Community Health Worker

Hackensack Meridian Health•Tinton Falls, NJ

4d•$24•Hybrid

About The Position

Community Health Workers (CHWs) provide social support, navigation, and advocacy to high-risk, low-income patients in the communities they serve. They help patients address social, medical, and community challenges that affect their health, connect patients with care and community resources, and support them in working toward health goals. This is a grant-funded position. The role includes outreach and follow-up by telephone and in person, social needs screening and documentation, and visits in patients’ homes or community settings. CHWs work with patients, care teams, and community organizations to address needs and help patients navigate healthcare and social-service systems. The position operates in a hybrid model that may include office, hospital or clinical, community, and home settings, depending on departmental needs.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a health-related field, or at least 3 years of experience in a health or hospitality field with a high school diploma, GED, and/or GED-equivalent program.
Experience accessing social-service resources available in New Jersey.
Proficiency in MS Word or Google Suite and computer data entry.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to carry out written and oral instructions.
Ability to receive and address feedback.
Ability to exercise judgment in the application of professional services.
Comfort with telephonic outreach, home visits, and outreach in the community.
Valid driver's license and reliable transportation.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience as an outreach worker or in a related role.
Excellent time-management skills.
Bilingual or multilingual ability, with capacity to pass a language fluency test.

Responsibilities

Initiate contact with eligible patients by telephone and/or in person.
Conduct social needs screenings and document them in the Electronic Medical Record (Epic).
Provide telephonic, in-home, or community-based visits to assist patients with social and health-related needs.
Conduct weekly follow-ups with patients using their preferred communication method.
Meet weekly, monthly, and annual patient/member enrollment targets set by the department.
Advocate for patients by motivating them to meet health-related goals, connecting them with community resources that address social determinants of health, and educating them on how to navigate those resources.
Collaborate with care teams and community-based organization stakeholders to address patient needs.
Assist patients with community-program applications, organize their paperwork, and ensure they are connected to their medical care team.
Prepare reports and documents as needed or requested.
Attend regular team and one-on-one departmental meetings.
Work effectively in a hybrid setting, including office, hospital/clinical, community, and home settings, as required by departmental needs.
Perform other duties and/or projects as assigned.
Adhere to HMH organizational competencies and standards of behavior.