Breastfeeding Peer Counselor (BFPC) (VDHPCX44)

Commonwealth of VA Careers; Roanoke (VA); On-site; USD 21,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

The Virginia Department of Health in Roanoke is seeking a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor (BFPC) to promote breastfeeding among WIC participants and the community. This wage position supports the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts and operates within the BFPC scope of practice.

The role is funded for one year and limited to up to 1000 hours per year; wage employees do not receive state benefits, and immunization requirements apply.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated working knowledge of basic human lactation and breastfeeding practices.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of basic breastfeeding management, manual expression and milk storage.
• Demonstrated skill in effective communication.
• Demonstrated ability to instruct in group and individual settings.
• Demonstrated ability to recognize problems related to breastfeeding and refer appropriately.
• Personal breastfeeding experience is required.
• Valid driver's license is required.
• Current or former WIC participants are preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide breastfeeding encouragement, information, and counsel to prenatal and breastfeeding participants.
• Offer anticipatory education about the normal course of breastfeeding.
• Conduct support group meetings and assist the nutritionist with sessions.
• Contact participants at predetermined intervals to provide counsel and support lactation.
• Recruit participants to attend nutrition education classes.
• Maintain logs of patient contacts and activity reports, using the Crossroads system.
• Plan and participate in community outreach events for WIC participants and promote a breastfeeding-friendly environment.
• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Skills

Lactation knowledge

Breastfeeding management

Effective communication

Group/instruction delivery

Referral and problem identification

Personal breastfeeding experience

Driver's license

Job description

Title: Breastfeeding Peer Counselor (BFPC) (VDHPCX44)

State Role Title:Direct Service Associate II

Hiring Range: $15.00 to $18.31

Pay Band: 2

Agency: Virginia Department of Health

Location:ROANOKE HQ

Agency Website:www.vdh.virginia.gov

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

Consider joining the Virginia Department of Health as we foster healthy and resilient communities. This is your opportunity to serve the public in the Breastfeeding Program at the Roanoke City/Alleghany Health District.

This is a restricted position, which is solely funded by WIC for a year period ending 9/30/2026. The availability of funding is scheduled for review annually depending on federal funding. Continued employment is contingent on the continued availability of funds.

• This is a wage position limited to working no more than 1000 hours per year due to funding.
• Wage employees do not have access to state benefits.

Job Description:

Breastfeeding Peer Counselors promote breastfeeding among WIC participants, health care workers and the community. They attend local, regional, or state breastfeeding promotion and support training when possible. They operate within the BFPC scope of practice as defined in the WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum. Participates in multidisciplinary team case conferencing to develop and implement WIC participant service plans. May represent Local Agency and WIC on interdisciplinary workgroups, taskforces, or coalitions.

Job Duties:

• 1. Provides breastfeeding encouragement, information, and counsel to prenatal and breastfeeding participants.
• 2. Provides anticipatory education about the normal course of breastfeeding.
• 3. Conducts support group meeting and assists the nutritionist with individual and other group sessions.
• 4. Contacts participants at predetermined intervals per WIC policy to provide counsel, encouragement, and information to maintain lactation. Is available to participants outside of usual clinic hours and the WIC clinic environment. Identifies problems or potential problems necessitating referral to the nutritionist, or WIC Designated Breastfeeding Expert (DBE).
• 5. Recruits participants to attend nutrition education classes by making clinic, telephone, and/or mail contacts.
• 6. Maintains logs of patient contacts, completes monthly activity reports and other health department forms as required. Utilizes the Crossroads system.
• 7. May plan and participate in community outreach events for WIC participants, particularly during Breastfeeding Awareness Month. Plans local agency breastfeeding promotion events. Creates and maintain a breastfeeding-friendly environment.
• 8. Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is dedicated to protecting and promoting the health of Virginians. The VDH is made up of a statewide Central Office in Richmond and 35 local health districts.

Who We Are: The Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD) are two health districts in the Commonwealth of Virginia under the Virginia Department of Health and employ approximately 140 staff. RCAHD encompasses the cities of Covington, Roanoke, and Salem and the counties of Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig, and Roanoke.

What We Do: RCAHD, which provides services from nine office locations, serves a combined population of over 278,400 people throughout both rural and urban environments and works to promote and encourage healthy behavior, protect the public against environmental hazards, prevent epidemics and the spread of disease, respond to disasters, assist communities in recovery and assure the quality and accessibility of health services for all members of the communities.

The Virginia Department of Health offers 13 paid holidays, medical, dental, vision and life insurance, retirement plans (including 401a Cash Match and 457 Deferred Compensation Plan) as well as sick, family/personal, and annual leave.

VDH requires all Health-Care Personnel (HCP) to provide documentation of immunization or evidence of immunity to the following: hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella; a one-time dose of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine regardless of the interval since the last dose of tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine was administered (Td or Tdap boosters shall be received every 10 years); and the current year's seasonal influenza vaccination.

Minimum Qualifications

Demonstrated working knowledge of basic human lactation and breastfeeding practices is required.

Demonstrated working knowledge of basic breastfeeding management, manual expression of breast milk and collection and storage of human milk is required.

Demonstrated skill in effective communication is required.

Demonstrated ability to instruct in a group and individual setting

Demonstrated ability to recognize problems related to breastfeeding and make appropriate referrals/interventions is required.

Personal breastfeeding experience is required.

Valid driver's license is required.

Additional Considerations

Current or former WIC participants are preferred.

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

VDH accepts only on-line applications. Faxed, mailed, or e‑mailed applications will not be considered. Applications are accepted until 11:55 p.m. on the job closing date. Applications and/or resumes should include relevant work history which indicates your qualifications for this position. Supplemental questions are encouraged to be answered in a comprehensive manner and reference any pertinent knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as any previous experience that relates to the position.

Employment is contingent upon satisfactory results of a state and federal criminal history background check and the Department of Social Service’s Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry check, U.S. HHSIG Exclusion List check, employment reference check and E‑Verify. Other financial, credit, driving, background checks or completion of Statement of Economic Interests may be required for certain positions.

It is the policy of the Commonwealth and VDH that all aspects of human resource management be conducted without regard to race (or traits historically associated with race including hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists); sex; color; national origin; religion; sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; age; veteran status; political affiliation; disability; genetic information; and pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. VDH employees have a shared Code of Ethics, which can be found in the bottom banner of our website: www.vdh.virginia.gov.

If you have been affected by DHRM Policy 1.30 layoff and possess a valid Interagency Placement Screening Form (Yellow Card) or a Preferential Hiring Form (Blue Card), you must submit the card before the closing date for this position. The Card may be submitted with the state application as an attachment.

As a V3 (Virginia Values Veterans) employer VDH Welcomes Veterans to apply!

Contact Information

Name: Darlene Smith

Phone: N/A

Email: [e-mail]

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.