Community Health Worker (CHW)

Community Health Worker

POSITION SUMMARY

Join the Community Health Partnership of Illinois team as a Community Health Worker!

Note: This is a grant-funded role.

Under the general supervision of the Outreach Supervisor, the Community Health Workers (CHW), who will serve to bridge between the community, healthcare, and social service agencies, to build trusting relationships with residents and their families will facilitate access to care and resources and improve health outcomes. The CHW will guide members of the community by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support and advocacy. The CHW is a frontline public health worker who performs a wide variety of duties at the paraprofessional level to engage, support, build trust, advocate and educate community members in overall health and wellness. The CHW also serves as an extension of CHP’s Marketing Team, sharing the CHP story, CHP services and referring community residents to CHP Medical home.

In this role, the Community Health Worker (CHW) will work across neighborhoods out in the community to address specific target populations, mostly in collaboration with CHP community partners. The CHW will also work closely with medical providers, CHP’s primary care teams, and other community partners to link individuals in the community to CHP’s clinics so as to increase community services, specifically to their needs, educate patient(s) on health initiatives and chronic disease prevention and management. The CHW will promote health habits, secure medical appointments and help to arrange transportation to medical visits.

The CHW will also collect data from community members to help providers understand social determinants of health (conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, etc. that affect a wide range of health outcomes and risks), and assist community members with self-managing health conditions and adopting improved health behaviors. The overall goal of CHP’s Community Outreach department is to enhance community health and wellness around specific priority health needs in the communities and surrounding communities in which we serve.

Essential Job Functions:

• Outreach and education: To proactively engage targeted patient/community member populations around health issue areas. This may take place in a hospital, clinic, homes, or various community setting and requires the individual to understand the health issue areas and be an effective communicator to reach the underserved population.
• Case management and follow up: To follow up (via phone or in person) with patients and community populations on their needed care, referrals and services to appropriately manage their specific chronic conditions and promote self-management practices.
• Tracking and reporting: To track patients/community members and report progress on activities and services provided on an aggregate level. Also includes CHW tracking their day-to-day activities and reporting them to the Manager of Community Benefit.
• Build community relationships: Promote community partnerships and support of resources from local organizations to implement and provide services and activities to the patients/community members you

serve.

• Planning: Proactively participate in UCM program design and planning around the community health worker program to most effectively execute the program

Additional Responsibilities:

1. Conduct outreach to identify and engage community members around health and wellness activities.

2. Assess health status and social determinants of health

3. Facilitate health education and behavior change strategies with individuals and groups.

4. Attend and participate in team meetings, communicate with county and community based agencies/professionals.

5. Performs patient care coordination and navigation.

6. Manage patient information into CHP’s EMR computer system

7. Provide presentations to individuals and small groups

8. Assist patients with completion of forms and paperwork

9. Schedule appointments for patients in clinic or other health/social services agency

10. Provide advocacy to address health disparities at the individual and community levels.

11. Identify, educate and link community to medical appointments.

12. Assist patients with referrals, follow-ups, and completing applications for services

13. May need to coordinate transportation for their patients and conduct eligibility determination of services to the uninsured.

14. Marketing and promoting the health services of the organization.

15. Assist, manage and document referrals made from CHP to other service providers on a daily basis from each site.

16. Convey the purposes and services of a program to the user population and the impact that program or service would have.

17. Help patients develop health management plans and goals.

18. Follow-up with health management/care plans with both patients and providers.

19. Coach patients in effective management of their chronic health conditions and self-care.

20. Assist patient in understanding care plans and instructions.

21. Document activities, service plans, and results in an effective manner while strictly

22. Adhering to the policies and procedures in place.

23. Work collaboratively and effectively within a team.

24. Establish positive, supportive relationships with participants and provide feedback.

25. Help clients in utilizing resources, including scheduling appointments, and assisting with completion of applications for programs for which they may be eligible.

26. Assist clients in accessing health related services, including but not limited to: obtaining a medical home, providing instruction on appropriate use of the medical home, overcoming barriers to obtaining needed medical care and social services.

27. Facilitate communication and coordinate services between providers.

28. Motivate patients to be active, engaged participants in their health.

29. Effectively work with people (staff, clients, doctors, agencies, etc) from diverse backgrounds in reducing cultural and socio-economic barriers between clients and institutions.

