Community Health Worker III

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Ensures the provision of high-quality patient care by assisting in daily problem solving and supervision of the Community Health Worker (CHW) team under the direction of the CHW Team Lead.

2. Assists CHW Team Lead with direct supervision for CHW team:

• Facilitates resolution of patient complaints related to CHW scope of work.
• Assists in recruitment and interviewing of CHWs.
• Facilitates training and orientation of new CHWs.

3. Conducts Outreach, Engagement, and Population Health Activities:

• Conducts outreach in public and community settings in order to raise awareness of Health Center services and enroll individuals in need of health care services. Evening and weekend hours occasionally required.
• Maintains supplies of health center brochures and promotional materials in public display racks throughout the service area.
• Collaborates across interdisciplinary teams to develop and implement data-driven outreach strategies to re-engage patients in care, address Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), and inform other efforts to improve patient health outcomes.

4. Provides Additional Patient Support:

• Reduces patient access barriers by educating clients on Health Center services and programs and assistance with registration and scheduling processes as needed.
• Provides transportation for clients per Health Center transportation assistance protocol. Operates health center vehicle safely and maintains detailed daily activity log and vehicle log per Health Center policies and procedures.
• Accurately maintains daily activity logs regarding client activity and destinations.

5. Care Coordination for Health-Related Social Needs

• Conducts screenings to assess for health-related social needs such as housing access and safety, utilities costs, food access, transportation needs, employment, job training and education, language barriers, and physical/psychological safety.
• Receives referrals and conducts follow-up with patients identified as having health-related social needs through screenings done by other members of the dental, behavioral health, and primary care teams.
• Uses identified community resource databases to connect patients with social service agencies who provide services for identified health-related social needs. Assists with application processes, as needed.
• Use systems to track and evaluate the types of services, SDOH resources, and patient engagement activities that the CHW conducts and their impact on patient outcomes.

6. Case Management

• Confers as needed and on a timely basis with Health Center clinicians regarding patient issues and concerns. Assists Health Center providers and staff by providing cultural insight into client concerns and treatment plan.

7. Training and Development

• Participates in workforce trainings and technical assistance opportunities offered by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, among others, to support skill development for CHWs and guidance on strengthening CHW programs for the Health Center.

8. Attends and actively participates in Health Center medical team meetings and other staff meetings as required.

9. Effectively communicates with patients and staff across departments.

REQUIRED SKILLS, EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Education: High school diploma or equivalent required. Formal training or 1-3 years’ related experience required. State certification as a CHW required. Additional certification required in one or more of the following: medical interpreting certification, navigator certification, or certified application counselor. Proficiency in written and spoken English. Bi-lingual English/Spanish, English/Moldovan, or English/Russian a plus.

Experience: Prior community outreach or medical office/interpreting experience with specific experience with MassHealth, Children’s Medical Security Plan or other public health programs preferred.

Skills:

• Exceptionally organized. Must be able to manage multiple initiatives, determine initiative urgency in a meaningful and practical way, use goals to guide actions and create detailed action plans, and organize and schedule people and tasks.

• Must be able to clearly present information through spoken or written word, read and interpret complex information, talk with colleagues, students and collaborative partners, and listen well.
• Must be able to develop rapport with others and recognize their concerns and feelings, build and maintain long-term associations based on trust, and help others.

• Ability to work harmoniously with ethnically, culturally, racially, and gender diverse staff and patients.
• Ability to efficiently operate basic office equipment (multi-line phone, fax, photocopier).
• Ability to use Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and Outlook) and Internet.
• Understands and is familiar with basic medical terminology.
• Safe driver with good driving record and current MA license to operate an automobile required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here 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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to stand, walk, sit, use the hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. Must be able to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

While performing the required duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent when traveling between Health Center locations where medical care is provided. This position performs tasks that involve exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues.

This job description is subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the employee works. Performs other duties as assigned.