History

For the 2010-2011 school year, HealthCorps® has expanded to include a dozen states. The newest locations are the District of Columbia, Delaware and Oregon. A greatly expanded curriculum has been introduced this year.

The HealthCorps in-school program is enabling more communities to leverage their youth as educated consumers and health activists.

HEALTHCORPS^® TIMELINE

 

• 2003 - The blueprint for HealthCorps was executed for a 10-month pilot program.  Heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz set out to follow guidelines of “Healthy People 2010,” a federal government initiative from the Department of Health and Human Services to advance a nationwide health promotion and disease prevention agenda.
• 2004 - HealthCorps launched its program at George Washington Educational Campus in Washington Heights, New York City with lunchtime workshops.  
• 2005 – A second school was added to the pilot– Cathedral High School in Midtown Manhattan.
• 2006 - HealthCorps network grew to nine schools, including Academy of the New Church in Pennsylvania and Cliffside Park High School and North Bergen High School in New Jersey.
• 2007 - HealthCorps embarked on a national rollout, extending its health educational and mentoring program to 36 total schools, including 29 New York City high schools and the first Florida school, Palm Beach Gardens High School.  It added a second school in Pennsylvania, Lower Moreland High School.  Growth in New York     City can be attributed to a generous grant from the New York City Council.
• 2007-08 - To meet the demands of a thriving program, HealthCorps staff redesigned the curriculum and integrated the program into regular classrooms and communities in all five city boroughs.  The program also added In-school activism projects such as Healthy Halloween, Healthy Bodegas, and Healthy Steps pedometer contests and community activism programs such as the Highway to Health Fair & Festivals.
• 2008-09 School Year - HealthCorps had grown to 45 schools and three additional states - California, Texas and Ohio.  In Florida, the second largest state for the Program, eight schools, including institutions in Miami, Tampa and West Palm Beach benefited from a groundbreaking initiative that also spoke to teachers, families and communities.
• For the 2009-2010 school year HealthCorps expanded to a network of 50 schools that span nine states, including newest locations in Arizona and the Mississippi Delta. HealthCorps’ community activism included the launch of the Fit Town program.