Community Health Worker

SUMMARY

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 home visiting, these individual assists clients in overcoming barriers to health, social services, education, and employment by performing the following duties.

Director of Community Impact or Designee

• Canvases clinics, community centers, emergency departments, homeless shelters, and identified “hot spot” neighborhoods to find and enroll individuals who meet the criteria for being at risk / high risk.
• Connects the client to Medicaid and a medical home for preventive services within 14 days of program enrollment.
• Works with the clients to connect them to community social services in order to remove barriers to care (e.g. transportation, housing, mental health counseling, etc.).
• Educates enrolled clients regarding topics such as hygiene, community groups and stress management.
• Attends trainings and monthly meetings and submit documentation of same to supervisor.
• Successfully completes Community Health Worker curriculum.
• Uses the Pathways protocols for care coordination activities at all times.
• Interviews clients with problems such as personal and family adjustments, health, finances, employment, food, clothing, housing, utilities, and physical and mental impairments; completes appropriate checklist; and brings information back to agency clinical professionals to determine nature and degree of problem.
• Enters information from home visits into database in an accurate and timely manner.
• Secures information such as medical, psychological, and social factors contributing to client's situation, and forwards information to clinical professionals for evaluation.
• Accesses and records client’s and community’s resource information.
• Advocates for client and acts as a liaison between client and other service providers.
• Counsels client individually, in family or other small groups, regarding plans for meeting needs and aids client to mobilize inner capacities and environmental resources to improve social functioning.
• Helps client and family through individual or group conferences to understand, accept, and follow medical recommendations.
• Reviews care plan developed by clinical professionals and performs appropriate follow‑up activities as directed.
• Secures supplementary information such as employment or medical records or school reports as directed.
• Determines client's eligibility for services such as financial assistance, insurance and other programs in place to assist individuals and refers clients to community resources and other agencies to meet identified needs.

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and / or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• High School Diploma or GED
• At least 18 years of age
• Willingness to obtain Community Health Worker Certification through the Ohio Board of Nursing (may be obtained after hire 6 months)
• Must live in the City of Akron or surrounding area and have been a resident for at least two years
• Ability to work in diverse communities and among different races, cultures and classes
• Ability and willingness to provide emotional support, encouragement and motivation to patients
• Familiarity with resources available within the community
• Reliable transportation
• Basic computer skills
• Must successfully pass a background check and drug screen

• Successful Completion of Community Health Worker Curriculum
• Unrestricted State of Ohio Board Of Nursing Certification

This position requires…