Community Health Worker - Bilingual Support

Hope Family Health•Westmoreland, TN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Community Health Worker (CHW) helps patients access and navigate HOPE Family Health services and community resources. The CHW communicates with patients and care teams, identifies barriers to care, coordinates follow-up, and accurately documents services. Depending on the assignment, the CHW may provide medical or behavioral health telephone support, language access, referrals, outreach, care coordination, or connections to resources such as food, housing, financial assistance, and transportation. Duties are limited to the employee’s assigned area, training, credentials, and HOPE policies; individual CHWs are not expected to perform every duty in the position description. The role involves building respectful, trusting relationships with patients and families; communicating in a culturally responsive manner; and supporting patient choice and self-advocacy. CHWs contact patients by telephone, electronic message, or in person as assigned, respond to questions, relay approved information, identify needs, and route clinical concerns to licensed staff or providers. They help patients understand appointments, care plans, referrals, tests, and next steps using information approved by the care team, without independently diagnosing, treating, or providing clinical advice. CHWs identify barriers to care and connect patients with HOPE programs and community resources, coordinating with care teams and external partners to support continuity and follow-up. They maintain timely, accurate records in the electronic health record and other approved systems while protecting confidential information. Assignment-specific duties may include telephone support, referral coordination, language access, records and care coordination, and community engagement. Clinical triage or assessment and interpretation or translation may be performed only when the employee’s credentials, role, training, and HOPE authorization permit it. The position functions primarily in a professional office or clinical environment, with occasional travel between HOPE sites. Off-site work is not required but may be approved by the Team Leader for tasks such as trainings, conferences, meetings, or deadline-driven work. Approved off-site employees must have a confidential, designated workspace. Occasional extended hours may be required based on organizational needs. The role may involve exposure to health hazards, including body fluids, and occasionally lifting or moving items up to 25 pounds. A high school diploma or equivalent is required. Relevant experience in health care, behavioral health, patient service, community outreach, or resource navigation is preferred. The position description also identifies the job as requiring fluency in English and Spanish for interpretation during medical appointments, while the qualifications and working-conditions sections state that additional language proficiency or interpreter qualifications may depend on assignment and that a second language is helpful but not required. HOPE Family Health Services is an equal opportunity employer and complies with applicable state and federal civil rights laws. Some positions are subject to restrictions concerning certain criminal backgrounds and state or federal exclusion or debarment lists.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
The position description states that fluency in English and Spanish is required to provide interpretation during medical appointments; other sections state that language proficiency and interpreter qualifications may depend on assignment and that a second language is helpful but not required.
Ability to communicate clearly and respectfully with patients, colleagues, and community partners.
Ability to organize competing tasks and use sound judgment about when to escalate concerns.
Ability to use electronic health records and standard office software, or learn them with training.
Any clinical duties require applicable credentials and HOPE authorization.
Must communicate effectively in English, verbally and in writing.
Must have sufficient vision and hearing to perform duties and communicate by phone and in person.
Must occasionally be able to lift or move items up to 25 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Relevant experience in health care, behavioral health, patient service, community outreach, or resource navigation.
Knowledge of local resources and barriers to care.
Additional language proficiency or interpreter qualifications, depending on assignment.
Professional credentials and Basic Life Support certification may be required for specific assignments.

Responsibilities

Build respectful, trusting relationships with patients and families; communicate in a culturally responsive manner and support patient choice and self-advocacy.
Contact patients by telephone, electronic message, or in person as assigned; respond to questions, relay approved information, identify needs, and route clinical concerns promptly to appropriate licensed staff or providers.
Help patients understand appointments, care plans, referrals, tests, and next steps using care-team-approved information; reinforce education and instructions without independently diagnosing, treating, or giving clinical advice.
Identify barriers to care, including transportation, insurance, cost, language, food, housing, and access to services; connect patients with HOPE programs and community resources and follow up as assigned.
Coordinate with medical, behavioral health, pharmacy, and other teams and external partners to support continuity of care and timely follow-up.
Maintain timely, accurate records of contacts, referrals, services, and follow-up in the electronic health record and other approved systems; protect confidential information.
Participate in team meetings, training, quality improvement activities, and updates to resource information and workflows.
Depending on assignment, manage incoming and outgoing patient communications, route messages, relay provider-directed results or instructions, and support medical or behavioral health workflows.
Depending on assignment, track referrals, gather and transmit information through approved channels, obtain required authorizations, coordinate specialty appointments, inform patients of status and next steps, and follow up on completion.
Depending on qualifications and authorization, provide bilingual navigation and interpret spoken communication or translate written material; arrange qualified language assistance when needed.
Depending on assignment, process records and correspondence, obtain or document appropriate releases, support discharge follow-up and external service coordination, and respond to authorized information requests.
Participate in outreach, health fairs, patient education, resource navigation, and other community-based activities when assigned.
Perform other duties assigned by the Team Leader to support departmental operations and organizational needs.