Community Health Worker 2 - Community Outreach

If you are looking to make an impact on a meaningful scale, come join us as we embrace the Power of One!
 

We strive to be an employer of choice and establish a reputation for being a talent rich organization where Associates can grow their career caring for others. For over a century, we’ve served the health care needs of the people of Memphis and the Mid-South.
 

The Community Health Worker II is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. The Community Health Worker II also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy. Responsibilities include the identification and setting of health goals and follow-up provision of social support, health system navigation, community resource linkage and behavior change counseling. This is an autonomous position which requires a consistent drive for excellence, ability to make appropriate and timely decisions with minimal supervision, and effective problem-solving skills. Responsible for thorough and accurate documentation and working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary patient care team that helps stabilize and improve the client's health. Responsible for helping and supporting their client in acquiring preventive and follow-up health care needs, navigate and access healthcare services, educate families on the importance of healthcare follow-ups, reinforce disease specific education, perform medication reconciliation, and provide services to address barriers to healthcare follow-up. Models appropriate behavior as exemplified in MLH Mission, Vision and Values.

Working at MLH means carrying the mission forward of caring for our community and impacting the lives of patients in every way through compassion, a deliberate focus on service expectations and a consistent thriving for excellence.

A Brief Overview
The Community Health Worker II is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. The Community Health Worker II also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy. Responsibilities include the identification and setting of health goals and follow-up provision of social support, health system navigation, community resource linkage and behavior change counseling. This is an autonomous position which requires a consistent drive for excellence, ability to make appropriate and timely decisions with minimal supervision, and effective problem-solving skills. Responsible for thorough and accurate documentation and working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary patient care team that helps stabilize and improve the client's health. Responsible for helping and supporting their client in acquiring preventive and follow-up health care needs, navigate and access healthcare services, educate families on the importance of healthcare follow-ups, reinforce disease specific education, perform medication reconciliation, and provide services to address barriers to healthcare follow-up. Models appropriate behavior as exemplified in MLH Mission, Vision and Values.

What you will do

• ● Presents health information to individuals or families or groups to promote healthy lifestyle decisions and chronic disease management. Manages medium to large group participants, especially those with behavioral issues and/or special needs.
• ● Assists clients in their homes, community, or clinic setting. Conducts outreach (e.g., follows-up on health and social service encounters with individuals, families, and community groups; home visits to provide education, assessment, and social support; presents at local agencies and community events).
• ● Helps patients identify socio-economic issues that affect their overall health and develop health/social management plans and goals.
• ● Documents activities, service plans, and outcomes achieved by clients in an effective manner.
• ● Assists clients in accessing health-related services, including but not limited to obtaining a medical home, providing instruction on appropriate use of the medical home, overcoming barriers to obtaining needed medical care and/or social services.
• ● Uses motivational interviewing to help patients create action plans for reaching their health goals. Provides a wide variety of support (including emotional support, referral to community-based resources, social services, clinical services, etc.) based on CHW discretion and available resources.
• ● Develops and maintains working relationships with clients and makes referrals to other community agencies and services.
• ● Independently manages a caseload as required by program standards.
• ● Enters data, document, and evaluate the effectiveness of program activities.
• ● Serves as a resource for other healthcare workers, community members, and participants.
• ● Under the supervision of professional staff, reviews and selects appropriate health education materials; provides group education on specific health-related topics (e.g., nutrition or communicable diseases), and works on special health education projects.
• ● Provides coaching and social support (e.g., motivates and encourages people to obtain care and other services, supports self-management or disease prevention and management of health conditions).
• ● Advocates for individuals and communities (e.g., advocates for the needs and perspectives of communities, connects to resources, and advocates for basic needs).
• ● Builds individual and community capacity (e.g., trains and builds individual capacity with CHW peers and among groups of CHWs).
• ● Provides direct services (e.g., provides basic screening tests, provides basic services, meets basic needs) and supports direct service provision of professional staff by providing translation services (if bilingual).
• ● Participates in evaluation and research (e.g., engages in evaluating CHW services and programs).

Education Qualifications

• Required - High School Diploma or Equivalent

Experience Qualifications

• Required - Customer service or community outreach 3-5 y
• Required - Experience working with or providing services to the types of clients in the community
• Required - Lived experiences that provide insight into the health challenges faced by the community/clients served.

Skills and Abilities

• ● Experience and humility to work with culturally diverse clients and families.
• ● Knowledge of community agencies and resources.
• ● Working knowledge of multi-system outreach programs related to health care delivery, clinical education, and health-related services.
• ● Knowledge of transportation and other barriers to care that may be encountered by clients.
• ● Strong influencing, coaching, and consultative skills.
• ● Demonstrated problem solving skills.
• ● Skilled in managing group dynamics and addressing behavioral issues in group settings.
• ● Skilled in use of personal computers and related software applications, including e-mail.
• ● Skilled in organizing resources and establishing priorities and time management skills.
• ● Effective and positive verbal communication with participants and their families across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
• ● Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• ● Competence in understanding and composing complex written materials.
• ● Independent judgment with tact and diplomacy
• ● Ability to plan, implement, and evaluate individual client care plans.
• ● Ability to assess and respond to the needs of participants and their families.
• ● Ability to communicate medical information to health care professionals and care coordinators over the telephone.
• ● Ability to provide instructions and communicate effectively both orally and in writing with individuals of varying backgrounds and abilities.
• ● Ability to learn to perform health screening tests that require simple math.
• ● Ability to establish a trusting relationship.

Licenses and Certifications

• Preferred - Infant Mental Health Endorsement - Association of Infant Mental Health
• Preferred - Community Health Worker Certification - Tennessee Community Health Worker Association
• Preferred - Certification in Infant Mental Health Endorsement - Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health

Supervision Provided by this Position

• ● This position does not include supervisory or lead responsibilities.

Physical Demands

• ● Physical activities may include climbing, pushing, standing, hearing, walking, reaching, grasping, kneeling, stooping, and repetitive motion.
• ● Light work: exerting up to 25 lbs. of force occasionally and/or up to 10 lbs. of force frequently.
• ● Close visual acuity including color, depth perception, and field of vision for activities such as assessing patients, preparing and analyzing data, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, or extensive reading.
• ● Travel extensively to client homes, community locations, agencies, and other outreach destinations.
• ● Exposure to patient bodily fluids and hazardous or poisonous materials.

Our Associates are passionate about what they do, the service they provide and the patients they serve. We value family, team and a Power of One culture that requires commitment to the highest standards of care and unity.

Boasting one of the South's largest medical centers, Memphis blends a friendly community, a thriving and growing downtown, and a low cost of living. We see each day as a new opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people in our community.