Community Health Worker (Housing)

City of Bloomington•Bloomington, MN

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The City of Bloomington’s Public Health Department is seeking a full-time Community Health Worker to assist community members in accessing and navigating health and social services, provide health education and resources, and promote community engagement opportunities to build community capacity for healthier living in the Bloomington, Edina and Richfield (BER) communities. This position will belong on the Community Resource Team and take direction from the Community Health Supervisor. It specializes in housing-related supports and resources including local programs that improve housing access. The role involves collaborating with residents to assess individual health, safety, and resource needs, performing home visits independently, providing systems navigation support and resource connection, co-coordinating and facilitating health education groups, and performing rapid HIV screening, counseling, and linkage to care.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Certified as a Community Health Worker in MN and six months of experience working in a community health setting, OR 2 years of experience in community health work and currently enrolled in a CHW certificate program with a plan to complete within 6 months of hire.
Bilingual fluency, i.e., skilled ability to speak, read and write in English, plus verbally fluent in Spanish or Somali.
Valid driver's license, car insurance, and dependable car OR access to reliable transportation required to perform job duties.
Skills in using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Skills in technology including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Skills in writing, communication, interpersonal, and public relations.
Skills in paying exceptional attention to detail.
Skills in Motivational Interviewing.
Skills in minimizing errors and maintaining high quality by checking or monitoring data and work in a timely manner, and by developing and maintaining systems for organizing work and information.
Ability to effectively convey information to clients and the public.
Ability to process and handle confidential information with discretion.
Ability to maintain timely and accurate records and review work for accuracy.
Ability to handle difficult and stressful situations with professional composure.
Ability to coordinate numerous demands simultaneously to successful completion.
Ability to communicate with persons of diverse backgrounds both verbally and in writing using tact and diplomacy.
Ability to work with a diverse team in a multi-disciplinary setting.
Ability to establish effective working relationships with people of varied backgrounds.
Ability to maintain confidentiality.
Ability to self-motivate to effectively plan, organize, and complete assigned work accurately and on time with little direct supervision.
Ability to follow safe working practices and procedures.
Ability to treat all people fairly and with respect without regard to race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity, Seek and consider diverse perspectives and ideas, provide a supportive work environment for a multicultural workforce, and show sensitivity to individual differences.
Ability to engage in personal reflection and development to address unconscious bias, recognize differences as opportunities to learn and gain by working together.
Ability to attend staff meetings and planning sessions as required.
Ability to travel to designated work sites as needed.
Ability to work flexible hours; occasionally working evening and weekend hours to attend meetings/events to meet client needs.

Nice To Haves

More than two years of experience working in a healthcare setting.
Experience interacting with diverse cultures and interpreters.
Experience using virtual online applications to teach.
Experience with advocacy work, community organizing, or mentoring.
Ability to speak a third language.
Experience presenting in front of groups in person and/or virtually.
A current resident of Bloomington, Edina, Richfield, or Hennepin County.

Responsibilities

Collaborates with residents to assess individual health, safety, and resource needs.
Performs home visits in resident’s homes independently.
Provides systems navigation support and resource connection based on resident needs.
Co-coordinates and facilitates health education groups in community settings or virtually.
Performs rapid HIV screening, counseling, and linkage to care in community settings.
Maintains private and confidential information, using only the minimum amount of protected health information (PHI) necessary to accomplish job related responsibilities.
Maintains and completes accurate and timely electronic documentation of work.
Communicates information from clients to Public Health staff to assist in the evaluation of client’s needs or input for community health projects.
Works together with residents to develop a wellness plan; coaches and supports community residents to set and accomplish wellness goals.
Participates in client case conferences and works with direct Supervisor, peer Public Health Nurses, and peer Community Health Workers regarding caseload.
Builds and maintains effective working relationships and communications with city employees, community agencies, local organizations, and health care facilities.
Builds trusting relationships with families and community organization, serving as liaison/link between health/social services and the community while removing barriers that prevent community members from accessing certain health and social services.
Provides culturally and linguistically appropriate public health information, education, and outreach to residents and professionals in the community, while following protocols and policies for assigned duties.
Identifies and reinforces risk reduction behaviors.
Provides appropriate education utilizing evidence based and/or state defined curriculum.
Performs risk assessment, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy; increases health knowledge and education on variety of topics such as health literacy, physical activity, nutrition, tobacco, etc.
Responds to inquiries about public health services and collaborates with other agencies in making appropriate referrals and links to community resources; facilitates appointments to health and social service organizations.
Ensure residents attend and have access to scheduled appointments; helps coordinate patient transportation and accompaniment as needed.
Advocates for residents and promotes building their leadership skills; assists them in effectively communicating with healthcare or social service providers by interpreting, translating, or providing cultural mediation related to health services or information.
Performs public health emergency response functions as trained and assigned within the department’s emergency response plan.
Performs cross-trained Community Health Worker duties as assigned in Public Health Department program areas of Community Health Services and Population Health.
Performs other related duties as apparent or assigned.