Community Health Worker - Behavioral Health

NYC Health + Hospitals; Hempfield Township (Westmoreland County); On-site; USD 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

NYC Health + Hospitals is seeking a Behavioral Health Community Health Worker to support patients with complex medical and social needs in NYC. You will work with a multidisciplinary team to coordinate care, conduct community outreach, and assist patients in navigating health and social services.

Responsibilities include engaging patients, providing resources, and following up to address housing, legal, and transportation barriers.

Qualifications

• Three (3) years of full-time experience in counseling, community work or community health activities in a government agency or community organization engaged in providing community services to the public, assisting members of the community in obtaining community services or maintaining liaison with schools, community organizations or other government agencies for the purpose of providing assistance and obtaining participation and support for implementation of community or public service programs; or
• Education and/or experience equivalent to the above. Completion of an approved six (6) month training program of combined classroom training and on-the-job experience in community liaison work may be substituted for six (6) months of experience. Study at an accredited college in sociology, psychology or other behavioral science may be substituted on the basis of thirty (30) semester credits for each year of the experience described above. However, all persons must have at least one (1) year of the full-time experience described above.

Responsibilities

• Participates in ongoing education and specialized training to learn and maintain CHW skills, as well as public health emergency response skills.
• Engages and recruits eligible patients in health care and community settings, and interviews them to identify their health goals and needs.
• Supports and motivates patients to achieve their health goals by coaching them through behavior change and identifying their strengths and community support systems.
• Helps patients connect to a primary and/or behavioral health care provider, attend appointments, and fill prescriptions.
• Accompanies patients during medical appointments and provides in-person support during hospital stays, as needed; communicates with their care team and, as appropriate, external service providers, to help coordinate care, including liaising for patient court cases.
• Assesses ability of patients to manage their chronic physical and behavioral health conditions and works with the care team to connect them to appropriate chronic disease education and monitoring programs.

Skills

Community health worker experience

Counseling experience

Education

High School diploma or equivalent

Job description

Marketing Statement

Queens Hospital Center is making good on its promise to the people of southeastern and central Queens to maximize both patient convenience and positive clinical outcomes. Residents of Queens can count on the delivery of quality medical care right in their own borough. In 2002 the hospital opened a state-of-the-art, 261-bed facility that includes the Queens Cancer Center, the first comprehensive cancer treatment center in the borough.

Marketing Statement

Queens Hospital Center is making good on its promise to the people of southeastern and central Queens to maximize both patient convenience and positive clinical outcomes. Residents of Queens can count on the delivery of quality medical care right in their own borough. In 2002 the hospital opened a state-of-the-art, 261-bed facility that includes the Queens Cancer Center, the first comprehensive cancer treatment center in the borough.

At NYC Health + Hospitals, our mission is to deliver high quality care health services, without exception. Every employee takes a person-centered approach that exemplifies the ICARE values (Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence) through empathic communication and partnerships between all persons.

Duties & Responsibilities

Purpose of Functional Assignment:

Under the direction of the Behavioral Health Coordinator, in close collaboration with social work staff at assigned worksite and as part of the NYC Health + Hospitals, Behavioral Health Community Health Workers (CHWs) work with patients with specialized needs relating to complex medical, behavioral health and social issues, including justice involved patients, patients experiencing homelessness, and children in the foster care system, performing patient-centered, community health work in collaboration with interdisciplinary teams in NYC H+H primary care and specialty care clinics. Participates in community outreach activities within the communities of NYC, engaging patients, parents and/or caretakers, as applicable, and providing resources and assistance needed to address issues preventing them from staying healthy.

Examples Of Typical Tasks

• Participates in ongoing education and specialized training to learn and maintain CHW skills, as well as public health emergency response skills, relevant for the Public Health Corps (e.g., employees will be enrolled by the department in a 20-hour minimum training that includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-endorsed CHW Core Consensus Competencies (C3) after starting the position).
• Engages and recruits eligible patients in health care and community settings, and interviews them to identify their health goals and needs.
• Supports and motivates patients to achieve their health goals by coaching them through behavior change and identifying their strengths and community support systems.
• Helps patients connect to a primary and/or behavioral health care provider, attend appointments, and fill prescriptions.
• Accompanies patients during medical appointments and provides in-person support during hospital stays, as needed; communicates with their care team and, as appropriate, external service providers, to help coordinate care, including liaising for patient court cases.
• Assesses ability of patients to manage their chronic physical and behavioral health conditions and works with the care team to connect them to appropriate chronic disease education and monitoring programs.
• Assists patients with social needs, such as food insecurity, housing issues, legal needs, insurance or other health care coverage, or transportation and provides referrals and follow-ups, as needed (e.g., helping patients fill out benefit applications or escorting them to community organizations to obtain needed services).
• Educates patients on available community services, health services, and patient rights. Communicates patient feedback regarding such services to the interdisciplinary team and participates in program improvement efforts. Reports regularly to CHW Supervisor for support and feedback.
• Documents each patient encounter in the electronic medical record (Epic) and uses other electronic systems (e.g., FindHelp), in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• Attends regular team meetings to discuss patient progress and update care plans; communicates with patients’ primary care providers.
• Conducts community-based assessments and interviews to identify and prioritize their health and social services goals and needs.
• Conducts community outreach, including on the street, in parks and/or shelters, as needed, for patients who struggle with housing insecurity.
• Performs other related duties, in response to public health emergencies, when necessary.

Minimum Qualifications

• Three (3) years of full-time experience in counseling, community work or community health activities in a government agency or community organization engaged in providing community services to the public, assisting members of the community in obtaining community services or maintaining liaison with schools, community organizations or other government agencies for the purpose of providing assistance and obtaining participation and support for implementation of community or public service programs; or
• Education and/or experience equivalent to 1. above. Completion of an approved six (6) month training program of combined classroom training and on-the-job experience in community liaison work may be substituted for six (6) months of experience. Study at an accredited college in sociology, psychology or other behavioral science may be substituted on the basis of thirty (30) semester credits for each year of the experience described above. However, all persons must have at least one (1) year of the full-time experience described above.

Note: Preference will be given to applicants with at least a high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization.