Denfeld Community Health Coordinator

Mission: The Duluth Community School Collaborative promotes wellbeing and success for Duluth Public Schools students and families by co-creating, celebrating, and mobilizing for equitable educational experiences.

Vision: Students and families flourish in connected schools and communities.

Purpose: This position is primarily responsible for assisting students and families of Denfeld High School with navigating healthcare and social service resources. Most of the Community Health Coordinator's role will be direct one-to-one work with participants, partnering with them to advance health goals and promote wellbeing, with the goal of increasing school engagement. In addition to one-to-one work, the Community Health Coordinator will be responsible for supporting youth leadership projects around the School-Based Health Center, supporting the school based pantries (clothing, food, and resources), and participating in school-based teams to support youth outcomes.

Essential Duties:

Student and Family Support (50%)

• Collaborate with DCSC staff and Denfeld staff, including school nurses, social workers, mentors, and case managers to connect students and families to resources
• Outreach to families with identified needs based on referrals. Outreach may include phone calls, text, Parent Square, home visits, and community events
• Assist with the coordination of health care and community services for clients including, but not limited to medical care, immunizations, dental care, vision, and social determinants of health (housing, transportation, food, etc)
• Coordinate Hunter Hut-Denfeld's clothing, food, and resource pantry-including promoting, working with student leaders, volunteers, and staff to maintain.
• Educate clients about how to navigate the healthcare system, social service systems, and community programs/services
• Assist clients in obtaining preventative health services and creating wellness plans and goals
• Motivate and empower clients to be active, engaged participants in their health
• Maintain updated client database with plans, notes, appropriate forms, individual progress, and/or related information

School and Community Collaboration (30%)

• Weekly and monthly meetings with school staff and teams that will help inform the work, including BARR Community Connect, DCSC Team Meetings, and other groups as identified
• Work with Attendance Coordinator and other staff to conduct outreach to individual students and families, identifying barriers to attendance with the families, and identifying solutions
• Maintain and grow community partnerships
• Support and lead community outreach efforts, including attending/organizing family engagement events and Health Fair
• Grow knowledge and understanding of health care systems and community resources, services and programs
• Compile and share health resources with families, local and state

School-Based Health Center (SBHC) (20%)

• Attend regular meetings to strategize around implementing a SBHC in Duluth Public Schools.
• Connect with students and families to understand primary services desired in a SBHC.
• Lead Youth advisory with ongoing health programming, needs, and access

Job Qualifications:

• High School diploma or its equivalent
• Have Community Health Worker Certificate or be able to obtain within 18 months of employment (course expenses covered by employer along with some paid time for coursework)
• Ability to process high-stress situations and commitment to strengthening these skills
• Basic knowledge of health promotion/wellness and chronic disease prevention/management
• Possess social connections and skills to serve as a navigator between systems of care (health/social services) and the people with diverse backgrounds
• Experience working with high school aged youth, to build trust and problem-solved difficult situations
• High level of collaboration and teamwork among co-workers and partner organizations
• Effective communication skills; oral, written, and listening
• Ability to follow through with documentation and reporting requirements
• Ability and willingness to provide emotional support, encouragement, and motivation to clients
• Ability to keep information private and confidential
• Ability to occasionally work varied hours including evening and weekend hours.
• Knowledge of basic computer skills (training will be provided for specific database and other programs)
• Possession of a valid driver's license and insured, reliable vehicle and able to travel within Duluth.
• Physical requirements are to lift and move boxes of food up to 40 lbs.

It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified individuals without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, religious belief, sex, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status or other protected classification. We seek to continue to grow a diverse, highly committed, skilled, and collaborative staff.