About the Health Action Response Team (HART)

Since March 2020 when Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency for California as a result of the global COVID-19 outbreak, AmeriCorps members and volunteers have been essential to the response and recovery efforts throughout the state. In order to continue to ensure local health agencies and food banks have the people power they need, California Volunteers, Office of the Governor, has committed emergency grant funding to help meet the needs for vaccinations and food security for all Californians.

California Volunteers is pleased to expand support for a long standing partnership with the Napa County Office of Education (NCOE) with the launch of the Health Action Response Team (HART). HART is an extension of NCOE’s highly successful AmeriCorps program- The Volunteer Infrastructure Project, mostly widely known as AmeriCorps VIP. The AmeriCorps VIP program has over 11 years’ experience supporting members in expanding volunteer capacity at nonprofits, schools, and public agencies across the state.

VIP-HART will provide on the ground supports by placing 38 AmeriCorps members who will be serving full-time to complete 675 hours with agencies at the frontlines of vaccination efforts, vaccination outreach/education and food security efforts.

AmeriCorps VIP-HART members will get things done!

Vaccination Support:

• Recruit one-time volunteers for general support (i.e. registration, parking, crowd management) and skilled ongoing volunteers such as medical professionals or multilingual interpreters
• Schedule, train and provide onsite leadership and management of volunteers
• Perform community outreach and education to hard to reach populations
• Vaccination phone line and registration support
• Track and collect essential volunteer data

Food Security:

• Recruit one-time and ongoing volunteers for food banks, pantries, and other food distributions
• Schedule, onboard, and train volunteers
• Directly supervise, manage and recognize food assistance volunteers
• Provide business partnership outreach, development and procurement of in-kind goods and funds to support the agency volunteer program.

AmeriCorps VIP-HART members can also help develop volunteer plans, protocols and structures in place so your agency is better prepared to recruit and manage volunteers that meet your needs during the next time a disaster calls.

AmeriCorps Requirements:

Members must be a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident of the United States* and have the ability to pass FBI, CA Department of Justice, out-of-state (if applicable), and National Sex Offender Public Registry background checks prior to service

*At this time, we are unfortunately unable to accept applicants with student visas (such as F1 or F2 student visas, J1 or J2 exchange visitor visas, G series visas, etc.), or those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.