Community Health Worker

Overview

The Community Health Worker (CHW) provides community support services by partnering with other community agencies to help at risk / high risk individuals and their families navigate complex social service and health care systems to services to promote healthy behaviors and manage conditions that affect their health and social well‑being. This culturally and geographically connected individual serves as a link between underserved communities and existing community resources.

Through client visits and community engagement, the CHW assists clients in overcoming barriers to health, social services, education, and employment and other Social Drivers of Health. Under the direction of the CHW Supervisor, the CHW is responsible for providing and coordinating health education and disease management education, assisting individuals with navigating the health and social care systems. The CHW will work within an interdisciplinary team and will serve as a bridge between the client and the medical system by building trusting relationships with community members served by the health care entity.

Home visits will be required; however, the CHW team may also provide education and services in other settings such as group sessions, health fairs, clinics, and other community locations as well.

Certifications:

Basic Life Support (BLS) within 30 days - American Heart Association (AHA);
Proof of Auto Insurance - Varies;
Driver's License - Illinois Secretary of State (ILSOS);
Community Health Worker certification within 6 months

Education:

,

Work Experience:

2yrs of Community outreach experience

Perform home visits with assigned clients at assigned intervals to complete various screenings and work with the client to establish goals. Advocate for clients when they are unable to speak for themselves. Continuing to update plans and promoting adherence to facilitate positive outcomes. Refer community members to needed health services. Document all client interactions and screenings. Establish trusting relationships with patients.

Assists client with problem‑solving barriers to health by identifying, locating, connecting to, and navigating needed community and medical system services. This may also include accompanying clients to appointments and assisting with completion of forms to access needed services. Link clients to and inform them of available community resources. Educates clients on how to obtain care and self‑manage their conditions. Builds individual/client, community, and team capacity.

Attends interdisciplinary care team discussions. Maintains a client caseload. Performs social determinants of health screening to identify needs and develops plan to address health equity needs. Remain apprised of current CHW policies, procedures, and standards. Remain apprised of current Carle Health and CHW best‑practices. Include complementary education and outreach, when appropriate (e.g., flu prevention and immunizations). Increases visibility of CHW Services by performing outreach in the community (i.e., faith communities, health fairs, senior centers), participating in community education initiatives, and providing collaboration and referrals with community providers.

Work with the CHW Supervisor to identify, develop, and implement innovative community outreach and engagement of high‑risk populations. Work with the community through peer‑led focus groups to gather data on the factors most affecting healthy lifestyles, especially around chronic health condition management.

Find it here.

Discover the job, the career, the purpose you were meant for. At Carle Health, we're committed to fostering a workplace where every team member feels valued, respected and empowered, where passion and purpose come together to positively impact the lives of our patients and our communities. Find it all at Carle Health.

Our nearly 17,000 team members and providers work together to support patient care across central and southeastern Illinois. We've grown to include eight, award‑winning hospitals and a multispecialty provider group with more than 1,500 doctors and advanced practice providers. We're…