Community Health Worker Peer Support

Overview

As a patient-focused organization, University of Utah Health exists to enhance the health and well-being of people through patient care, research and education. Success in this mission requires a culture of collaboration, excellence, leadership, and respect. University of Utah Health seeks staff that are committed to the values of compassion, collaboration, innovation, responsibility, integrity, quality and trust that are integral to our mission. EO/AA

The Community Health Worker (CHW) is a trusted frontline public health professional who serves as a bridge between individuals, families, communities, healthcare providers, public health agencies, social service organizations, and community-based resources. This position supports improved access to care, strengthens connections between healthcare systems and communities, addresses barriers to health and well-being, and promotes positive health outcomes through relationship-based engagement, patient support, education, resource navigation, and care coordination. CHWs leverage lived experience, cultural understanding, community credibility, and knowledge of local resources to improve individual and community well-being.

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Corporate Overview: University of Utah Health is an integrated academic healthcare system with five hospitals including a level 1 trauma center, eleven community health centers, over 1,600 providers, and a health plan serving over 200,000 members. University of Utah Health is nationally ranked and recognized for our academic research, quality standards and overall patient experience. In addition to our clinical delivery system, we have a School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, and College of Health providing education and training for over 1,250 providers annually. We have over 2 million patient visits annually and research grants exceeding $350 million. University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics represents our clinical operations for the larger health system.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

Community Engagement and Relationship Building

• Builds and maintains trusted relationships with individuals, families, and community members through respectful, culturally responsive, and person-centered engagement.
• Conducts outreach and maintains ongoing communication with individuals and families to support engagement in healthcare and community-based services.
• Uses knowledge of community experiences, resources, and needs to help strengthen connections between individuals, healthcare providers, and community organizations.

Community Engagement and Relationship Building

• Builds and maintains trusted relationships with individuals, families, and community members through respectful, culturally responsive, and person-centered engagement.
• Conducts outreach and maintains ongoing communication with individuals and families to support engagement in healthcare and community-based services.
• Uses knowledge of community experiences, resources, and needs to help strengthen connections between individuals, healthcare providers, and community organizations.

Navigation and Resource Connection

• Assists individuals and families in identifying and accessing healthcare, behavioral health, social services, public benefits, and community-based resources based on identified needs.
• Provides information about available programs and services and assists with referrals, applications, appointments, and other navigation activities within established processes.
• Identifies barriers to accessing services, such as transportation, financial resources, language, technology, or system navigation, and connects individuals with available resources to address those barriers.
• Follows up on referrals and resource connections to support access and identify unresolved needs.

Care Coordination Support

• Supports established care plans by assisting patients and families with referrals, appointments, follow-up activities, and connections to healthcare and community resources.
• Communicates relevant non-clinical information to members of the interdisciplinary care team to support continuity of care.
• Assists with closed-loop referral processes by tracking referrals, documenting outcomes, and identifying barriers requiring additional follow-up or escalation.
• Escalates clinical, safety, or complex social needs to the appropriate healthcare or social service professional in accordance with established procedures.

Patient Support, Advocacy, and Cultural Understanding

• Provides individualized, non-clinical support to patients and families based on their needs, preferences, experiences, and goals.
• Helps individuals communicate questions, concerns, preferences, and barriers to healthcare providers and community organizations.
• Supports patient self-advocacy and informed participation in care by helping individuals understand available services, resources, and next steps.
• Provides the interdisciplinary team with community-informed perspectives that may help improve communication, engagement, and service delivery.

Health Education and Coaching

• Provides approved health education and resource information related to health promotion, prevention, wellness, and available healthcare and community services.
• Reinforces education provided by healthcare professionals and assists individuals in understanding information and navigating recommended resources and services.
• Supports health literacy by communicating information in accessible, understandable, and culturally responsive ways.
• Encourages individuals and families to identify goals and take appropriate steps toward accessing services and supporting their health and well-being.

Community Partnership Participation

• Establishes and maintains working relationships with community organizations, public agencies, healthcare programs, and other resource partners.
• Participates in community outreach activities, meetings, events, and collaborative initiatives as assigned.
• Maintains current knowledge of available community programs, eligibility requirements, referral processes, and other resources relevant to the populations served.

Documentation, Data Collection, and Community-Informed Feedback

• Documents patient and community interactions, referrals, follow-up activities, identified barriers, resource connections, and outcomes accurately and timely in designated systems.
• Collects program and service information according to established procedures to support reporting, evaluation, and quality improvement activities.
• Identifies recurring barriers, service gaps, and community needs and communicates observations to appropriate team members.
• Provides community-informed feedback that may support improvements in outreach, patient engagement, resource navigation, and service delivery.

Professional Practice

• Maintains patient confidentiality, professional boundaries, and ethical standards in accordance with organizational policies and applicable requirements.
• Works collaboratively with healthcare professionals, social service providers, community organizations, and other members of the interdisciplinary team.
• Performs responsibilities within the Community Health Worker scope and refers clinical questions, assessments, or decisions to appropriately licensed healthcare professionals.

