Black Infant Health Community Health Worker - Tacoma

Our Strengthening Families Division is looking for a Project, Full-Time (1.0 FTE) Community Health Worker to support the Black Infant Health Program. · This position will conduct program outreach, support clients, and assist with program planning, implementation, and evaluation. ...

Job description

Our Strengthening Families Division is looking for a Project, Full-Time (1.0 FTE) Community Health Worker to support the Black Infant Health Program.

This position will conduct program outreach, support clients, and assist with program planning, implementation, and evaluation.

This is an entry-professional classification that supports the implementation of prevention strategies, community health promotion programs, and policy development efforts.

Responsibilities include considerable individual client contact, managing referrals to community programs and resources, and extensive contact with community groups and organizations to promote Department initiatives.

This position has a project end date of 12/19/2027.

Distinguishing Characteristics

This position is the second level role of the Health Promotion Coordinator (HPC) series. An employee assigned to this classification will work independently under the supervision of a supervisor.

This role requires strict adherence to well-defined directives, instructions, and procedures, and complies with local, state, and federal confidentiality policies.

Position Series

Health Promotion Technician
Health Promotion Coordinator I
Health Promotion Coordinator II
Health Promotion Coordinator III

Career Path Options

Education

Options to continue your career at the Health Department depend on your interest, education, and training.

Possibilities beyond the position series include:
Office Administrator
Communications Specialist I, II
Executive Assistant II
Technical Assistant

Essential Functions

Builds rapport with clients and provides health education, instruction, and information in a manner that clients can easily understand and addresses barriers to access to services.

Gathers, shares, and assesses information to identify efficient and effective interventions utilizing strategies that are evidence-based and culturally responsive and trauma informed.

Conducts educational and informational programs for culturally diverse audiences of staff, clients, community groups, and professionals.

Collaborates with clients, community members and coalitions, businesses, schools, partner providers, and other organizations to plan, coordinate, and staff community events.

Examples of Key Duties

The items in this section are the key duties and responsibilities for this job and do not represent an exhaustive list.

Our organization is dynamic, and duties may change based on business needs. Any new duties will remain within the scope of the job.

Provide direct support to Black pregnant and parenting individuals in Pierce County by assessing needs and linking them to culturally relevant behavioral health support, perinatal group peer support, prenatal care, emotional support, and other social and material support through text, email, phone, and in-person contact.

Provide one-on-one resource navigation when needed.

Builds rapport with clients and provides health education, instruction, and information in a manner that clients can easily understand and addresses barriers to access to services.

Provide client health education on many topics including but not limited to pregnancy, lactation, when to go to the hospital, child development, family planning, and attachment.

Assist clients in navigating the healthcare system. Facilitate care conferences with client providers when needed.
Link clients to nursing and behavioral health support when needed.
Support clients to reach their economic and education goals.

Participate in internal Black Infant Health and monthly Community Health Worker meetings and provide administrative support such as note taking and scheduling.

Participate in community meetings as relevant.

Support program activities by providing technical assistance for client social events and support groups, Community Health Worker trainings, community meetings, and other activities.

Assist in program evaluation and contract reporting to include data collection and reporting, utilizing basic data collection tools.
Conduct Black Infant Health program outreach by delivering promotional materials including at community events and meetings.

Assist in building and maintaining relationships with community partners including behavioral health providers, breastfeeding and Group Peer support groups, perinatal care organizations, clinics and community-based organizations.

Builds rapport with clients and provides health education, instruction, and information in a manner that clients can easily understand and addresses barriers to access to services.

Gathers, shares, and assesses information to identify efficient and effective interventions utilizing strategies that are evidence-based and culturally responsive and trauma informed.

Assists clients in navigating the healthcare system and public health programs by phone and in person to help clients successfully participate in medical and/or behavioral care.

Connects clients to community resources necessary to achieve healthy outcomes.

Engages with community partners to increase awareness and prevention of public health issues, such as violence, childhood health and mortality, oral health, and substance use (tobacco, opioids, alcohol, etc).

Identifies and addresses health-related social needs.

Make referrals to local human service systems to support clients and address their needs, including housing, food, personal safety, transportation, childcare, chronic disease management, maternal and child health, behavioral health, and medical treatment and intervention.

Collects and maintains accurate program data and records.
Gathers and maintains information relevant to the needs of target populations and communities.
Conducts educational and informational programs for culturally diverse audiences of staff, clients, community groups, and professionals.
Builds and maintains relationships with community partners.

Collaborates with clients, community members and coalitions, businesses, schools, partner providers, and other organizations to plan, coordinate, and staff community events.

Uses purchasing card to make purchases for the assigned program.
The work you do might require you to participate in the Title XIX Medicaid Claiming Program.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Safety & Emergency Preparedness

Adheres to all workplace and trade safety laws, regulations, standards, and practices.
Understands and properly follows established procedures in preventing and responding to unsafe or emergency situations. Identifies and reports potentially unsafe practices or conditions.
Operates equipment, tools, machinery, and vehicles safely and understands processes for reporting an accident or injury.
Understands and applies knowledge and skills necessary to successfully perform assigned emergency response role during an emergency.

When public health responds to an emergency, you may be assigned duties and responsibilities that are outside your regular job description.

This may involve responding at any time and reporting to a location other than the department with different working conditions and physical requirements.

You are expected to participate in emergency preparedness activities including our emergency notification system, WA SECURES. Drills and real-world events may take place at any time.

For a full description of the Classification Specifications click here.