30. Build and maintain positive working relationships with the clients, community partners, providers, nurse case managers, agency representatives, supervisors and office staff

31. Continuously expand knowledge and understanding of community resources, services and programs provided; human relations and the procedures used in dealing with the public as part of a service or program; volunteer resources and the practices associated with using volunteers, operations, functions, policies and procedures associated with the department or program area, procedures and resources available to handle new, unusual or different situations

32. Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:

• Applicant MUST be bilingual- English/Spanish and possess strong written and oral communication skills.
• Any combination of 3 years health/social service experience and/or education.
• Certified Application Counselor (CAC)
• Familiarity with and experience working in rural communities and in multicultural settings.
• Passion for and dedication to working with community members
• Punctual, reliable and willing to learn
• Must have a valid Driver’s License, good driving record, and reliable transportation.
• Basic skills computers skills (experience in Microsoft Word and Excel preferred).
• Proactive learner that feels comfortable in different environments.

You'll thrive in this position if you:

• Create Value – you gather insights into what creates value; promote ongoing evaluation of the patient and customer

circumstances, expectations and needs. You determine the processes, systems and behaviors that directly impact how the

patient and customer feel. You pro-actively improve, through one’s role, the patient and customer experience; consistently positions the value of CHP so the patient and customer recommend us to their family, friends and community.

• Deliver Results – you identify issues, problems and opportunities; pro-actively recognize the need for improvement. You work with others to develop a sense of common purpose; understand different perspectives on issues; gathers and examines information available. You generate alternatives - Create relevant options, including financial and resource implications, for addressing problems and opportunities. You select appropriate action - Formulate clear decision criteria; evaluates options by considering implications and consequences; chooses an effective option. You commit to implementation and work with a sense of urgency and a bias for action to implement the decision.
• Embrace Change – you treat change and new situations as opportunities for learning or growth; identifies the benefits and risks of change. You quickly modify behavior to deal effectively with changes; remains effective during times of ambiguity and uncertainty. You honor the need in others to ask questions; helps others overcome resistance.
• Communicate with Impact – you focus on the message of others, provide undivided attention, and defer judgment. You

convey messages logically, simply, and with confidence. You check for understanding by asking questions, seeking clarity and responding accordingly.

Position Details

• Job Type/FTE: Full-time 1.0 FTE
• Shift: 5 hr. Day - Grant Funded
• Pay Range: $15.00 - $20.00 per hour
• Unit/Department: Medical/Outreach
• Indoor Conditions: Typical work environment, office, indoor, no hazards beyond normal working conditions with limited/ minimal exposure to patients.
• Field Conditions: Exposure to weather conditions, travel is dictated by circumstances, e.g., visit to patient’s home, etc., light lifting (less than 15 lbs) to carry personal equipment such as laptop.

Why Join Us

Nearly forty years ago, our teams of community health workers and nurses, some of who remain with CHP to this day, began reaching out to farm workers, CHP has grown a lot since then, and so has our impact. We provide superior healthcare with compassion, always mindful that each patient is a person, an individual. To accomplish this, we need employees with passion, talent and commitment… with patients and with each other. We’re in this together: working to advance health care awareness, serve the health needs of the community, and move our collective knowledge forward. If you’d like to add enriching human life to your profile, Community Health Partnership of Illinois is for you. Here at CHP, we’re doing work that really matters. Join us. Bring your passion. We offer competitive pay, retirement savings plan ( 403(b)), time-off, educational leave, excellent medical, dental, and vision plans, company paid STD & LTD, basic/supplemental group life insurance and more!

Bring your career to the next level at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that is thriving; from patient satisfaction to employee engagement, we are at the center of health and wellness. Take advantage of all we have to offer and #CHPOIBUILDINGHEALTHYLIVES.

CHP is growing! Discover how you can be a part of this pursuit of excellence at:

https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/All/cdc23338-c44c-4162-ad8e-efda0e598b86/CHP-of-Illinois

We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity. If you need assistance or an accommodation as required by law in order to complete the application process please email to: talent@chpofil.org and reference the job title in the subject line. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or familial status, civil union status, parental status, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status and other legally protected characteristics.

Share with your social network

Connect With Us! Not ready to apply? Connect with us for general consideration.