SUMMARY:
This evolving position is located in the Operations Division within the Oklahoma City-County Health Department (OCCHD). The employee works collaboratively with a team of Community Health Workers, social service agencies, schools, and agency programs to provide clients with opportunities to stabilize and improve their health. As a Community Health Worker (CHW), social and health related needs are managed to improve overall community health. CHWs will conduct social drivers of health screenings, provide navigation to available resources, provide social support, and advocate for individuals and community health needs. Responsibilities will include referral management, documentation of each client contact, general health management skill building, and reducing barriers to appropriate health care and social services. Additionally, the CHW will work to increase access to appropriate venues of community-based services, assist individuals in improving health status, facilitate access to social services, and ensure community members access the services they need. The CHW may be embedded within school-based settings, agency and/or clinical settings, and/or community-based organizations.
PRINCIPLE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
This is a summary of the duties and responsibilities commonly found within this classification. All employees must maintain a commitment to OCCHD's mission, vision and strategic goals. This summary is not meant to be all-inclusive, thus, other related activities or tasks may be assigned.
This position functions at the entry level (Tier 1) as defined by the Council on Linkages Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals. An emphasis on the following domains is important in this role:
- Data Analytics and Assessment Skills
- Communication Skills
- Health Equity Skills
- Community Partnership Skills
- Public Health Sciences Skills
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
- Work with a multidisciplinary team.
- Guide individuals in the process of accessing services and receiving needed social services through referral management.
- Assist in the Mobile Market Program to bring fresh produce to underserved communities.
- Assist in conducting listening sessions/townhalls or forums within underserved communities and populations affected by health disparities.
- Build and sustain relationships with community-based organizations, schools, and agencies to identify and increase referral sources within the community.
- Act as a client advocate by enhancing the individual's ability to effectively communicate with providers.
- Provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to assigned clients.
- Motivate and encourage people to obtain care and other services when appropriate.
- Coordinate client care with other providers and health programs.
- Work with clinicians regarding client changes in behavior, nutrition, exercise, substance abuse, medication compliance, and other issues related to the care plan for the client.
- Provide basic screening tests (e.g., height, weight, blood pressure).
- Conduct outreach and prevention education services, targeting individuals who are at high risk for chronic disease complications.
- Assist in community-based classes/education and conduct prevention awareness screenings using a social drivers of health screening tool.
- Attend community and/or school outreach events.
- Collaborate with school partners on social service and health-related needs, including communicating with school counselors, teachers, and administration on staffing student and family needs.
- Assist students and families through school-based referrals in implementing measures to decrease risk of further problems.
- Document and track individual and population level data.
- Travel to off-site locations to perform job duties as needed; occasionally, this may require employees to work outside of regular business hours or assigned shift hours including evenings or weekends.
- Participate in regularly scheduled staff development training to maintain and improve personal knowledge base of various social and medical services.
- Participate and attend regularly scheduled meetings.
- Communicate all concerns to the supervisor as necessary, seeking support and guidance proactively.
- Maintain appropriate confidentiality and follow agency guidelines and regulations regarding the release of client, provider, or agency information.
- At the direction of OCCHD Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health Officer or designee, the employee will be assigned a variety of specific job duties and responsibilities as a member of the OCCHD Emergency Preparedness and Response Program Team, the employee is required to complete all necessary emergency responder training and may be designated as a member of the first-responder team.
- In accordance with our designation of a PHAB Accredited health department and explicit commitment to a culture of continuous quality improvement, employees will receive Quality Improvement (QI) training deemed necessary by their supervisor.
QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS:
-High school diploma or GED required
-30 hours of college courses; allied health professional certificate; Associates Degree preferred (one year of field experience can substitute for education requirements).
