Supported by a five-year, $400 million investment from the American Rescue Plan Act, the American Heart Association announced that it has received a multi-million-dollar Public Health AmeriCorps grant to address health in rural areas. The goal is to grow a sustainable pipeline of public health workers, reducing cardiovascular risks among rural residents, and accelerating the adoption and implementation of systems changes to improve access to quality care.
Beginning in September, 2022, 100 Public Health AmeriCorps members will reach 50 rural communities in 26 states. Priority areas include those with high rates of uncontrolled blood pressure or cardiovascular disease, increased social vulnerability and shortages of health professionals.
Heart disease prevalence in rural areas is 14.2%, compared to 11.2% in metropolitan areas and 9.9% in urban areas, and this gap has widened in the past ten years. Couple that with a rural shortage of health care workers and you get a rural population much more vulnerable to preventable illness.
