Community Health Navigator - School of Dentistry

The Community Health Navigator is a grant funded position and is an essential member of the Creighton University School of Dentistry (CUSoD) After-Hours Clinic (AHC) team. The Navigator assists uninsured and Medicaid-insured individuals and families seeking emergency dental care by helping them navigate oral healthcare, insurance, and social service systems. Responsibilities include orienting and onboarding patients to the AHC, identifying barriers to care, providing oral health education, connecting eligible patients with insurance and community resources, and facilitating referrals for ongoing dental care, healthcare, and chronic disease management as appropriate.

Working closely with health systems, dental and medical clinics, and community-based organizations, the Navigator helps patients establish a dental home and access the support services they need. The Navigator also conducts community outreach, develops and maintains relationships with key community stakeholders, represents CUSoD at community events, and contributes to a coordinated network designed to improve oral health outcomes and continuity of care among rural, underserved, and uninsured populations.

As a member of the After-Hours Clinic staff there will be 3 days/week where your work schedule will be 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, a passionate and experienced communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills
• Provide healthcare navigation and advocacy to AHC patients, including assistance with scheduling follow-up dental and medical appointments, establishing a dental home, understanding treatment recommendations, and improving oral health literacy.
• Identify barriers that may interfere with access to or continuity of care, such as transportation, childcare, language, cost, insurance status, or difficulty navigating healthcare systems, and communicate relevant concerns to the AHC clinical team and community partners.
• Connect patients with community-based resources addressing social needs that affect health and access to care, including housing, food, employment, financial assistance, education, immigration, legal services, parenting support, and language assistance.
• Assist eligible patients with identifying, applying for, and navigating public benefits and other assistance programs, including Medicaid enrollment, renewal, and eligibility-related processes.
• Advocate for patients and coordinate referrals with dental and medical providers, health systems, social service agencies, and community organizations to promote continuity of care and successful connection to appropriate services.
• Maintain accurate record-keeping in both patient charts in Axium and clinic administrative tools.
• Work with the billing department and patients throughout the revenue cycle (adjustments, payments, corrections, etc.).
• Stay "up to date" on all changes or adjustments in coding and billing procedures.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential documentation of patient contacts, identified needs, referrals, enrollment assistance, follow-up activities, and outcomes in designated tracking systems, consistent with CUSoD policies, applicable privacy requirements, grant-reporting expectations, and professional best practices.
• Experience with MS Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and other software as required.

• Reinforce provider-developed care recommendations and help patients understand the relationship between oral health and chronic conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension.
• Collaborate with dental and medical providers, specialists, and community-based health organizations to coordinate referrals and address patients' short- and long-term oral health goals.
• Help patients overcome barriers to ongoing disease management by facilitating access to follow-up appointments, health education, insurance benefits, and community resources.
• Follow up with patients, when appropriate, to support continuity of care and connection to a dental home.
• Document screenings, education, referrals, follow-up activities, and outcomes in accordance with CUSoD policies and applicable privacy requirements.