-Valid Oklahoma driver license required
-Strong connection to and experience with vulnerable populations in the Oklahoma City metro
-Must be certified in CPR within 90 days of employment
-Bilingual preferred
LEVEL 1 - One year of public contact experience required
LEVEL 2 - Two years of public contact experience required
SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
-Skill in operating a personal computer
-Ability and willingness to maintain confidentiality
-Ability and willingness to communicate with persons of diverse backgrounds both orally and in writing using tact and diplomacy
-Ability and willingness to follow established policies and procedures
-Ability and willingness to develop and maintain effective working relationships
-Ability and willingness to follow safe working practices and procedures
-Ability and willingness to assume responsibility for work product
-Ability to exercise judgment in the application of professional services
WORKING CONDITIONS:
-Primarily indoors in a climate-controlled building
-No smoking or use of non-smoking tobacco products is allowed at any time while conducting agency business or in agency vehicles
-No use of cell phones or the use of electronic wireless communications devices used to write, send or read a text-based communication while driving a motor vehicle on agency business
-May be subject to sitting and/or standing for prolonged periods of time
-May be exposed to prolonged glare from computer monitor
-OSHA category: performs tasks that may involve exposure to blood.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
-Arm/hand steadiness and digital dexterity enough to use equipment such as personal computer, ten-key, typewriter, FAX machine, etc.
-Vision enough to read computer printouts, hand- or machine-generated documents, etc., as well as print on computer monitor
-Speech and hearing enough to communicate with others, both via telephone and face-to-face
-Flexibility to bend, stoop, and pull to perform tasks such as filing documents
-Flexibility and strength enough to lift and move equipment and supplies weighing up to 35 pounds
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:
This position requires frequent contact with other employees, visitors, clients, applicants, etc., to give and receive information and/or to provide assistance. The employee also may have contact with state and community agency employees, civic organization, school officials, students, childcare centers and public/private clinics. The incumbent interacts with a broad spectrum of socio-economic groups. Tact and diplomacy are required in the performance of duties. The employees may be required to deal with hostile persons on occasion.
CONDITIONAL:
Employees who fall into the following categories are in conditional employment positions: a) Chief Executive Officer and Public Health Officer; b) Senior Executive Team, Executive Team and Leadership Team employees who serve at the pleasure of the OCCHD Chief Executive Officer and Public Health Officer; c) certain other OCCHD employees whose salaries, benefits, and/or overhead are based on available funds such as, but not limited to, revenue generating contracts, grants, or fee-for-service revenue. In other words, this means that if the funding or the program is terminated, cancelled, or non-renewed, your employment terminates automatically. This position is conditional.
SUPERVISION GIVEN AND RECEIVED/ACCOUNTABILITY:
This employee is under the direction of an immediate supervisor. Work product is subject to both specific and general review. The incumbent has no supervisory responsibilities and no direct accountability for budget, money or materials.
OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
-Must have an operating vehicle available for use when field duties are required
-May be required to take the smallpox vaccination, and other vaccinations or inoculations, as a member of the first-responder team
-May be required to work outside of regular business hours or assigned shift hours including occasional evenings and weekends due to job responsibilities to include but not limited to Total Wellness classes, OCCHD and community events.
BENEFITS:
- As an employee of the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, you will enjoy comprehensive benefits which consists of:
- 15 days per year of annual leave
- 15 days per year of sick leave
- 15 paid holidays annually
- A comprehensive health insurance package – medical, dental, vision, life insurance, dependent life insurance, and flexible medical spending account
- A generous benefit allowance to offset the cost of insurance premiums for employees and their eligible dependents.
- Retirement plans: Defined Contribution Plan and 457 Deferred Compensation Plan
Interested candidates should apply online at www.occhd.org. Select Careers at the top of the web page, select Current Jobs, select the position you are applying for, and select "apply". You will be directed to our Career Center. Get started by uploading your resume with your profile. Otherwise, click "skip" to continue. The first step is to register with the Career Center, again you will click on apply for an active position. You may search for open positions by name or select "show all positions." You may select "view" to read the details regarding the position. Again, you will click on "apply now". You will be directed to the second step of the application process. Please complete the entire application. Do not substitute a resume for your employment history. You may attach a cover letter, resume, and an official transcript, if applicable. You will save and complete your application. You will be directed to the final step of answering job specific questions, if applicable. Once you have finished the process, you should receive a message stating, "Successfully applied". You will also receive an email stating your application has been received for the position you selected. If you do not receive this message, then there has been a step not completed. You will need to review your record. The position will be open for 30 days or until filled. Please be advised that applications will periodically be considered, as such this position could be filled any time before the closing date.
Successful candidate subject to background check, reference verification and drug screening.
AA/EOE