Disease Intervention Specialist

City of New York • Long Island City, NY

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The NYC Health Department's Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections (BHHS) is seeking a Disease Intervention Specialist to conduct confidential disease investigation activities within the Congenital Syphilis Prevention Unit. This role involves investigating individuals diagnosed with, exposed to, or at risk of acquiring certain sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV. BHHS aims to improve the lives of New Yorkers by ending the transmission, illness, stigma, and inequities related to viral hepatitis, HIV, and STIs through various initiatives including testing, prevention, care, treatment, epidemiology, surveillance, training, community engagement, and policy advocacy, with a strong focus on racial equity and social justice.

Requirements

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, including or supplemented by twelve semester credits in health education, or in health, social or biological sciences.
• Six months of full-time satisfactory experience in a health promotion or disease intervention/prevention program, performing one or more of the following: interviewing, conducting community investigations, assessing health risks, making referrals, or collecting and analyzing epidemiological data.
• A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent, and four years of full-time satisfactory experience as described above.
• Education and/or experience equivalent to the above.
• Undergraduate college credit can be substituted for experience on the basis of 30 semester credits from an accredited college for one year of full-time experience.
• All candidates must have a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent, and either twelve semester credits as described above or six months of experience as described above.
• For certain assignments, satisfactory completion of training in phlebotomy or other necessary procedures is required.
• Certification in HIV counseling may be required for certain other assignments.
• Public Health Advisers are required to have an annual health assessment.

Nice To Haves

• To be assigned to Assignment Level II, candidates must have, in addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements, at least one year of experience as a Public Health Adviser, Assignment Level I, or at least one additional year of experience as described in Qualification Requirement "2" above.

Responsibilities

• Conduct field investigations and gather relevant medical, demographic, and behavioral information from diagnosing providers, historical health department records, Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO), and other sources via phone and electronic systems.
• Ensure key variables, such as pregnancy status, are known and documented for relevant syphilis investigations.
• Contact providers to ensure adequate treatment of patients.
• Ensure pregnant persons are tested for syphilis in their third trimester of pregnancy.
• Determine case status based on national case definitions established by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE).
• Collaborate with staff from the STI Case Investigation and Partner Services (CIPS) Unit to obtain complete and high-quality surveillance data for case investigations.
• Document all activities in the surveillance and case management system (Maven).
• Educate providers about reporting requirements, up-to-date treatment, and screening recommendations.
• Perform core surveillance duties including processing records from electronic workflows in Maven daily and assigning them to other staff as required.
• Enter provider and laboratory report forms into related databases.
• Perform syphilis registry checks for providers.
• Answer the surveillance unit phone, monitor the surveillance unit voicemail box, respond to messages, sort, and distribute mail.
• Participate in the Incident Command System to support emergency response needs as requested and attend all emergency response and ICS training.

Benefits

• Premium-free health insurance plan
• Additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available based on the position’s associated union/benefit fund.
• Public sector defined benefit pension plan
• Tax-deferred savings program
• Robust Worksite Wellness Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level