Community Outreach Worker (Health, Behavior and Society

Community Outreach Worker

The Health Behavior and Society Department is seeking a Community Outreach Worker. The Community Outreach Worker supports the conduct of a research project. Collects and organizes data through study-specific procedures that may include community outreach, sample collection, laboratory work, and/or fieldwork. Provides general administrative support for meetings/events, communications, reporting, etc.

Supports community outreach activities for an innovative, low-barrier mobile overdose- and HIV-prevention intervention that provides mobile point-of-care drug checking, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), wound care, syringes and other safer drug use supplies, and other harm reduction services to people who use drugs in Baltimore and neighboring counties. As part of a research team, the Community Outreach Worker supports outreach and engagement with study participants, community members, and partner organizations;

assists with maintaining relationships and referral networks; collects, documents, and organizes data related to service delivery and distribution of supplies; assists with HIV testing and counseling; facilitates healthcare and social service referrals; distributes safer drug use supplies and naloxone; and provides education to clients and community members on naloxone use. Additional research, outreach, administrative, and project-related responsibilities may be required as project services evolve and/or expand.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

• Assist in developing operational plans to meet research goals.
• Set up tools and procedures for data collection and study processes.
• Collect and organize data per study requirements, e.g., participant interviews, administering questionnaires; conduct background research, laboratory processing, etc.
• Process data by organizing data records and study files.
• Run basic analyses and prepare routine reports.
• Perform literature searches, abstract data from literature searches, and index gathered data.
• Other duties as assigned.

In addition to the duties described above

• Prepare for, engage in, and document client interactions and service/supply provision; organize and track supply inventory.
• Develop referral networks and maintain relationships with service providers and pharmacies in intervention areas. Make referrals to medical, social, treatment, and other support services, including warm hand-offs as appropriate.
• Engage in harm reduction-based street outreach, promoting the program's services, distributing promotional items, and providing harm reduction education.
• Build rapport with community members, including people who use drugs, through outreach and attendance at community association meetings.
• This role will require community-based work at least 90% of the time. Community Outreach Workers are expected to take independent initiative to complete tasks and be able to make independent decisions about the direction and conduct of the work.
• On-call or non-standard work hour requirements.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or graduation equivalent.
• One year of related experience.
• Additional education may substitute for required experience to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field.
• Prior experience doing community outreach in syringe services or other harm reduction programs.
• Valid driver's license and ability to drive large vehicles.

Technical Skills & Expected Level of Proficiency

• Administrative Skills
  - Awareness
• Analytical Skills
  - Awareness
• Data Entry
  - Awareness
• Data Management and Analysis
  - Awareness
• Information Gathering
  - Awareness
• Interpersonal Skills
  - Awareness
• Oral and Written Communications
  - Awareness
• Organizational Skills
  - Awareness
• Research and Analytical Skills
  - Awareness

The core technical skills listed are most essential; additional technical skills may be required based on specific division or department needs.