COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER - 40009601

Durham County Government employs approximately 1,900 employees that work towards providing needed services throughout the community. With a wide array of services, Durham County Government is at the heart of a rapidly growing and diverse area offering residents, employees and visitors exciting opportunities to live, work, grow and play. For more information about Durham County Government, visit www.dconc.gov.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The purpose of this job is to serve as a bridge between the client, family, community, provider,

and the health and human services system. Serves Durham communities most impacted by health disparities This position’s roles and activities are tailored to meet the unique needs of their communities and depend on factors such as whether they work in the health care or social services sectors.

This position works under close to general supervision according to set procedures but

determines how or when to complete tasks.

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.  Preferred applicants are those with "lived' experience of incarceration who also have case management experience and knowledge of completing day to day tasks in an office setting.

• Serves as a front-line public health staff member working with justice involved individuals in partnership with NC-FIT (Formerly Incarcerated Transition) Program.
• Works individually and with groups of residents to connect them with health information and services; assists in the navigation of these services.
• Promotes wellness and self-management by providing culturally appropriate health information and education to participants and providers.
• Conducts ongoing patient assessments in the home environment.
• Recruit new participants and enroll them into the program.
• Documents all client encounters in the electronic health system.
• Participates in community events to increase knowledge base of available community resources and programs.
• Assists participants in gathering needed documents and completing forms for community resource enrollment.
• Educates residents on the importance of having a medical home and helps with access to care to medical home.
• Connects uninsured residents with low and no-cost services when necessary.
• Assists in provider-patient care relationship building.
• Identifies and connects residents with community sites that offer educational programming and internet access for health resources.
• Helps residents understand how to use resources to find health coverage or apply for assistance when uninsured.
• Helps participants to manage chronic conditions through education about their treatment plan.
• Assists other staff/community members in community capacity building and mobilization activities.
• Participates in continuing education and other training on specialized topics pertaining to position responsibilities.
• Attends and participates staff, committee, departmental and other project meetings.
• Supports the majority of the Substance Abuse and Opioid Use Disorder Referrals from the community and Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network/JCOIN Program.
• Connects clients that are in need to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Programs for substance/opioid treatment.
• 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.
• Familiarity with community resources.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and ability to work well independently and with a team.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Understanding of neighborhood and community values.
• Ability to work with diverse communities.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Requires High School graduation or GED equivalent supplemented by two (2) years of  case management experience in social work, health services, counseling or related community health 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.

SPECIAL CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSES:

• Possession of a valid North Carolina driver’s license with an acceptable driving record.

PREFERRED REQUIREMENT:

• Position is working with formerly incarcerated residents and prefers candidates to have "lived" experience with incarceration themselves and knowledge of the process of transitioning back into the community to model changed behavior and support to clients. 
• Candidates who do not have direct lived experience of incarceration must have knowledge of working directly with formerly incarcerated individuals, services that support a successful transition home to include, health care, employment, housing etc.
• Knowledge of how to obtain services to support care of chronic health conditions.
• Candidates should be knowledgeable of the re-entry resources in Durham County and how to navigate these resources independently. 
• Candidates with peer support experience that have provided case management strongly preferred.
• Candidates with an understanding of mental health services and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) services for clients with Opioid Use Disorder preferred.

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):

• 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.

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.

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.

Durham County Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer