COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER - 40009104

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**This posting is subject to close without prior notification.**

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The purpose of Health Education & Community Transformation is to address community health priorities by influencing decisions and actions that individuals, groups and communities make with the goals of preventing diesease and disability and improving health equity.  The Division strives to help individuals and communities improve their health at the micro and macro level, by increasing knowledge and influencing attitudes related to health; advancing policies and systems that support healthy choices; and effecting social determinants of health, including adverse childhood experiences and exposure to violence. 

This position will work with community partners working to support family and community resilience in the Durham community. The position will be part of a team working to identify strengths and barriers to health and wellbeing for families and coordinate solutions across partners. This position will ensure timely distribution of information about community resources and programs. This position will work alongside the Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience Coordinator to facilitate education events for community members, service and healthcare providers, and community partners related to family and community resilience.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this position. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the position as necessary.

• Participate as a member of the Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience team; assist with collaboration with community partners to achieve shared goals.
• Gather, arrange, and distribute information about community resources and programs among service and healthcare providers.
• Work with community partners to identify system and community-level barriers and community strengths to family and community resilience.
• Collaborate with community members and partners to facilitate educational events on topics related to resilience, trauma-informed care, and mental wellbeing.
• Supports efforts to advance racial equity and impact health disparities.
• Attends and participates in staff, committee, departmental, and other project meetings.
• Performs related work as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge and experience working with groups such as community organizations, neighborhood associations, and professional or student associations. 
• General knowledge of Microsoft Office and Outlook programs, Mailchimp and Wordpress.
• Familiarity with community resources within Durham County.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work well independently and with a team. 
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with diverse communities.
• Understanding of neighborhood and community values.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Requires High School graduation or GED equivalent supplemented by two (2) years of experience in social work, health services, counseling, or related work; or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Requires demonstrated possession of knowledge, skills, and abilities as stated above through at least one year of experience in performing similar tasks in a hospital, clinic, nursing home, medical corps, or other social or rehabilitation services.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Performs light to medium work that involves walking or standing virtually all of the time and also involves exerting between 20 and 50 pounds of force on a regular and recurring basis or skill, adeptness and speed in the use of the fingers, hands or limbs on repetitive operation of mechanical or electronic office or shop machines or tools within moderate tolerances or limits of accuracy.

UNAVOIDABLE HAZARDS (WORK ENVIRONMENT):

Unavoidable hazards refer to the job conditions that may lead to injury or health hazards even though precautions have been taken.

• Involves routine and frequent exposure to:
• Bright/dim light;
• Dusts and pollen;
• Extreme heat and/or cold;
• Wet or humid conditions;
• Extreme noise levels, Animals/wildlife;

EMERGENCY PREPARDNESS REQUIREMENTS:

Primary work hours are between the hours of 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM.  Employee is subject to be called upon at any time to help the agency respond to a public health emergency, which may include but is not limited to outbreak investigations, staffing mass dispensing or immunization clinics, providing disaster relief, or incidents (man-made or natural and intentional or non-intentional) as they arise, or any public health response as requested by the Health Director.

SPECIAL CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSES REQUIREMENTS:

• Must have a valid North Carolina's Driver's License

To further the mission of the Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH) to partner with our community to advance health equity, protect the environment, and promote health and wellness for all, DCoDPH is implementing the employee vaccination and tuberculosis screening policies. All DCoDPH employees are considered healthcare personnel (HCP) working in a health care setting with the potential for exposure to patients and/or infectious materials and, therefore, are required to comply and provide documented proof of the following:

• Measles, Mumps & Rubella (MMR) vaccination/immunity 
• Varicella-Zoster Virus (Chicken Pox) vaccination/immunity 
• Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis)
• Tuberculosis (TB) baseline screening within the last twelve (12) months prior to employment
• Hepatitis B vaccination/immunity – only required for DCoDPH employees with potential Bloodborne Pathogen (BBP) exposures.

Identified DCoDPH HCP with potential Bloodborne Pathogen (BBP) exposure have an additional requirement for the Hepatitis B vaccination. Required vaccination, serological testing to determine immunity, and baseline tuberculosis screening are available for all Public Health employees who elect to become DCoDPH patients upon request and at no cost.

Proof of vaccination and tuberculosis screening must be provided to Human Resources within seven (7) business days prior to the date of employment.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMPLIANCE:

Durham County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ADA requires Durham County to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are encouraged to discuss ADA accommodations with management. 

BACKGROUND CHECK STATEMENT:

This position may be subject to a background check, which could include, but is not limited to, criminal history (employment-related and/or SBI fingerprint-based), credit history, motor vehicle records, educational verification, and checks of the sexual offender registry, depending on the specific requirements of the role. A conviction record does not automatically disqualify an applicant from employment consideration, unless otherwise required by applicable state law.