Community Healthcare Worker - Oregon Health & Science University

Department Overview:

The Community Health Worker serves as a School Readiness Coach for Latino parents with preschool aged children attending [Hillsboro Pediatrics or OHSU Bethany] for primary care. The CHW will be an integrated member of the primary care team working directly with families of 3-5 year olds to promote school readiness in a strengths-based approach.
The CHW or “School Readiness Coach” will lead a two year pilot of The Kinder Ready Coaching Visit. The pilot addresses Latino school readiness through an evidence-based, parent co-developed coaching model in primary care for Latino preschool-aged children on Medicaid. The Kinder Ready Appointment provides a structured, individualized parent-child school readiness coaching session with a bilingual community health worker to 1) assess child SR with a billable tool, 2) support parent skills for home practice, 3) connect families to critical SR resources including preschool, behavioral health, library and oral health, and 4) provide educational tools for home such as enrollment in early literacy text messages, access to culturally concordant books, games and/or puzzles.

 

The CHW will provide case management and referral follow up support to families and support evaluation of the program with data collection and documentation. Biweekly professional development with additional CHW coaches and clinic champions will be led by the Coaching Director. There is opportunity for increased involvement in research and evaluation for those interested.

 

This position requires the applicant is bilingual in both English and Spanish.

 

Pay Range: $25.86 - $34.95 per hour

Function/Duties of Position:

Direct Patient/Family Support and School Readiness Coaching:
Conduct Kindergarten Ready visits with parent-child dyads of 3 and 4 year old Latino children, ~30 visits/week, in both English and Spanish. Assists families in gaining access to community services to promote school readiness including preschool and library referrals. Develop home plan for school readiness practice including early literacy, math, social emotional and fine motor skills. Chart assessments and family plan for practice and resources in EHR.

Case management: Outreach and scheduling by phone for eligible patients. Case management after visits including follow-up with parents by phone regarding community resources, navigating early childhood systems or applying for services such as preschool; follow-up visits for reassessment within 3-6 months.

Community engagement: Develops and maintains an effective working relationship with community partners to increase successful referrals, availability of resources, and interagency collaboration. Represents and promotes school readiness efforts within pediatric clinics to community partners.

Support program evaluation: Support data collection to evaluate the impact of the new pilot program including chart review, administer family surveys and consent families to participate in evaluation.
Care Team Meetings and Professional Development during coaching collaborative sessions: Participate in clinic meetings and bi-weekly coaching collaborative and professional development sessions with fellow CHWs, clinic champions and coaching director.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent.

• 2 years relevant work experience in mission-driven organization with one of those years being work experience with underserved populations with complex medical and social needs. Preferred experience in community outreach services providing health information, advocacy, social support, and assistance engaging with the healthcare system.

• Certification as Traditional Healthcare Worker (THW) required or obtained within 6 months of hire. Traditional Health Worker types include Doula, Peer Support Specialist (PSS), Peer Wellness Specialist (PWS), Personal Health Navigator (PHN) and Community Health Worker (CHW). Type preference may be determined by service need.

• Working with children and families in early childhood in a therapeutic capacity that allowed for compassionate, culturally-sensitive assistance.

• Fluency in written and spoken English. Must be able to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.

• Excellent telephone communication skills.

• BLS/CPR certification within 6 weeks of hire

• Intermediate level skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.

• Understanding of Social Determinants of Health and role of SDH in healthcare.

• Ability to work collaboratively with a multi-disciplinary team of health care providers.

• Customer service skills with the ability to interact professionally and effectively.

• Time management skills with the ability to prioritize and schedule daily activities for the most efficient use of time.

• Ability to perform the job duties with or without accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• CHW with early childhood education credits or equivalent to CEW (Community Education Worker).
• Experience working with preschool aged children in both English and Spanish.
• Experience working with an electronic health record; EPIC platform preferred.
• Interest and experience in program development, improvement, and assessment.
• Experience in community outreach services providing health information, advocacy, social support, and assistance engaging with the health care system.
• Knowledge of early learning and child development.
• Knowledge of community-based resources particularly related to early childhood education.

All are welcome:Oregon Health & Science University values a diverse and culturally competent workforce. We are proud of our commitment to being an equal opportunity, affirmative action organization that does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of any protected class status, including disability status and protected veteran status. Individuals with diverse backgrounds and those who promote diversity and a culture of inclusion are encouraged to apply. To request reasonable accommodation contact the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Department at 503-494-5148 or aaeo@ohsu.edu.