HIV Prevention Specialist-Bilingual

Career Opportunities @Phmc•Philadelphia, PA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), through the Division of Disease Control’s Health Center #1, provides a full range of primary medical and support services to registered patients. Health Center #1 provides testing and treatment for common STDs. HIV has had a disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, and reducing new HIV infections and improving health outcomes for People Living with HIV (PLWH) remains a critical public health priority. Advances in HIV treatment and prevention present a historic opportunity to have a great effect on reducing new cases of HIV and ending the epidemic locally. To advance Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) efforts locally in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health is seeking qualified candidates to work as the HIV Prevention Specialist for Health Center #1 (HC#1), the City’s largest sexual health clinic. The HIV Prevention Specialist will work with the HC#1 clinic team to support HIV prevention services, including the provision of PrEP, PEP, and other evidence-based prevention strategies within the clinic setting. The HIV Prevention Specialist will be responsible for engaging people in HIV prevention strategies to improve PrEP uptake, adherence, and persistence in PrEP services. This role will be responsible for engaging existing PrEP patients and PrEP-eligible clinic patients (both new and existing patients). The HIV Prevention Specialist will work to support the patients in HIV prevention strategies and provide necessary follow-up to support PrEP initiation and persistence (including addressing barriers to medication access, appointments, etc). The HIV Prevention Specialist will also work closely with clinic staff and the STD Control program to work to promote HIV prevention services, including regular testing, PrEP, and PEP. The position will report to the Medical Specialist at HC1.

Requirements

Minimum three (3) years of work experience related to public health, health policy and planning, health education, and/or clinical service delivery.
Bachelor's degree required.
Fluent in Spanish and English
Ability to sit for long periods of time, and transport equipment or materials up to 25 pounds; travel between community sites throughout the City; use the computer and phone; ability to engage in regular interpersonal contact with clinic patients, public health staff, and community partners.
Good vision and hearing with corrective devices, as needed, are essential.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in public health, social work, human services, or related field preferred.
Any combination of experience and education equivalent to six (6) years of experience in HIV or STI prevention is an acceptable substitute for the above.
Desire to develop innovative, low-barrier programs for HIV prevention.
Experience accessing patient assistance programs is a plus.
Knowledge of public health practice, HIV, and STD-related experience preferred.
Knowledge and understanding of the local healthcare landscape and environment.
Knowledge of community engagement principles, social and structural determinants of health, and principles of health and racial equity.
Experience delivering culturally responsive, gender affirming, and inclusive services.
Experience presenting complex health concepts in plain language.
Experience promoting a culturally competent and diverse work environment.
Experience using electronic health records and the Microsoft Office suite

Responsibilities

Conducts basic sexual health history and assessment to work with patients to determine HIV prevention needs.
Works collaboratively with the clinical team to develop and update PrEP and PEP protocols with a focus on engaging patients in low-barrier PrEP care.
Provides status-neutral linkage to appropriate services, including linkage to HCV care, external PrEP linkage, referrals to harm reduction services, and other supportive services.
Works with the team to develop and implement innovative, evidence-informed programs to increase PrEP capacity at HC#1, both through expanding the program and appropriately referring patients to community-based practices.
Assists the clinical team in providing necessary supports to initiate and maintain patients on PEP and PrEP as appropriate, including supportive services that can enhance patient-centered risk reduction counseling, insurance, and benefits navigation, etc.
Designs and supports culturally responsive prevention programs grounded in person-centered sexual wellness.
Collaborates with project staff from other PDPH programs, including the STD Control Program and the Division of HIV Health (DHH)E, in social media and marketing work.
Promote inclusive and linguistically accessible services, supporting Spanish-speaking and Latinx communities.
Demonstrates an ability to contribute to an environment that celebrates diversity and difference, especially related to socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, and ethnicity.
Collaborates with the clinical and social worker team as appropriate.
Participates in quality initiatives as appropriate.
Maintains communication between inter and intra-agency service providers for successful coordination of services.
Maintains patient records of all activities and interactions.
Assists in documenting program activities and reporting program outcomes as required.
Participates in trainings and conferences as requested.
Performs all other duties, as assigned and necessary for clinic operations.