an audience about disaster preparedness, please call 319-467-1193 or email [email protected].
AmeriCorps and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have joined forces through Public Health AmeriCorps. Together, we are supporting the recruitment, training, and development of the next generation of public health leaders who will be ready to respond to the nation’s public health needs.
Public Health AmeriCorps has two main goals:
Address public health needs of local communities by providing support in state and local public health settings and advancing more equitable health outcomes for underserved communities.
Create pathways to good quality public health-related careers through onsite experience and training, with a focus on recruiting AmeriCorps members who reflect the communities in which they will serve.
Linn County Public Health also has three additional AmeriCorps members working within the Assessment and Health Promotion branch. The program assisting the Assessment and Health Promotion branch is Refugee and Immigrant Voices in Action (RIVA).
RIVA works to harness the power of leaders, volunteers, and advocates working on the ground within immigrant and refugee communities. RIVA’s AmeriCorps arm partnered with the Assessment and Health Promotion branch to use the support of a community outreach worker who will assist with data collection and developing actions needed to address issues in our community.
The RIVA AmeriCorps members who will be working with Linn County Public Health include:
Antoinette Mugisha is a community navigator.
Elsa Alarcon is a capacity navigator and acts as the member engagement coordinator.
Nafissatou Lamidi is the Northeast Iowa regional program coordinator with RIVA AmeriCorps.
AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency places more than 200,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.
Linn County is grateful to these AmeriCorps members for their efforts in helping us educate individuals about disaster preparedness and reach specific parts of our communities.