Community Health Worker - WIC Maternal and Child

POSITION SUMMARY: Maternal Healthcare CHWs provide linkages and navigation to services that address Social Determinants of Health, such as (but not limited to) domestic violence; exposure to trauma; housing; food; diapers; clothing, transportation, healthcare coverage applications and supports to access healthcare services. CHW Program focuses on improving the lives of birthing persons and infants. CHWs serves the patient and medical teams by providing excellent patient care and establishing close points of contact between medical and social teams, creating clear lines of communication, closing care gaps, and decreasing social determinants of health through the circulation of important information and case management of referrals and follow-up. CHWs act as a liaison between primary care medical providers, social service agencies, community health departments, hospital systems, and local community organizations.

POSITION QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education: Requires high school graduate or equivalent, and successful completion of Community Health Worker course.

Experience: Experience in health care, social services, or related field preferred.

Skills and Abilities (which may be representative but not inclusive of those commonly associated with this position).

1. Community relationship and reach is evident.
2. Knowledge of Medicaid and managed care programs.
3. Knowledge of health center protocols, policies, and procedures.
4. Highly proficient computer skills with Outlook, Word, Excel, and experience with an EMR.
5. Willingness to promote health and maintenance programs.
6. Demonstrates initiative, flexibility, and excellent organizational skill.
7. Strong oral and written communication skills which demonstrate excellent customer service and teamwork.
8. Ability to create a perform work activities in a safe and healthy manner in community environments and amongst high risk/vulnerable populations.
9. Ability to maintain a professional attitude and demeanor at all times.
10. Ability to keep information confidential.

Transportation Requirement: Must possess a valid driver's license and automobile with insurance coverage as required by the State of Missouri.

License(s)/Certification(s) Required: CPR Certification

FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB

Essential Functions:

1. Serve as a bridge between communities, health care systems, and social services.
2. Based on the Protocol for Responding to & Assessing Patients' Assets, Risks & Experiences (PRAPARE) assessment, provide linkages and navigation to services for

1. birthing persons that address SDOHs, such as (but not limited to) domestic violence; exposure to trauma; housing; food; diapers; clothing, transportation, healthcare coverage applications and supports to access healthcare services. Provide outreach, education, referrals, and follow-up, as needed primarily for the purposes of closing gaps from social determinants of health.
2. Provide additional referral coordination and linkages for individuals to receive pre-natal and post-partum services, including telehealth visits, nutrition and breastfeeding counseling, dental exams, substance use treatment, and care coordination for birthing persons each month. Responds to the social needs of clients/patients; telephonic, virtual, and in person communication.
3. Accompany birthing mother to at least first appointment with OBGYN (Obstetrician/Gynecologist).
4. Connect with birthing persons and their immediate families to attend perinatal screening and care and to pick up required prescriptions each month.
5. Connect birthing persons monthly with the Affinia model of care known as EleVATE (Elevating Voices, Addressing Depression, Toxic Stress and Equity) Group Prenatal Care and Behavioral Health techniques.
6. Canvass underserved communities (including unhoused, North St. Louis City and Southeast St. Louis City) to identify areas of need and gaps in healthcare services that can be ameliorated by the services offered at Affinia Healthcare.
7. Engage in outreach events at least 2 times per week with the City of St. Louis Department of Health (DOH), including with DOH mobile vans, for education of new moms and moms-to-be, including Wellness Events to educate moms-to-be. This may require compensatory time to work on weekends and evenings.
8. Hold monthly Wellness seminars with an established curriculum guide with best practices for CHWs to use for training moms for childcare; Safe Sleep; car seats; bathing; nutrition (for mom and baby); vaccination; child abuse and neglect prevention and safety (poisoning; gun locks; cabinet locks; securing furniture; electrical hazards; drowning; fall hazards; etc.).
9. Connect birthing persons with resources such as period supplies for postpartum mothers and diapers for mothers from the St. Louis Diaper Bank and fresh produce at reduced prices from St. Louis Metro Market and Operation Food Search.
10. Help with screening and assessments of moms' needs for physical, social, and psychological well-being, including the following domains: mood and emotional well-being; infant care and feeding; sexuality, contraception, and birth spacing; sleep and fatigue; physical recovery from birth; chronic disease management and health maintenance.
11. Connect patients of reproductive age who are not yet pregnant with a CHW in order to work on health goals, including pregnancy testing, healthy eating and exercise, STI testing, and selection of a primary care provider.
12. Participate in some meetings and work of the City of St. Louis Department of Health.
13. Perform prenatal home visits for birthing persons monthly on a schedule that aligns with recommended prenatal OBGYN visits.
14. Perform scheduled post-partum home visits for birthing persons monthly.
15. Distribute leave-behind materials when performing outreach visits.
16. Perform Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) screenings and identify patients who need access to resources to prevent further exposure to IPV and link the patients to resources such as pro-bono legal services from Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM), emergency women shelters, information and education on safety, behavioral health linkages and other assistance.
17. Collect, analyze and report on process and impact data for the Regional Metrics Project of the St. Louis Community Health Workers Coalition.
18. Increase CHW career infrastructure and community outreach in DOH program area of maternal and child health through a pilot project.
19. Provide care coordination, which may include but is not limited to facilitating care transitions, supporting the completion of referrals, and providing or confirming appropriate follow-up.
20. Make referrals and connections to community resources to help individuals and families meet basic social needs. Responsible for the implementation of the goals and objectives set forth and adopted by Affinia Healthcare.
21. Facilitates appointments and appointment follow-up within Affinia Healthcare, and with community agencies. Assists with the scheduling of specific patient appointments, makes reminder appointment calls, and contacts patients who have missed scheduled appointments when necessary.
22. Completes all reports in a timely fashion.
23. Performs other duties as assigned.

Marginal Functions

1. Enhances communication between internal medical departments and external medical, social, and various community referral agencies.
2. Attend and actively participate at required meetings.
3. Assists in preparation of monthly reports regarding case management/community health worker activities.
4. Assist with the implementation of new procedures and processes.

Supervises: None

NOTE: Affinia Healthcare is a Covid-19 Vaccine Mandated Employer. All employees of Affinia Healthcare are required to be vaccinated for Covid-19.

NOTE: SMOKING IS PROHIBITED IN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT

NOTE: ALL APPLICANTS MUST PROVIDE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THREE REFERENCES

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY SERVICES PROVIDED ON A NON-DISCRIMINATORY BASIS

Current Openings for Community Health Worker WIC Maternal and Child Jobs at Affinia Healthcare