Community Health Worker/Family Planner

Our Community Health Workers (CHW) at New Bedford Community Health are a vital resource for both our clinical staff and our patients. They help our patients and their families to navigate and access a multitude of community services, and other resources to help them beyond the clinical services that we can provide. With patience, compassion and empathy, our CHW staff make it easier for our patients to get the support and assistance they need. At the same time, by taking on the challenging task of researching and connecting with other facilities and community agencies, our CHWs save clinical staff time that they can use to focus on providing clinical care to patients.

Essential Functions:

• Assist patients with all transportation needs (PT-1, Gatra, Taxi, Lyft, etc.). Educate patients on all forms of public transportation.
• Care Coordination for specialty appointments, internal and external appointments, reminder calls to patients about upcoming appointments and attend medical appointments when appropriate.
• Assist patients with obtaining community-based services and supplies as needed, assist patients to go to the Benefits Department to enroll in health insurance, enroll in WIC, EBT, and other patient qualified benefit programs.
• Assist patients with Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) needs such as housing, food, SSI, DTA, etc.
• Outreach to patients that are lost to follow-up care.
• Attend regular staff meetings.
• Collaborate with all clinical staff to bridge gaps in care for health center patients, as well as offering health education.
• Seek professional development (continuing education) on role of CHW and other pertinent topics.
• Represents New Bedford Community Health at community events.
• Establish strong relationships with community partners to aid in bridging gaps with SDOH for health center patients.
• Proficient at scheduling patients within the health center's medical record.
• Proficient at completing self-monitoring blood pressure cuff reading.
• Initiate and sustain trusting relationships with patients, families, social network, and primary care team.
• Other duties as assigned. Additional Duties per Department

Additional Duties per Department:

• Data Entry
• Family Planning Certificate
• Newborn Hospital Visits
• Complete SDOH Screenings and provide assistance as needed
• Schedule Hospital Follow-Up per C3 CM Workflow

Required Knowledge

1. Bi-lingual written and oral fluency and proficiency in English required

2. Knowledge of some medical terminology preferred.

3. Ability to initiate and maintain positive working relationships with all Clinical Care teams, health center staff, and other organizations.

4. Understand the community served - community connectedness.

5. Excellent communication skills, such as listening well, demonstrate empathy, and using culturally sensitive language appropriately.

6. Ability and willingness to provide emotional support, encouragement and motivation to patients.

7. Demonstrate flexibility and eagerness to learn.

8. Ability to clearly document patient interactions.

9. Ability to practice client confidentiality and compliance with all HIPAA regulations.

10. Willing to travel within community to meet patients at appointments, etc.

11. Willingness to travel to other agencies on behalf of New Bedford Community Health to maintain relationships within the community.

12. Willingness to work evening and weekend community events

Required Education:

I. Education: High School Diploma or equivalent.

II. Certification: MA Community Health Worker Certification is preferred.

III. Has consistent, reliable transportation throughout working hours

IV. Experience: 1 to 2 years' experience working in a community-based and multi-cultural setting preferred.

V. Software/Hardware: Basic computer skills: Microsoft Office, Excel, Outlook is required.

VI. Life Support / CPR Certification: Required