Intermediate knowledge of standard Microsoft Office programs, databases, virtual meeting software
Knowledge of marketing and communications principles and presentation techniques for culturally diverse audiences.
Skill in meeting facilitation.
Knowledge of health promotion education principles, practices, methods, and materials creation.
Knowledge of social science assessment, intervention, and consultation principles and practices.
Strong organizational skills
Skilled in interviewing and assessment techniques for culturally and socio-economically diverse populations.
Knowledge of resources and agencies available within the community.
Skilled in maintaining sensitive and confidential data and using discretion when sharing information.

Skilled in communication:
Listens to others and communicates in an effective manner.
Asks questions in ways that enhance the clarity, quality, and reliability of information.
Understands and learns from what others say, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
Grasps the meaning of written information and applies it to work situations.

Conveys ideas and facts using language the audience will best understand, taking into consideration the audience and nature of the information.

Writes in a clear, concise, and organized manner for the intended audience.
Foundational Competencies

Knowing and managing oneself:
Understands that all equity, trauma-informed, and restorative practices start with oneself. Exercises a high degree of self-reflection, personal accountability, resilience, flexibility, and adaptability. Is willing to learn, apply, and model agency values and ethical standards.

Restorative practices and conflict resolution:

Articulates through words and actions authentic commitment to create an environment in which all people are treated with dignity and respect and afforded equal opportunities and impartial treatment.

Centers work inequity and trauma informed and restorative practices to achieve and maintain collaboration and teamwork and to effectively work with historically underrepresented and/or underserved populations to advance community health.

Utilizes restorative practices to address harm and promote healing to strengthen relationships between individuals and social connections within communities.

Collaboration and engagement:
Provides balanced and objective information to help teammates, partners, and the public understand problems, alternatives, opportunities, and solutions.

Works directly with partners within the Department, in the community, and members of the public affected by the work to obtain feedback and understand diverse points of view, concerns, and aspirations.

Identifies preferred solutions together, incorporating advice and recommendations to the maximum extent possible.

Evidence informed practices and decision-making: Applies evidence informed practices and methodologies to achieve the greatest impact in delivery of services to internal and external customers and partners.

Incorporates the social determinants of health into public health work. Integrates research and evidence into the decision-making process. Seeks to systematically identify and eliminate inequities resulting in differences in health and in overall living conditions. Utilizes evidence informed practices to increase equity in systems and policy. Creates a robust culture of assessment and evaluation and continuous process improvement.

Cross cultural communication and Engagement:
Understands that cultural awareness, appreciation, and humility can only occur when you practice curiosity and open-mindedness.

Operates with a high level of humility and cultural agility to achieve effective intercultural communication, engagement, and collaboration in the workplace and in the community.

Is open to feedback and continuously self-reflects on one's own actions and responses. Centers personal accountability on the Department's mission, values, and ethical standards.

The items below are the requirements for the job and are relevant to this position. The organization values work experience, lived experience, and education and realizes that people take different paths to acquire knowledge.

Associate's degree.
3 years of relevant experience in a health, environmental, education, government, or other public sector organization.
1 year of experience working with underserved communities preferred.

We will consider any equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the necessary qualifications to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Professional Certifications, Licensure, And Other Requirements

We require or prefer the below for this classification.

Valid driver's license and an acceptable driver's abstract required prior to employment.
Close experience living and/or working directly with Black or African American communities.
At least 1 year experience working in maternal child health or related field.
Completion of Community Health Worker Training Program within first 6 months of hire.
Training in doula services, lactation, child development, and/or childbirth education in past 5 years.

Work Environment

Work is performed in a variety of settings: in an office, out in the community, nursing facilities, cultural centers, etc.

Exposure to hazards is limited to those commonly found in office environments and in the community.
Some positions may require working in private residences. In entering a patient's residence, exposure to hazards include those normally found in entering an unknown residence.

Work may be performed outdoors in a variety of weather conditions, including heat, humidity, snow, and rain, leading to exposure to hazards related to heat or cold exposure.

The potential for dealing with dissatisfied or angry customers exists, requiring skills in conflict resolution.

Physical and Cognitive Demands

Regularly required to sit or stand continuously.
Regularly communicate clearly in-person, over the phone, and via written communication, including communicating with dissatisfied or angry individuals.
Capable of reading physical and electronic documents and working for prolonged periods on a computer monitor.

Fine motor skills sufficient to grip and manipulate paper and operate a telephone, computer mouse and keyboard, and complete a trigger pull motion.

Reaching and gross manipulation capabilities sufficient to pick up and use standard office supplies.
1-3 times per month, reaching overhead for tent setup and frequently stooping.
Frequently required to perform work outdoors in a variety of weather conditions, including heat, rain, and cold.
May be required to traverse from parking to residences of varying levels of accessibility.
May require walking/traversing up to ¼ mile (ie: from parking to the booth) at community events.
This position may require lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, or moving objects up to 50 pounds.
Frequently operate a motor vehicle locally in any lighting conditions and various weather conditions, including rain.
Maintain concentration and attention for extended periods of time.
Regularly maintain awareness of surroundings to identify and address potential safety issues.
Regularly work effectively in the presence of visual, auditory, or other distractions.
Work effectively when exposed to workplace stressors, such as emotional and/or confrontational individuals.
Learn, recall, and apply specialized information.

Tools and Equipment

Duties require the use of standard office furniture and equipment (e.g., desk, filing cabinet, computer, printer, telephone, copy machine, etc.)
Some positions may require the use of specialty equipment (e.g. XRF tools, large printers, etc.)
Hand trucks

Travel

Travel is required (approximately 30% of the time), and is typically local or regional, to meet with clients, conduct business, or attend training.

Click Here for more details on reasonable accommodations, safety, risk management and more.