Community Health Worker - New York, United States - NYC Health + Hospitals

Description

About NYC Health + Hospitals:

Empower Every New Yorker — Without Exception — to Live the Healthiest Life Possible

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the United States. We provide essential outpatient, inpatient and home-based services to more than one million New Yorkers every year across the city's five boroughs. Our large health system consists of ambulatory centers, acute care centers, post-acute care/long-term care, rehabilitation programs, Home Care, and Correctional Health Services. Our diverse workforce is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible.

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.

Job Description:

Summary of Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the direction of a Community Health Worker (CHW) Supervisor and as part of the NYC H+H Public Health Corps, Primary and Specialty Care (Pediatrics) CHWs work with patients, their parents and caretakers performing patient-centered, community health work in collaboration with interdisciplinary teams in NYC H+H primary care and specialty care clinics, reporting to Pediatrics Primary or Specialty Care Leadership at each site. CHWs are specially trained frontline public health workers who are trusted members of and/or have a thorough understanding of the communities they serve. The CHW participates in community outreach activities within the communities of NYC, engaging patients and providing resources and assistance needed to address issues preventing them from staying healthy. The CHW motivates and supports pediatric patients, parents and caretakers to achieve their family health goals through facilitating connections to primary and specialty care clinics, community and parenting services, mental health support and/or pre-natal care, creating health goals, and helping them find affordable healthy food options. All references to patient below may include their parents and/or caretakers, where appropriate.

General tasks and responsibilities will include:

• Participate 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
• Engage and recuit eligible patients and conduct clinical or community-based assessments and interviews to identify their health goals and needs
• Assess and address health, social and service-related needs of assigned/identified patients and create individualized, patient-centered, goal-directed care plans for each patient
• Support and motivate patients to achieve their health goals by coaching them through behavior change and identifying their strengths and community support systems
• Help patients connect to a primary care provider, specialty care providers, community services and/or mental health services, attend medical appointments, and fill prescriptions
• Accompany patients during medical appointments and provide in-person support during hospital stays as needed; communicate with their care team to help coordinate care
• Assess ability of patients to manage their chronic disease(s) and work with care team to connect them to appropriate education and monitoring programs
• Assist patients with social needs such as food insecurity, housing issues, legal needs, insurance or other health care coverage or transportation and provide referrals and follow-ups, as needed (for example, helping patients fill out benefit applications or escorting them to community organizations to obtain needed services)
• Educate patients regarding available community services, health services, and patient rights; provide feedback from patients to NYC H+H to inform quality improvement efforts
• Collect and track data to support achievement of patient-centered care plan using assessment tools, surveys, and logs, as appropriate
• Document each patient encounter in the electronic medical record (Epic) and use other electronic systems (e.g., NowPow) in accordance with established policies and procedures
• Attend regular team meetings to discuss patient progress and update care plans; communicate with patients' primary care providers.
• Conduct home and community-based visits to assess patient needs specific to the home environment
• Serve as a liaison between the community and the health system by communicating patient experience to the CHW Supervisor and Program team
• Report regularly to CHW Supervisor for support and feedback; participate in program improvement efforts
• Perform other, related CHW program tasks, as needed and perform duties in response to public health emergencies, when necessary

Minimum Qualifications:

For Appointment to Level I

1. One year of full-time experience in a government agency or community organization in providing community services to the public or in assisting members of the community in obtaining community services; or
2. Completion of an approved six month training program of combined classroom training and on-the-job experience in community liaison work, plus six months of full-time experience as described in 1 above.

For Appointment to Level II

In addition to meeting the qualification requirements of Assignment Level I, appointment to Level II requires:

1. Two additional 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. Education and/or experience equivalent to 1 above. Study at an accredited college in sociology, psychology or other behavioral science may be substituted on the basis of 30 semester credits for each year of the experience described above. However, all persons must have at least one year of the full-time experience described above.

For Appointment to Level III

In addition to meeting the qualification requirements of Assignment Level II, appointment to Level III requires:

1. One additional year of full-time experience as described in 1 above.

For Appointment to Level IV

In addition to meeting the qualification requirements for Assignment Level III, appointment to Level IV requires:

1. One additional year of full-time experience.

Department Preferences

• New York City residency (Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens or Staten Island)
• Familiarity with email, word processing and Internet usage and comfort learning new computer programs.
• Excellent communication and documentation skills.
• Proficiency in speaking a language other than English, preferably Spanish, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Bengali, Russian, Cantonese, French, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Albanian, or Korean.
• Ability and willingness to conduct home visits and outreach activities within assigned borough(s) of NYC.

NYC Health and Hospitals offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

• Comprehensive Health Benefits for employees hired to work 20+ hrs. per week
• Retirement Savings and Pension Plans
• Loan Forgiveness Programs for eligible employees
• Paid Holidays and Vacation in accordance with employees' Collectively bargained contracts
• College tuition discounts and professional development opportunities
• Multiple employee discounts programs

Please be advised that proof of Covid-19 vaccination is required prior to hire.