Empower Every New Yorker - Without Exception - to Live the Healthiest Life PossibleNYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the United States. We provide essential outpatient, inpatient and home-based services to more than one million New Yorkers every year across the city's five boroughs. Our large health system consists of ambulatory centers, acute care centers, post-acute care/long-term care, rehabilitation programs, Home Care, and Correctional Health Services. Our diverse workforce is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible.At NYC Health + Hospitals, our mission is to deliver high quality care health services, without exception. Every employee takes a person-centered approach that exemplifies the ICARE values (Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence) through empathic communication and partnerships between all persons.
Job DescriptionSummary of Duties and Responsibilities:Under the direction of the Behavioral Health Public Health Corps Coordinator, in close collaboration with social work staff at assigned worksite and as part of the NYC H+H Public Health Corps, Behavioral Health CHWs work with patients with specialized needs relating to complex medical, behavioral health and social issues, including justice involved patients, patients experiencing homelessness, and children in the foster care system, performing patientcentered, community health work in collaboration with interdisciplinary teams in NYC H+H primary care and specialty care clinics. CHWs are specially trained frontline public health workers who are trusted members of and/or have a thorough understanding of the communities they serve. The CHW participates in community outreach activities within the communities of NYC, engaging patients, parents and/or caretakers, as applicable, and providing resources and assistance needed to address issues preventing them from staying healthy. The CHW motivates and supports individual patients to achieve their health goals, through facilitating connections to primary and specialty care clinics, creating health goals, and helping them find affordable healthy food options. All references to patient below may include their parents and/or caretakers, where appropriate.General tasks and responsibilities will include:
- Participate in ongoing education to learn and maintain CHW skills, as well as public health emergency response skills, relevant for the Public Health Corps
- Engage and recruit eligible patients in hospital and community settings, and interview them to identify their health goals and needs
- Conduct clinical or community-based assessments and interviews to identify and prioritize their health and social services goals and needs
- Support and motivate patients to achieve their health goals by coaching them through behavior change and identifying their strengths and community support systems
- Help patients connect to a primary and/or behavioral health care provider, attend appointments, and fill prescriptions
- Accompany patients during medical appointments and provide in-person support during hospital stays as needed; communicate with their care team and, as appropriate, external service providers, to help coordinate care, including liaising for patient court cases
- Assess ability of patients to manage their chronic physical and behavioral health conditions and work with care team to connect them to appropriate chronic disease education and monitoring programs
- Assist patients with social needs such as food insecurity, housing issues, legal needs, insurance or other health care coverage, or transportation and provide referrals and follow-ups as needed (for example helping patients fill out benefit applications or escorting them to community organizations to obtain needed services)
- Conduct community outreach, including on the street, in parks and/or shelters, as needed for patients who struggle with housing insecurity
- Educate patients regarding available community services, health services, and patient rights; provide feedback from patients to H+H to inform quality improvement efforts
- Document each patient encounter in the electronic medical record (Epic) and use other electronic systems (e.g. NowPow) in accordance with established policies and procedures
- Attend regular team meetings to discuss patient progress and update care plans; communicate with patients' primary care and behavioral health providers.
- Report regularly to CHW Supervisor for support and feedback; participate in program improvement efforts
- Perform other, related CHW program tasks, as needed and perform duties in response to public health emergencies, when necessary.
Minimum Qualifications1. One year of full-time experience in a government agency or community organization in providing community services to the public or in assisting members of the community in obtaining community services; or2. Completion of an approved six month training program of combined classroom training and on-the-job experience in community liaison work, plus six months of full-time experience as described in 1 above.In addition to meeting the qualification requirements of Assignment Level I, appointment to Level II requires:1. Two additional years of full-time experience in counseling, community work or community health activities in a government agency or community organization engaged in providing community services to the public, assisting members of the community in obtaining community services or maintaining liaison with schools, community organizations or other government agencies for the purpose of providing assistance and obtaining participation and support for implementation of community or public service programs; or2. Education and/or experience equivalent to 1 above. Study at an accredited college in sociology, psychology or other behavioral science may be substituted on the basis of 30 semester credits for each year of the experience described above. However, all persons must have at least one year of the full-time experience described above.
Department Preferences- New York City residency (Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens or Staten Island) preferred.
- Professional and/or direct experience with behavioral health conditions, including substance use; homelessness, justice involvement or foster care and/or preventive services, preferred.
- Familiarity with email and Internet usage and comfort learning new computer programs.
- Excellent communication and documentation skills.
- Proficiency in speaking a language other than English, preferably Spanish, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Bengali, Russian, Cantonese, French, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Albanian, or Korean.
- Ability and willingness to conduct home (including street, park and shelter) visits and outreach activities, specifically with behavioral health populations experiencing a history or combination of: substance use, serious mental illness (SMI), justice involvement, street homelessness or housing instability.
Three years of full time experience in counseling, community work or community health activities in a government agency or community organization engaged in providing community services to the public, assisting members of the community in obtaining community services or maintaining liaison with schools, community organizations or other government agencies for the purpose of providing assistance and obtaining participation and support for implementation of community or public service programs; orEducation and/or experience equivalent to 1 above. Study at an accredited college in sociology, psychology or other behavioral science may be substituted on the basis of 30 semester credits for each year of the experience described above. However, all persons must have at least one year of the full-time experience described above.If applying online, please include your cover letter in the same file attachment with your uploaded resume.NYC Health and Hospitals offers a competitive benefits package that includes:
- Comprehensive Health Benefits for employees hired to work 20+ hrs. per week
- Retirement Savings and Pension Plans
- Loan Forgiveness Programs for eligible employees
- Paid Holidays and Vacation in accordance with employees' Collectively bargained contracts
- College tuition discounts and professional development opportunities
- Multiple employee discounts programs