Community Health Worker - Behavioral Health

New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 48,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

NYC Health + Hospitals, Queens, seeks a Behavioral Health Community Health Worker to support patients with complex medical and social needs, working with interdisciplinary teams.

Under supervision, CHWs engage patients, recruit, coach toward health goals, coordinate care, and connect to services, including housing and legal resources. 35 hours weekly, 9:00 A.M – 5:00 P.M, Monday to Friday, salary range $48,206–$55,437.

Qualifications

• Three years of full-time counseling/community health experience in public service settings.
• Education-substitution option: 30 credits per year of experience, with at least one year applicable.

Responsibilities

• Engages and recruits eligible patients for health services and interviews to identify goals.
• Coaches patients toward health goals and connects to primary/behavioral health care providers.
• Coordinates care, liaises with care team and external services for housing, legal and other needs.
• Documents encounters in Epic and other electronic systems; participates in team meetings.
• Performs community-based assessments and outreach in parks, shelters, and streets as needed.

Skills

Public health knowledge

Communication skills

Community outreach

Bilingual ability (preferred)

Collaboration

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Epic EHR

FindHelp

MyChart

Job description

Provider Careers at NYC Health + Hospitals

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.

Work Shifts

9:00 A.M – 5:00 P.M

Monday through Friday

35 hours a week.

Responsibilities

Assignment Qualification Requirements:

1. 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
2. Satisfactory combination of education and/or experience equivalent to 1 above. Study at an accredited college or university in Sociology, Psychology or other Behavioral Science discipline may be substituted for experience on the basis that thirty (30) semester credits are equivalent to one (1) year of experience. However, all candidates must have at least one (1) year of full-time experience described in 1 above.

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:

1. 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).
2. Engages and recruits eligible patients in health care and community settings, and interviews them to identify their health goals and needs.
3. Supports and motivates patients to achieve their health goals by coaching them through behavior change and identifying their strengths and community support systems.
4. Helps patients connect to a primary and/or behavioral health care provider, attend appointments, and fill prescriptions.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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).
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Attends regular team meetings to discuss patient progress and update care plans; communicates with patients’ primary care providers.
11. Conducts community-based assessments and interviews to identify and prioritize their health and social services goals and needs.
12. Conducts community outreach, including on the street, in parks and/or shelters, as needed, for patients who struggle with housing insecurity.
13. Performs other related duties, in response to public health emergencies, when necessary.

Department Preferences

Additional Assignment Education Preferences:

1. 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.

Preferred Knowledge Areas, Skills, Abilities, and other Characteristics:

1. Familiarity with email and internet usage and comfort learning new computer programs.
2. Experience Using the Following Software: Microsoft Office (e.g., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), Electronic Health Record, Epic, FindHelp, MyChart.
3. Must possess excellent communication, documentation, reading and writing skills.
4. Proficiency in a second language is preferred (e.g., Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Urdu).
5. Professional and/or direct experience with behavioral health conditions, including substance use; homelessness, justice involvement or foster care and/or preventive services.
6. Ability and willingness to conduct home (including street, park, and shelter) visits and outreach activities, specifically with behavioral health populations experiencing a history or combination of: substance use, serious mental illness, justice involvement, street homelessness or housing instability.
7. New York City residency (i.e., Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens or Staten Island).

JOB DETAILS

Salary Range:

$48,206 - $55,437

Position type:

Full-Time

Department:

OP BEHAV HLTH CHILD/ADOL

Category:

Social Services

Posted:

Sep 4, 2026

LOCATION

NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens

82-68 164th Street

Jamaica, NY 11432

ABOUT NYC Health + Hospitals

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation, annually serving more than a million New Yorkers in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. Our mission is to care for all, without exception.