Click play to listen to this article.

Members of Community Health Corps Montana are taking on health-care projects across the state, and applications for the second round of service are now open.

The program helps community groups accomplish their goals, aiming to support organizations that address substance abuse and mental health, chronic disease management, or "social drivers" of health – such as housing and hunger.

Dana Hewankorn, food sovereignty manager for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, said they're getting help from three corps members.

Image

"We are a tiny staff who takes on way more than our tiny staff can do," Hewankorn said, "and it's really been wonderful to have boots on the ground to help us get those things we dream about, but can't achieve, because we're doing everything we can already do."

Hewankorn said corps members assist with community events and after-school programs about food sovereignty and food insecurity.

This is the first year for Community Health Corps Montana, which is administered by Montana State University. There are nine members in the first group, which started in January and will end in August. Applications for the second group opened earlier this month, and they'll work from this September through July 2027. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and have a high school degree.

Angela Davis, project coordinator for the Montana Office of Rural Health and Area Health Education Center at MSU, said the mission is to address some of Montana's most pressing health-care needs. She said they're collaborating with rural and Tribal organizations already involved in health advocacy.

"They know what the problems are, they know how to address them," Davis said. "But oftentimes, we don't have the capacity to fully address them. So we're hoping that this program can plug into that and help bridge that gap."

Davis said they're looking for corps members who want to make an impact and gain hands-on experience. She's hoping they'll leave their year of service transformed.

"We're hoping that this program is also helping us to build the next generation of Montana community leaders," Davis said, "the next generation of Montana health and community workers."

Applications for the second Community Health Corps Montana group close on May 8.