Overview

The Community Health Worker (CHW) is responsible for helping community members, patients and their families access and navigate community services and resources and adopt healthy behaviors. The CHW supports providers and team members through an integrated approach to care management and community outreach. Activity will promote, maintain and improve individual and community health. The CHW provides social support and informal counseling, individual and group health education and advocacy for individuals and community health needs. Providing community and home visits are required.

M Health Fairview has an opening for a CHW to join our Behavioral Health Home team to support our M Health Fairview clinics. Behavioral Health Home is an integrated team-based model that supports the health and wellness for patients with chronic mental health and physical health conditions. The CHW works closely with the Behavioral Health Clinician, Social Work Care Coordinator, and the Primary Care Provider to support patients in achieving their health and wellness goals, support care transitions, and improves health outcomes for our patients in the community, clinic, and patients home.

Responsibilities

Provide Direct Services

• Promote wellness by providing culturally appropriate health information to providers, patients and/or community members in the community, clinic, and home environment
• Provide individual social and health care support
• Refer and link to preventive services through health screenings and healthcare information
• Conduct health related screenings as assigned

Navigate the health and human services system

• Increase access to primary care through culturally competent outreach and enrollment strategies
• Make referrals and coordinate services
• Teach people the knowledge and skills needed to obtain care
• Facilitate continuity of care by providing follow-up
• Link patients to and inform them of available community resources

Advocate for individual and community needs

• Articulate and advocate needs of community and individuals to others
• Be a spokesperson for patients when they are unable to speak for themselves
• Involve participants in self and community advocacy
• Map communities to help locate and support needed services

Bridge the gap between communities and the health and social service systems

• Enhance care quality by aiding communication between health system, patient, and community members to clarify cultural practices
• Educate patients / community members about how to use the health care and social service systems
• Educate the health and social service systems about patient / community needs and perspectives
• Establish better communication processes

Build Individual and Community Capacity

• Build individual capacity to achieve wellness
• Build community capacity by addressing social determinants of health
• Identify individual and community needs
• Mentor other CHWs capacity building
• Seek professional development (continuing education)

Organization Expectations

• Demonstrates ability to provide care or service adjusting approaches to reflect developmental level and cultural differences of population served
  • Partners with patient caregiver in care/decision making
  • Communicates in a respective manner
  • Ensures a safe, secure environment
  • Individualizes plan of care to meet patient needs
  • Modifies care plan as needed based on population served
  • Provides patient education based on as assessment of learning needs of patient/caregiver
• Fulfills all organizational requirements
  • Completes all required learning relevant to the role
  • Complies with all relevant laws, regulations, and policies

• Performs other duties as assigned

Qualifications Required

• Community Health Worker Certificate required
• Three years experience working as a community health worker, or working on community health projects, programs or initiatives
• Community based leadership experience
• Demonstrated competency and sensitivity to working with diverse populations

Preferred

• College degree in health care, human services or related field
• Knowledge of behavioral health conditions
• Experience working in a health care setting
• Experience teaching or presenting information to groups
• Experience with Epic and Microsoft Office
• Multicultural healthcare experience or healthcare experience in other countries