Community Health Specialist 2 - Deflection

Multnomah County • Portland, OR

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Community Health Specialist 2 conducts street outreach to people likely to encounter deflection in Multnomah County. The position aims to increase access for unhoused individuals to services at the Coordinated Care Pathway Center and reduce the likelihood of arrest for possession charges. The specialist identifies and engages people from communities that have not traditionally accessed drug and alcohol services, addresses gaps in care, shares health education opportunities, and collaborates with internal and external partners to develop and implement strategies responsive to community needs.

The role provides direct, low-threshold outreach and health education within a harm reduction framework. It builds relationships with people experiencing substance use, mental health, and other health challenges; supports motivation, behavior change, and recovery; assesses immediate needs; and connects individuals to appropriate services and resources. This includes assistance accessing detox, medication-assisted treatment, mental health care, expedited shelter, housing, and legal advocacy, as well as collaboration with organizations serving people who decline structured treatment.

The specialist works collaboratively with clients, coworkers, community partners, and stakeholders, and contributes to program improvement through committee participation, documentation, reporting, and feedback about participant needs, access barriers, outcomes, and advocacy strategies. The role requires maintaining respectful, trusting, and understanding relationships with the diverse populations served and protecting client confidentiality. This is an in-person, hourly, union-represented position in the Health Department, scheduled Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is eligible for overtime.

Requirements

• Education or training equivalent to an associate's degree and one to four years of experience demonstrating the ability to perform the duties; qualifying training and/or experience equivalency is three to six years.
• Valid driver's license and access to a vehicle; must be able to travel around the area.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR certification from the American Heart Association or a similar agency; required by the date of hire.
• Oregon certification as a Community Health Worker (CHW), Peer Support Specialist (PSS), or Peer Wellness Specialist (PWS).
• Ability to understand the challenges faced by individuals and families of varied ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds and ages.
• Ability to maintain respectful, professional, and empathetic relationships with clients, partners, and communities, including when handling sensitive, complex, or confidential matters.
• Must undergo a background investigation, which may include fingerprinting.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience guiding clients through addiction recovery, mental health systems, detoxification facilities, and medication-assisted treatment, and facilitating peer support or recovery.
• Working knowledge of client confidentiality laws, including HIPAA.
• Experience conducting deflection outreach to people experiencing homelessness and applying harm reduction frameworks.
• Experience with reporting and documentation in electronic health record systems.
• Understanding of cultural, racial, and ethnic factors; systemic advantage and disadvantage; acculturation; intergenerational immigrant family challenges; trauma related to immigration, war, family separation, detention, and refugee camps; generational trauma; and other non-dominant-culture factors affecting mental health and treatment.
• Ability to apply an equity, intersectional, and anti-racist lens.
• Knowledge of the cultures, customs, and social experiences of marginalized communities and communities facing barriers to opportunity.
• Ability to exercise good judgment, diplomacy, and tact when dealing with sensitive, complex, confidential information and situations.

Responsibilities

• Conduct street outreach to individuals experiencing street homelessness and assess their immediate needs.
• Build relationships with people experiencing substance use, mental health disorders, and other health challenges using evidence-based approaches that foster motivation, change, and safety.
• Support clients and groups in moving from addiction toward recovery, understanding addiction, and making behavioral changes through knowledge and peer support.
• Identify and engage people from communities that have not traditionally accessed drug and alcohol services.
• Share current information about community partners, resources, health education, and opportunities to improve health and wellness.
• Connect clients to appropriate services and provide accessible, low-threshold services and health education within a harm reduction framework.
• Assist clients with access to substance use disorder detoxification, medication-assisted treatment, mental health treatment, expedited shelter, housing, and legal advocacy.
• Collaborate with other organizations to support people who decline structured treatment, including community groups, hostels, homelessness services, pharmacies, needle exchanges, and housing providers.
• Maintain effective relationships and communicate regularly with patients, community partners, coworkers, and collaborating agency staff.
• Participate in committees, workgroups, and collaborative outreach meetings with internal and external stakeholders to communicate about and improve program services and outreach.
• Complete and maintain required documentation in tracking sheets, electronic health records, and other data systems.
• Enter Oregon Health Authority-required outcomes and other data according to team workflows, and ensure records meet reporting and confidentiality requirements, including HIPAA.
• Provide PATH leadership and partners with feedback on participant needs, access barriers, expected health outcomes, and effective community advocacy strategies.

Benefits

• Employer-funded retirement savings.
• Health and dental insurance at very low cost to full-time employees and their dependents.
• Paid parental leave.
• Wellness programs.
• Focus on work-life balance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree