Community Health Worker - Health Access

Partner's Healthcare; Northampton (MA); On-site; USD 24,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Career advancement opportunities

Bonuses as applicable

Job summary

Mass General Brigham is seeking a Community Health Worker - Health Access to join the APP Care Team and help individuals living with HIV access comprehensive medical and social services. The role focuses on health equity, coordination with insurers and state programs, and advocacy to improve client outcomes.

The position requires a high school diploma, bilingual Spanish ability, and 1–2 years in community health or related areas.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or Equivalent required.
• 1–2 years experience with HIV, unhoused individuals, trauma survivors, or minoritized populations.
• 1–2 years in financial counseling, case management, or systems navigation.
• 1–2 years in crisis intervention and health education.
• Bilingual Spanish required.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Infectious Disease Specialists and patients to ensure equitable access to health care via assistance in completing and updating applications to MassHealth, Health Connector, Health Safety Net, and the statewide HIV drug assistance program.
• Conduct needs assessments, co-create health and well-being plans with individuals, addressing clinical and psychosocial drivers of health and barriers to access.
• Facilitate communications and serve as a point of contact between clients, medical providers, insurers, and the statewide HIV Drug Assistance Program to support clear decision-making and problem-solving and meet health goals.
• Navigate complex local, state, and federal resources/programs available to clients, bridging gaps in access to services, and improving client experience.
• Offer Advocacy & Support to amplify the voice of clients, empower individuals to understand their rights, and achieve self-identified goals.
• Provide ongoing follow-up and support to individuals to ensure continuity of care and successful achievement of health and well-being goals.
• Provide supportive referrals to community health centers for primary care, behavioral health, and dental services.
• Advance health equity by bridging gaps between minoritized communities and health systems.
• Collect data and maintain accurate records of interactions and outcomes to improve client outcomes, reduce health disparities in diverse populations, inform improvement strategies, and design new services.

Skills

Bilingual (Spanish)

Strong communication

Cultural humility

Driver's license

Education

High School Diploma or Equivalent

Job description

About the Organization

Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.

Job Summary

The Community Health Worker - Health Access is a key member of A Positive Place's interdisciplinary HIV care and prevention team integrating community health work into clinical care by addressing social determinants of health and health equity. In general, CHWs partner with individuals living with HIV in managing medical care, social services coordination, disease education, trauma and recovery, positive prevention, sexual health promotion, housing, and substance use risk reduction. The Community Health Worker - Health Access works collaboratively with clients and other APP Care team members (case management, housing, recovery coaching, peer advocacy, health navigation), and partners with Infectious Disease specialists, PCPs, and other providers to ensure equitable access to health insurance, the HIV Drug Assistance Program, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) medications.

Essential Functions

• Partner with Infectious Disease Specialists and patients to ensure equitable access to health care via assistance in completing and updating applications to MassHealth, Health Connector, Health Safety Net, and the statewide HIV drug assistance program.
• Conduct needs assessments, co-create health and well-being plans with individuals, addressing clinical and psychosocial drivers of health and barriers to access.
• Facilitate communications and serve as a point of contact between clients, medical providers, insurers, and the statewide HIV Drug Assistance Program to support clear decision-making and problem-solving and meet health goals.
• Navigate complex local, state, and federal resources/programs available to clients, bridging gaps in access to services, and improving client experience.
• Offer Advocacy & Support to amplify the voice of clients, empower individuals to understand their rights, and achieve self-identified goals.
• Provide ongoing follow-up and support to individuals to ensure continuity of care and successful achievement of health and well-being goals.
• Provide supportive referrals to community health centers for primary care, behavioral health, and dental services.
• Advance health equity by bridging gaps between minoritized communities and health systems.
• Collect data and maintain accurate records of interactions and outcomes to improve client outcomes, reduce health disparities in diverse populations, inform improvement strategies, and design new services.

Education

High School Diploma or Equivalent required

Can this role accept experience in lieu of a degree? No

Experience

• Experience working with individuals living with HIV, and/or unhoused individuals/families, people in recovery, trauma survivors, members of Black, Latine, GBTQ communities, formerly incarcerated individuals, and/or other historically minoritized populations with cultural humility 1-2 years required
• Financial counseling for uninsured/underinsured, case management, client advocacy, systems' navigation or other related community health work 1-2 years required
• Crisis intervention, goal planning, mediating, sexual health promotion, substance use harm reduction, disease management, medication education 1-2 years required
• Community-based and/or clinical care work settings, home visits, and other off-site locations 1-2 years required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated knowledge of local resources and government programs available to support individuals who are uninsured/underinsured.
• Skilled in strength-based, people-first, harm reduction, culturally humble, and restorative approaches to equitable community health care and prevention.
• Current driver's license, good driving record, and reliable transportation.
• Bilingual (Spanish) required.
• A person with lived experience of populations served is a plus.
• Strong cross-cultural interpersonal, organizational, and oral and written communication skills.
• Basic-Intermediate digital literacy required.

Physical Requirements

• Standing Frequently
• Walking Frequently
• Sitting Occasionaly
• Lifting Frequently
• Carrying Frequently
• Pushing Occasionally
• Pulling Occasionally
• Climbing Rarely
• Balancing Frequently
• Stooping Occasionally
• Kneeling Occasionally
• Crouching Occasionally
• Crawling Rarely
• Reaching Frequently
• Gross Manipulation (Handling) Frequently
• Fine Manipulation (Fingering) Frequently
• Feeling Constantly
• Foot Use Rarely
• Vision - Far Constantly
• Vision - Near Constantly
• Talking Constantly
• Hearing Constantly

Remote Type

Onsite

Work Location

2 Conz Street

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Employee Type

Regular

Work Shift

Day (United States of America)

Pay Range

$17.71 - $24.40/Hourly

Grade

3

Benefits

In addition to competitive base pay, we offer comprehensive benefits, career advancement opportunities, differentials, premiums and bonuses as applicable and recognition programs designed to celebrate your contributions and support your professional growth.

Compensation

At Mass General Brigham, we believe in recognizing and rewarding the unique value each team member brings to our organization. Our approach to determining base pay is comprehensive, and any offer extended will take into account your skills, relevant experience if applicable, education, certifications and other essential factors. The base pay information provided offers an estimate based on the minimum job qualifications; however, it does not encompass all elements contributing to your total compensation package.

Mass General Brigham Competency Framework

Mass General Brigham Competency FrameworkAt Mass General Brigham, our competency framework defines what effective leadership "looks like" by specifying which behaviors are most critical for successful performance at each job level. The framework is comprised of ten competencies (half People-Focused, half Performance-Focused) and are defined by observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. These competencies are used to evaluate performance, make hiring decisions, identify development needs, mobilize employees across our system, and establish a strong talent pipeline.

EEO Statement

EEO Statement: 1910 Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. To ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veteran's Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources at (857)-282-7642.