Navigation and Resource Connection

• Assists individuals and families in identifying and accessing healthcare, behavioral health, social services, public benefits, and community-based resources based on identified needs.
• Provides information about available programs and services and assists with referrals, applications, appointments, and other navigation activities within established processes.
• Identifies barriers to accessing services, such as transportation, financial resources, language, technology, or system navigation, and connects individuals with available resources to address those barriers.
• Follows up on referrals and resource connections to support access and identify unresolved needs.

Care Coordination Support

• Supports established care plans by assisting patients and families with referrals, appointments, follow-up activities, and connections to healthcare and community resources.
• Communicates relevant non-clinical information to members of the interdisciplinary care team to support continuity of care.
• Assists with closed-loop referral processes by tracking referrals, documenting outcomes, and identifying barriers requiring additional follow-up or escalation.
• Escalates clinical, safety, or complex social needs to the appropriate healthcare or social service professional in accordance with established procedures.

Patient Support, Advocacy, and Cultural Understanding

• Provides individualized, non-clinical support to patients and families based on their needs, preferences, experiences, and goals.
• Helps individuals communicate questions, concerns, preferences, and barriers to healthcare providers and community organizations.
• Supports patient self-advocacy and informed participation in care by helping individuals understand available services, resources, and next steps.
• Provides the interdisciplinary team with community-informed perspectives that may help improve communication, engagement, and service delivery.

Health Education and Coaching

• Provides approved health education and resource information related to health promotion, prevention, wellness, and available healthcare and community services.
• Reinforces education provided by healthcare professionals and assists individuals in understanding information and navigating recommended resources and services.
• Supports health literacy by communicating information in accessible, understandable, and culturally responsive ways.
• Encourages individuals and families to identify goals and take appropriate steps toward accessing services and supporting their health and well-being.

Community Partnership Participation

• Establishes and maintains working relationships with community organizations, public agencies, healthcare programs, and other resource partners.
• Participates in community outreach activities, meetings, events, and collaborative initiatives as assigned.
• Maintains current knowledge of available community programs, eligibility requirements, referral processes, and other resources relevant to the populations served.

Documentation, Data Collection, and Community-Informed Feedback

• Documents patient and community interactions, referrals, follow-up activities, identified barriers, resource connections, and outcomes accurately and timely in designated systems.
• Collects program and service information according to established procedures to support reporting, evaluation, and quality improvement activities.
• Identifies recurring barriers, service gaps, and community needs and communicates observations to appropriate team members.
• Provides community-informed feedback that may support improvements in outreach, patient engagement, resource navigation, and service delivery.

Professional Practice

• Maintains patient confidentiality, professional boundaries, and ethical standards in accordance with organizational policies and applicable requirements.
• Works collaboratively with healthcare professionals, social service providers, community organizations, and other members of the interdisciplinary team.
• Performs responsibilities within the Community Health Worker scope and refers clinical questions, assessments, or decisions to appropriately licensed healthcare professionals.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Knowledge of community resources, healthcare systems, public benefits, and social service programs.
• Knowledge of care coordination principles, referral processes, and resource navigation.
• Strong verbal, written, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain trusted relationships with individuals, families, and communities.
• Ability to conduct outreach, engage community members, and connect individuals to healthcare, behavioral health, public benefits, and community resources.
• Ability to identify barriers to services and support individuals in accessing available resources and care options.
• Ability to support referrals, follow-up activities, continuity of care, and closed-loop referral processes.
• Ability to facilitate effective communication between patients, providers, and community organizations while respecting individual beliefs, experiences, and communication preferences.
• Ability to provide health education and support health literacy, wellness, and prevention activities.
• Ability to work effectively with interdisciplinary healthcare teams and community partners.
• Ability to document activities, referrals, outcomes, barriers, and community needs accurately and timely.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, professional boundaries, ethical standards, and utilize electronic documentation systems and referral platforms.

Qualifications

Required

• High school diploma or equivalent required; experience working with communities or priority populations; strong communication and relationship-building skills.

Qualifications (Preferred)

Preferred

• Utah CHW Certification preferred; CHW Core Skills Training; bilingual skills; community health, advocacy, outreach, or social service experience.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

Employee must be able to meet the following requirements with or without an accommodation.

• This is a sedentary position in an office setting that may exert up to 10 pounds and may lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. This position involves sitting most of the time and is not exposed to adverse environmental conditions.Work is performed in a combination of healthcare, office, and community-based settings.
• May travel between healthcare facilities, community organizations, patient service locations, and community events or outreach sites.
• Regularly interacts with patients, families, healthcare professionals, community partners, and members of the public.
• May work in environments with varying levels of noise, activity, privacy, accessibility, and other environmental conditions.
• May encounter individuals experiencing emotional distress, grief, health-related challenges, financial hardship, or other difficult circumstances.
• May have exposure to communicable illnesses and other conditions typically associated with healthcare and community settings.
• Requires use of computers, electronic health records or referral systems, telephone, and other standard office and communication technology.
• May require occasional local travel and flexibility in work location or schedule based on patient, program, or community needs.

Physical Requirements

Non Indicated