Community Health Worker - GRANT FUNDED

Douglas County (NE); Nebraska; On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Douglas County (NE) seeks a health outreach worker to educate communities on health and wellness topics, perform home visits, and support health promotion initiatives. You will translate information for minority populations and facilitate access to services, while maintaining privacy and professional standards.

The role requires a high school diploma, 2+ years in community health or related fields, and proficiency with MS Office. A valid driver’s license and bilingual abilities are essential.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Two years of community health, public contact, customer, or administrative experience.
• Two years of experience using MS Office Suite required.
• Valid driver’s license and own transportation at hire and throughout employment.
• Proficient in speaking and translating the assigned minority population language.
• Conditional offer pre-employment drug screen and criminal background check.

Responsibilities

• Conduct presentations, home visits, and one-on-one education on health topics.
• Assist in designing and implementing health messages and promotion strategies.
• Advocate for minority and underserved clients and reduce barriers to services.
• Promote relationships between health programs and community members.
• Maintain confidential patient information in compliance with HIPAA.
• Attend educational sessions and participate in public health emergencies as needed.
• Operate a vehicle safely for county business and report to location with regular attendance.

Skills

MS Office

Bilingual translation

Communication

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

• Conduct presentations, home visits, one-on-one education, and other methods on topics of health and wellness activities and self-management of health and wellness.
• Assist in designing and implementing health messages and health promotion strategies.
• Advocate with and on behalf of minority and/or underserved clients identifying and reducing barriers to health and wellness services.
• Promote and develop relationships and communication between health and wellness programs and community members.
• Establish and maintain effective work relationships with clients, supervisors, County employees, elected officials, attorneys, law enforcement, other agencies, community organizations, and the public.
• Comply with Civil Service rules, collective bargaining agreements, County policies, department policies, and laws to create a cooperative, safe, respectful, and quality work environment.
• Provide peer health and wellness education and support to individuals/families (e.g. over the phone, in person, through presentations or other methods).
• Assess client needs and concerns (e.g. family, community, and health).
• Establish relationships with target group(s) accessing hard-to-reach community members, exhibiting cultural sensitivity, and influencing and persuading clients to seek/accept available services.
• Display empathy, respect, and understanding toward individuals/families and community values.
• Reduce stigma and other barriers (e.g. health literacy) initiating/maintaining health and wellness and providing accurate information to community members organizations.
• Connect community members to individual/family support(s), health and wellness, and social service agencies and follow-up ensuring receipt of needed services.
• Translate health information into appropriate language.
• Document client information, progress, and number served as well as target population reached with education and information programs.
• Maintain confidentiality of medical and personal health information (PHI) in compliance with HIPAA.
• Attend educational sessions (e.g. community, department, state seminars, workshops).
• Serve on interdepartmental or community committees.
• Participate in public health emergency response training and respond during a public health emergency.
• Operate a motor vehicle safely when required to travel on County business.
• Report to assigned location with regular, consistent attendance.
• Perform other duties as directed and assigned.

• High school diploma or equivalent required.*
• Two (2) years of community health, public contact, customer, or administrative experience required.
• Two (2) years of experience using MSOffice Suite required.
• A valid driver's license and own mode of transportation at the time of hire and throughout employment required.
• Proficient in speaking and translating the assigned minority population language required.
• Completion of a conditional offer pre-employment drug screen and criminal record check.
• *Equivalent education beyond requirements may be substituted for work experience on a year-for-year basis.

• The physical demands and work environment characteristics described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Work typically performed in an office setting, home setting, or various other community locations during standard day shift hours; however; work schedule may vary (e.g. evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime, emergency call-ins). Work involves contact with or exposure to inclement weather conditions when traveling to various locations. Noise level is usually moderate. Work may be stressful when dealing with changing/competing priorities, time constraints, delivery of negative information to clients, and uncooperative/irate individuals.

• Work requires some physical activity including extended periods of sitting and standing, frequent walking, reaching, climbing, and occasional balancing, kneeling, bending. Incumbents must have the ability to frequently lift and/or carry objects weighing up to 10 pounds and occasionally up to 25 pounds.

• Required sensory abilities include vision, hearing and touch. Visual abilities, correctable to normal ranges, include close, distance, and color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Communication abilities include the ability to talk and hear within normal ranges. Incumbents must possess the hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary to operate computers and other equipment.