Community Health Worker - The Brookdale Hospital Medical Center : Job Details

Overview:

HealthySteps, an evidence-based program of Zero to Three, helps to ensure that parents and their babies get off to a strong start in life. A Community Health Worker (CHW) will join the HealthySteps program to work with pediatric patients and their caretakers by performing patient-centered, strengths-based, community health work in collaboration with interdisciplinary teams at Brookdale Hospitals Family Care Centers at Eastern Parkway and New Lots Avenue.

CHWs are specially trained health workers who are trusted members of and have a thorough understanding of the communities they serve. The CHW participates in community outreach activities within the communities served by Brookdale Hospital, engaging patients and providing resources and assistance needed to address issues preventing them from staying healthy. The CHW motivates and supports pediatric patients and their families to achieve their family health goals by facilitating connections to primary and specialty care clinics, community and parenting services, mental health support, creating health goals, and helping them access resources to address social determinants of health.

The CHW will also oversee a grant funded Early Intervention (EI) project that aims to better facilitate connection to EI services and ensure children receive a timely developmental assessment.

This is a temporary, grant funded position. It is guaranteed for at least 18 months with plans for renewal.

• Coordinate Early Intervention referrals and bidirectional data exchange.
• Support families with children under age 3 to navigate the Early Intervention system so that children receive a timely developmental assessment.
• Manage database and data collection in electronic health record (EPIC) and Excel spreadsheets.
• Conduct patient interviews, needs assessments and implement care plan interventions via phone calls, home visits, and visits to other settings where patients can be found.
• Assess and address health, social and service-related needs of identified patients and create individualized, patient-centered, goal-directed care plans for each family
• Assist patients with healthcare navigation, including coordination of patient appointments, transportation, social services, community supports, and referrals.
• Help families access resources to address childcare, food, housing, education, employment, and transportation needs (for example, helping patients fill out applications or escorting them to community organizations to obtain needed services).
• Provide culturally appropriate health information and translation.
• Participate in collaborative team, staff and patient care planning meetings.
• Travel between office locations and to various community settings as required.
• Act as a patient advocate and liaison between the patient, hospital system, community resources and community service agencies.
• Continuously expand knowledge of community resources, services, and programs provided in the geographic location of assigned patient populations.
• Participate in ongoing education and specialized training to learn and maintain skills and knowledge base
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education:

• Bachelors or Associates degree in Community Health, Social Work, Human Services, Public Health, or any closely related field.
• Masters Degree highly preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum one (1) year previous experience in the healthcare, community-based, or social work environment.
• Minimum three (3) years full-time experience in counseling, community work, community health activities/agency, or government agency highly preferred.
• Familiarity with social service programs and Brooklyn community-based organizations.
• Experience providing direct support services to patients, experience with behavioral health needs a plus

Knowledge and Skills:

• Experience in the use of email, Internet usage and technology programs (Excel, Word, Outlook, EHRs, etc.)
• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to working with underserved populations in a community setting.
• Ability to work with people of many cultures.
• Displays sensitivity to the service populations cultural and socioeconomic characteristics.
• Ability to take initiative and willingness to learn.
• Ability to work well both in teams and independently.
• Commitment to a family-centered, strengths-based approach to care.
• Strong motivational interviewing skills.
• Ability to collect and enter data for program management, evaluation and reporting purposes.
• Must be empathic, supportive, and patient.

Licenses, Certifications:

• LMSW or Community Health Worker Certificate highly preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Position requires prolonged periods of sitting, standing, reaching, and walking throughout the working day.
• Position will be required to stoop, bend, lift, and carry items weighing up to 25 pounds.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees, and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of The Brookdale Hospital Medical Center.BHMC is an equal opportunity employer, it is our policy to provide equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, military status, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability or handicap or other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.