Community Health Advocate, Experienced - Palmdale

Your Role

The Community Programs team provides high-touch engagement with members and community-based organizations to remove barriers to healthcare access, enhance population health initiatives and advance health equity. The Community Health Advocate, Experienced will report to the Community Resource Center Manager, Operations and will be assigned to the Palmdale Community Resource Center. In this role you will be assisting members who have complex health and/or social needs, assessing their immediate needs and addressing barriers to care to include, but not limited to, care coordination, linkages to health plan services and community resources.

*This position is located at our Palmdale Community Resource Center Location & require employee to work 5 days per week in the Palmdale Community Resource Center*

Your Work

In this role, you will:

• Assess psychosocial and social determinants of health needs for moderate-risk members and document assessment results or augment available information in appropriate systems
• Assist members with problem-solving barriers to moderate health conditions by identifying, locating, connecting to and navigating needed community and medical system services, including visiting members at their homes, accompanying members to medical appointments and assisting members with completing forms to access needed services
• Actively engage, build rapport and establish trusting relationships and facilitate collaborative communication with members and member family support systems
• Consult with or refer members to licensed staff (social worker, nurse case manager etc.) as required based on member social, health risk and medical complexity
• Conduct follow-up activities to connect or reconnect members to health plan services, their provider or community-based agencies
• Serve as a member advocate for health plan, provider and community services and resources
• Identifies social determinants of health concerns/gaps, develops and documents a plan to address moderate social and health disparities in accessing appropriate care and services
• Documents member updates and progress notes in appropriate systems, submits timely reports, and provides recommendations for improved member outcomes tracking
• Identifies gaps in community resources and medical systems and supports the implementation of new solutions or services to close identified gaps

Your Knowledge and Experience

• Requires a bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Biology, Public Health, Nursing, Community Health, or Health related field or equivalent experience
• Requires at least 3 years of prior relevant experience working with people who need assistance with complex health and social issues
• Requires knowledge of and experience working with community agencies and programs
• Requires knowledge of Medi-Cal programs and services
• Requires strong problem-solving and customer service skills
• Bilingual speaking, reading and writing desired

ABOUT THE TEAM
About Blue Shield of California

As of January 2025, Blue Shield of California became a subsidiary of Ascendiun. Ascendiun is a nonprofit corporate entity that is the parent to a family of organizations including Blue Shield of California and its subsidiary, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan; Altais, a clinical services company; and Stellarus, a company designed to scale healthcare solutions. Together, these organizations are referred to as the Ascendiun Family of Companies.

At Blue Shield of California, our mission is to create a healthcare system worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable. We are transforming health care in a way that genuinely serves our nonprofit mission by lowering costs, improving quality, and enhancing the member and physician experience.

To achieve our mission, we foster an environment where all employees can thrive and contribute fully to address the needs of the various communities we serve. We are committed to creating and maintaining a supportive workplace that upholds our values and advances our goals.

Blue Shield is a U.S. News Best Company to work for, a Deloitte U.S. Best Managed Company and a Top 100 Inspiring Workplace. We were recognized by Fair360 as a Top Regional Company, and one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States by Points of Light. Here at Blue Shield, we strive to make a positive change across our industry and communities – join us!

Our Values:

• Honest. We hold ourselves to the highest ethical and integrity standards. We build trust by doing what we say we're going to do and by acknowledging and correcting where we fall short.
• Human. We strive to listen and communicate effectively, showing empathy by understanding others' perspectives.
• Courageous. We stand up for what we believe in and are committed to the hard work necessary to achieve our ambitious goals.

Our Workplace Model:

At Blue Shield of California and the Ascendiun Family of Companies, we believe in fostering a workplace environment that balances purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility. As we continue to evolve our workplace model, our focus remains on creating spaces where our people can connect with purpose – whether working in the office or through a hybrid approach – by providing clear expectations while respecting the diverse needs of our workforce.

Two Ways of Working:

• Hybrid (Default): Work from a business unit-approved office at least two (2) times per month (for roles below Director-level) or once per week (for Director-level roles and above). Exceptions:

o Member-facing and approved out-of-state roles remain remote.

o Employees living more than 50 miles from their assigned offices are expected to work with their managers on a plan for periodic office visits.

o For employees with medical conditions that may impact their ability to work in-office, we are committed to engaging in an interactive process and providing reasonable accommodations to ensure their work environment is conducive to their success and well-being.

• On-Site: Work from a business unit-approved office an average of four (4) or more days a week.

Physical Requirements:

Office Environment - roles involving part to full time schedule in Office Environment. Based in our physical offices and work from home office/deskwork - Activity level: Sedentary, frequency most of work day.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest records and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, State and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or disability status and any other classification protected by Federal, State and local laws.