Health Educator

Howard Brown Health•Chicago, IL

38d•Hybrid

About The Position

Howard Brown Health is a nationally recognized leader in LGBTQ+ health and wellness. Our commitment to inclusive and affirming care has made us a cornerstone of the Chicago community. At Howard Brown, we believe in providing holistic, patient-centered care that empowers individuals and enriches lives. A Health Educator provides client-centered HIV and STI education, test counseling, and gender-affirming pregnancy screening and options counseling services to individuals and couples in the Sexual and Reproductive Health Walk-In clinics at Howard Brown Health. POSITION SUMMARY: A Health Educator provides client-centered HIV and STI education, tests, counseling, linkage to care and other referrals/services to individuals at agency approved community outreach events and locations across the city of Chicago and suburbs. This role is also responsible for connecting communities to primary care at Howard Brown Health locations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a public health, social services, or a related field is required OR high school diploma and 2 years of experience in a social service, community health, or public health field is required.
Ability to maintain the highest level of client confidentiality and follow HIPAA regulations
Ability to work independently with a minimal amount of supervision, but must be a strong team player as well
Ability to multi-task, take initiative and apply knowledge to variety of circumstances
Must possess strong communication and written skills
Ability to work effectively with diverse staff and populations
Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously, with consistent accuracy, follow through, and timely completion
Must possess excellent internet and computer skills

Nice To Haves

Certification in pre and post Counseling and Testing through Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) or Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is highly preferred
Experience working with Electronic Health Records Systems highly preferred
Experience working with LGBTQIA+ and other diverse communities highly preferred
Knowledge of HIV/STI and/or sexual and reproductive healthcare in diverse communities is highly preferred
Bilingual – Spanish/English highly preferred
Phlebotomy experience is highly preferred

Responsibilities

Provides patient-centered HIV, STI and identifies patient needs due to social determinants of health.
Provides direct health education with a focus in HIV and STI education and completes internal HIV and STI counseling training.
Provides patients with appropriate requisition, information and instructions for ancillary tests and procedures ordered by physicians.
Analyzes internal services including Primary Care, Social Services, Reproductive Care, and provides appropriate referral information.
Identifies and assists patients who visit community testing site and outreach events clinics seeking PEP, PrEP services, and other effective biomedical HIV prevention interventions.
Performs evidence-based HIV/STI prevention interventions, sexual health assessments and offers HIV/STI prevention and harm reduction counseling for patients in conjunction with the Medical Provider.
Conducts phlebotomy via intravenous blood draw, or capillary finger stick for HIV/STI testing, collects specimens such as urine and extragenital swabs, coaches patients on self-swabbing as needed, and labels specimens with correct patient information.
Performs routine clinical functions including urine dips and documents visits and interactions in the Electronic Health Records System (EHRS).
Reviews, maintains, and ensures proper quality of lab results through EPIC (EMR) and ensures that patient visits are properly checked in and closed out at the end of the visit.
Responds to patient questions and flags through EMR as needed.
Maintains awareness of supplies for testing and/or alerts the lead or Manager if supplies are running low.
Utilizes OSHA guidelines to properly dispose of biomedical waste and clean testing spaces to ensure proper cleanliness and standards.
Supports all outreach patients and directs them to appropriate service lines.
Provides proper trauma-informed support and connects patients to appropriate services when patient discloses sexual harm.
Assists with the training of new Health Educators and other staff, including screening and counseling protocols, using data collection tools, counseling theory and approaches, and conducting effective referrals.
Attends all required department and Howard Brown meetings and training sessions, including a biweekly meeting with supervisor; attend and successfully complete all required Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and/or Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) trainings.
Provides patient-centered care to support clients and clinical teams in response to infectious diseases that are current and those that may arise.
Assist with phlebotomy or health education coverage at other clinics as needed.
Support administration for Community Relations outreach and projects
May represent Howard Brown Health at local meetings that may help to address the prevention and/or sexual health needs of LGBTQI individuals.
Performs related duties as assigned.

Benefits

Employer-sponsored health, dental, and vision insurance with two PPO plans and an HMO plan.
BCBS HMO, PPO, and PPO Select Plans
BCBS Dental
BCBS Vision
3-weeks paid vacation and 1-week of personal time
12 accrued sick days per year
10 paid holidays, including Juneteenth
PTO Exchange allows employees to turn unused PTO into liquid assets
401k program with up to 5% employer match after 90 days
Employer-paid basic life insurance valued at one times the annual salary
Voluntary Life and AD&D, and Short-term and Long-term disability
Pre-tax commuter and parking benefit account
Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare and dependent care
Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Forgiveness Programs; NHSC & PSLF
Employee Assistance Program with 5 employer-paid counseling sessions
50% off at Brown Elephant Resale Shops and discounts at local businesses