Her chances of success looked slim in light of significant funding cuts to the Corporation for National and Community Service’s overall AmeriCorp budget. Out of an original 18 programs in Louisiana, only six had survived the cuts and Dane’s was the only health corps in the entire state. Those cuts were mirrored across the country, and many programs were shut down completely. Dane sent out her grant application, and just in case, she also was sending out resumes.

Surprising news followed. Out of more than 500 nationwide applicants, Dane was awarded one of only two or three direct grants given in each state. And the news got better. The corps consists of trained people who are dedicated to helping nonprofits accomplish more and use volunteers more effectively. Dane had applied for 15 full-time members to work with the health corps in Southwest Louisiana. Instead she got 25 full-time and an additional nine part-time members—a grant totaling $400,000.

The grant will help SWLAHEC address community health needs by implementing health promotion and disease prevention projects at established partner sites, participate in health care recruitment planning, coordinate community clinic services delivery, and assist with continuing education for health care professionals. During the past three years, some 6,339 indigent people received access to health-related services through the AmeriCorps program, including primary care, dental, and mental health exams and access to pharmaceuticals. SWLAHEC disseminated health promotion information to another 21,115, including workshops on the effects of tobacco use, pregnancy prevention classes, and a health careers summer camp.

These initiatives are particularly important in Louisiana, ranked as 49th in the nation in terms of health indicators by the Health Care State Rankings for 2003 and falling 23.9% below the national average. Louisiana exceeds national rates for preventable cancer death, premature death from diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and infant mortality. Accessibility and availability of primary care practitioners and support for those practitioners pose a significant problem in the delivery of health care in the state. Of the 26 geographic areas where primary care is in short supply, 24 are rural parishes, most of which fall within SWLAHEC’s coverage areas.

Specifically, the new grant will train members in homeland security and give them a real-life setting in which to participate in civic engagement and understand how American democracy works. “The members live and work in their respective communities and are highly visible as an integral part of the community fabric,” says Dane. “They work on a range of projects, from coordinating pharmaceutical access to running physical activity programs for kids to prevent and reduce obesity or HIV education outreach. They serve in our community clinics for the working uninsured to help people navigate the health care system and even assist with health career exposure programming. My job is to keep the machine running, as well as ensure that all members are trained and understand the importance of service to the communities and what their roles are.”