Community Health Worker

Description

Our organization seeks a self-motivating team player to join our Community Health Worker (CHW) program. Community Health Workers (CHWs) are frontline public health workers who have a close understanding of the community they serve. This trusting relationship enables them to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.

Under direct supervision, this individual would work closely with medical providers, primary care teams, and social services agencies to care coordination and connection to resources and support to program clients to improve their health and general well-being through education and provision of coordination of care and services. This individual would work in both clinical and community-based settings.

This individual should have a passion for sharing knowledge about health education and health promotion and have a keen understanding of the community. Community Health Workers are defined by the trust they receive from the communities they work in. To be effective, Community Health Workers must secure, preserve, and develop that trust. Ideally, this individual would live in the community and already have a developed understanding of health and human services in the area. This individual would serve as a bridge between the community and the health care, government, and social service systems. They would also build individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy. Additionally, this individual must have completed an approved CHW training program.

Examples of Duties

 Health system navigation and resource coordination, such as:
•  Helping patients find providers.
•  Helping patients make appointments for a service.
•  Arranging transportation for medical appointments.
•  Attending an appointment with the patient for a medical service.
•  Helping a patient find other relevant community resources such as a support group, mental health advocates.
Health promotion and coaching providing information or education to patients that makes positive contributions to their health status, such as:
•   Cessation of tobacco use
•   Harm-reduction in the misuse of alcohol or drugs
•   Improvement in nutrition
•   Improvement of physical fitness
•   Family planning
•   Control of stress
•   Pregnancy and infant care including prevention of fetal alcohol syndrome.

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/detroit/jobs/4384998/community-health-worker?keywords=health&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs