PATH Community Health Worker
About The Position
The PATH Community Health Worker (PCHW) serves as a bridge between individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) and healthcare or social service systems. The PCHW provides culturally appropriate outreach, recovery support, care coordination, and system navigation while advocating for clients’ needs and offering social support. As the first point of contact for most PATH Program participants, the PCHW is responsible for implementing the strategic outreach plan. The role includes building trust with people who actively use substances, connecting them with harm reduction and treatment options, helping them overcome barriers to care, and coordinating with healthcare and community partners. The PCHW also provides community education and completes required program data entry and reporting.
Requirements
- High school diploma or GED and at least two years of relevant work experience.
- Lived experience of mental health or substance use recovery.
- Deep understanding of the local community’s culture, language, and specific substance use disorder challenges.
- Training in motivational interviewing and crisis intervention.
- Knowledge of local socioeconomic resources and community partners.
- CHC-approved CHW training certification must be obtained within 90 days of hire.
Responsibilities
- Build trust with individuals actively using substances through street outreach, home visits, or shelter visits, and connect them with harm reduction and treatment options.
- Provide outreach and engagement in settings such as MHU, shelters, and community organizations to encourage high-risk patients to engage in substance use services.
- Establish a community presence as an advocate for substance use health services and help ensure high-risk individuals have a low-barrier pathway to care.
- Establish and maintain community partnerships and collaborations to facilitate timely referrals and maximize resources available to PATH Program patients.
- Help clients overcome barriers to care, including housing, transportation, insurance enrollment, and scheduling medical or behavioral health appointments.
- Use techniques such as motivational interviewing to help clients identify personal goals, build a foundation for recovery, and develop relapse prevention strategies.
- Collaborate with primary care teams, social workers, and treatment centers to support holistic, continuous care.
- Collect, enter, and submit PATH Program data, including SPARS and eCW data, within seven days of encounters and use any other assigned data systems.
- Provide community education on harm reduction, including overdose prevention, and disease transmission such as HIV/HCV; advocate for individual and community health needs.
- Make referrals and provide follow-up for other healthcare services as needed or indicated by the PATH Team.
- Obtain CHC-approved CHW training certification within 90 days of hire.
Benefits
- Eligible employees may have access to health and wellness benefits, retirement savings opportunities, paid time off, professional development and tuition assistance programs, employee assistance resources, and flexible work arrangements where applicable. Offerings and eligibility vary by position, work location, scheduled hours, and plan terms.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
High school or GED
