Community Health Worker - School Health

Description CORE VALUES

The core values of Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Inc. (CHC/SEK) are dignity and stewardship. Each staff member is expected to perform their job duties in a way that preserves dignity for our patients and maintains good stewardship of CHC/SEK’s resources.

Community Health Workers (CHWs) at CHC/SEK are passionate about serving their community. CHWs strive to understand, motivate, and help our patients achieve their goals in health and wellness by eliminating barriers, collaborating with patients to set goals, and working within a multidisciplinary care team.

This position will focus on addressing social determinants of health and navigating community members and families through complex healthcare and needs within their community. This includes assisting with food insecurity, transportation, community referrals, benefits or assistance applications, and addressing individual barriers to excellent overall health and wellness. It also may include providing transportation in CHC/SEK vehicles, and delivering prescription medications to patients.

The overall goal of the Patient Engagement department is to engage high-risk, underserved populations and work to decrease the impact of exacerbations on health status and accelerate recovery through community outreach, benefits enrollment, care coordination, care management, and patient education. Often staff go above and beyond to provide support in nontraditional settings such as patient homes, neighborhoods, and communities. Patient Engagement staff are flexible, knowledgeable about disease processes, community resources and CHC/SEK care systems, and able to address barriers to improved health outcomes.

• Meet individuals and their families in the home, clinic, or community setting and conduct needs assessments and screenings, including identification of socio-economic issues that affect their overall health.
• Actively participate and collaborate with local coalitions and other organizational meetings, both online and in-person, to engage partners in addressing community need and support.
• Assess an individual’s unmet health and social needs to connect with community and organizational resources, including clear guidance about why and how to access these resources.
• Engage individuals and families in the development of health and social goals and coach patients in the effective management of their health conditions and self-care, using techniques such as motivational interviewing.
• Coordinate care and assist with understanding care plans and instructions by making follow-up appointments, accessing prescriptions, or other means as needed.
• Build relationships and follow up with patients about their health via phone calls, home visits, and visits to other settings as needed.
• Organize and facilitate community events and/or classes to promote health education, benefits enrollment, resource access, and CHC/SEK services.
• Assist with assigned outreach activities such as delivering prescription medications, attending health fairs, or attending other community events, as directed.
• Document encounters with patients in all assigned systems, contributing and utilizing data to achieve program goals, improve health outcomes, and advance community health indicators.
• Update community resource guides as it relates to community strengths and opportunities.
• Utilize technology and telehealth capabilities to better connect patients to care.
• Work collaboratively, respectfully, and effectively with project leadership, community partners, and CHC/SEK clinical and nonclinical teams.
• Work to address health disparities for vulnerable populations by looking to innovative workflows and processes, or contributing to operational changes.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Within one year of employment, complete required training and professional development courses, including the Community Health Worker Education Program hosted by the Kansas Community Health Worker Coalition.
• Seeking applicants that are familiar with local community resources and health systems.
• Preferred applicants have education and experience in…