PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATION SPECIALIST - 40007565

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 OVERVIEW:

The purpose of this position is to coordinate and enhance HIV/STI testing services and promote public health through education, prevention, and referral to care and support services.  This role will focus especially on priority populations as defined by the CDC: young black and Latino gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender women who have sex with men (TWM), and all persons at risk for HIV.

This position requires flexibility to periodically work evenings and weekends to meet the needs of our clients and community partners. The individual in this role will be responsible for delivering services and engaging populations of interest during non-traditional hours, ensuring accessibility to those who may be unable to participate during standard business hours.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Community Engagement, Testing, and Counseling: Collaborate with community partners, health clinics, businesses, and local universities/colleges to expand access to HIV testing services with a focus on priority populations. Conduct confidential HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis C, Gonorrhea, and Chlamydia testing in non-traditional community settings. Interpret test results, provide risk reduction counseling, and provide resources to populations of interest. Adhere to all safety protocols and maintain a non-judgmental, supportive environment. Address the syndemic of HIV and syphilis co-infection by incorporating social determinants of health into community outreach efforts. Evaluate effectiveness of efforts to engage and test priority populations.

Linkage to Care: Coordinate comprehensive and timely linkage to care for all individuals who test positive for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Ensure patients receive appropriate medical care, counseling, and support services aiming to improve health outcomes and reduce transmission. Monitor case notes within the electronic medical record (EMR) system to support comprehensive client care and compliance. Examine barriers to linkage to care. 

PrEP Linkage: Coordinate timely and effective referrals to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) services for individuals at higher risk of HIV infection. Develop strategies to facilitate access to healthcare providers who can prescribe and manage PrEP.  Assess barriers to linkage to PrEP. 

Social Media & Marketing: Utilize dating applications, online websites, and social media platforms to engage higher-risk individuals in HIV testing services and education. Create targeted digital outreach strategies to reach populations at increased risk, providing information on testing locations and options, and facilitating easy access to testing services through digital engagement.

Advance DCoDPH. Priorities: Contribute to Departmental, Interagency, and Community activities that support the health and well-being of all Durham County residents and the Durham County Department of Public Health Strategic Plan.  Support efforts to advance racial equity and impact health disparities.  Document this work by the NC Local Health Department Accreditation Board and the Public Health Accreditation Board.  Attend all required Department, Division, and supervision meetings.  Responds to emergent public health needs.

Career and Professional Development: Develop professional knowledge and skills by attending two professional development trainings per year.  Attend required annual County Government and other departmental training.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

Knowledge of theories, principles, and practices of Public Health Education.

Knowledge of program planning, implementation, and evaluation principles and methodologies.

Good interpersonal communication skills and the ability to work effectively with humans of diverse gender identities, races, ethnicities, ages, and sexual orientations.

Strong knowledge of principles for local-level coordination of HIV/AIDS response, including PrEP access, treatment as prevention (TASP), and efforts to address stigma.

Strong knowledge of methods and techniques used in preparing and disseminating educational information to the public.

Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with individuals, groups, and communities, including departmental personnel, community organizations, and the public. 

Ability to write and speak effectively and to stimulate interest and cooperation among various groups in carrying out a program in public health education.

Ability to contribute to grant writing, policy development, and reporting.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Graduation from a four-year college or university with a major in health education and one year of experience in public health education or a related field; graduation from a four-year college or university and two years of experience in public health education; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Whetstone, Counseling, Testing, and Referral. Bloodborne Pathogen and Phlebotomy, may be acquired during probationary period.

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.

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