What are the responsibilities and job description for the Health Promotion Specialist position at Houston Area Community Services, Inc.?
Health Promotions Specialist
(CDC)
Overview:
Works for a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center and in the community. Provides general health education and HIV/STD-specific education and counseling, testing, and referral services. Offers assistance with Access to Benefits Eligibility/Entitlements, Information, Navigation and Linkage, and Screening on PrEP, Provides HIV & STD Screening, Linkage to Primary and HIV specialty care, Linkage to Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services, Prevention and Supportive Counseling.
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Responsible for establishing trusting relationships with community partners, patients and their families, and provide general support and encouragement.
- Provide health-coaching appointment to clients, as needed, encouraging risk-reducing and medical adherence behaviors.
- Follow-up with patients, such as by phone, home visits and visits to other settings where patients can be found.
- Assist patients with completing applications and registration forms.
- Assist with eligibility determination appointments, enrollment and follow-up with uninsured patients.
- Help patients set personal goals and attend appointments.
- Provide referrals for services to community agencies as appropriate.
- Work cooperatively with other clinical personnel assigned to the same patient.
- Responsible for providing consistent communication to the supervisor ensuring that provided information and reports clearly describe progress.
- Act as a patient advocate and liaison between the patient/family, Avenue 360 and community service agencies (i.e. schools, Department Human Services, Heath Care for Homeless, hospitals, support groups, etc.).
- Attend regular staff meetings, trainings and other meetings as requested.
- Provide targeted outreach and recruitment, HIV/STI counseling, testing, and referral (e.g. blood based, oral swab) as well as Health Education and Risk Reduction to High Risk and/or Persons Living With HIV/AIDS.
- Assists these persons by providing support in maintaining safer sex practices in order to prevent HIV/STI infection or re-infection as well as accessing testing/counseling services.
- Evidenced Based Interventions (EBIs): provide access to biomedical prevention services (PrEP/PEP).
- Coordinate a linkage/network system to ensure easy access to medical care, treatment, prevention and other social services.
- Performs quality management/assurance activities.
- Must be highly available and flexible to work some late nights and maintain a flexible schedule.
- Documentation of services provided in client record and required database(s).
- Attend monthly calls with grantors, prepares data report, and reports follow-up items.
- Participates the development of program promotion, outreach and communications strategies to support program goals and increase community awareness and use of HIV prevention services
- Other duties as described by the supervisor.
Education, Experience, Licensure/Certification and Skills/Abilities Related Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree recommended.
- Bilingual English/Spanish Preferred
- Medical Assistant background Preferred
- Knowledge of HIV/STI and related services, Homeless, and Mental Health/Substance Abuse community resources, and working with other communities and/or populations as described within the program.
- Must be comfortable and culturally competent to work with special populations including the Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual Transgender (LGBT) community.
- CPR Certification Required within 90 days of employment.
- This is a grant funded position. This position is contingent upon receipt of grant funding specifically for that purpose. All such appointments terminate upon completion of the term of the grant under which the appointment was made, or upon early termination of the grant by the funding party, or upon exhaustion of the available funding for the position provided for under that contract or grant, whichever occurs first.
Continuing Education and Training Requirements:
Participates in trainings required by the funding source and/or as required by licensure and Avenue 360.
