WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor

Description

Are you excited about a new opportunity? Do you have a passion for providing high quality medical assistance and patient support? Are you mission-driven to help towards improving health and eliminating inequities in health outcomes in under-resourced communities in DC? Well, look no further! At Community of Hope, we have worked diligently to improve health and end family homelessness to make Washington, DC, more equitable. We believe everyone in DC should have access to good healthcare, a stable income, and home, and hope! If you are ready to make a positive difference in the community, this position is for you! 

At COH, we strive for: Caring for Families. Improving Lives. Leading Change 

Our Approach and Values: 

We care for families by providing direct services with a focus on prevention, healing, and wellness. 

We improve lives by building on families’ strengths, honoring their choices, and taking a whole-family, multi-generational approach. 

We lead and advocate for system change to address the effects of historical and current racial inequities on health outcomes and housing opportunities. 

We embrace the diversity of our community, welcome all voices and perspectives, and treat everyone with respect, compassion, and integrity. 

We strive for excellence in all that we do, implement evidence-based practices, measure our outcomes, and use this knowledge to continuously strengthen our work. 

Position Summary:   The WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor is responsible for providing breastfeeding/chestfeeding education, and making referrals to lactation support as needed, working at multiple permanent sites depending on scheduling needs.  This role will promote breastfeeding/chestfeeding, reducing barriers to participants meeting their infant feeding goals, and will provide excellent supportive care while complying with all WIC program guidelines and regulations.  This is a full-time position.

Highlighted Duties and Responsibilities:

• Promotes the benefits of breastfeeding/chestfeeding to WIC participants during clinic appointments as the method of infant feeding most beneficial to babies and birthing parents. 
• Provides basic breastfeeding/chestfeeding information and support to new parents during pregnancy and postpartum, including the benefits of breastfeeding, overcoming common barriers, and getting a good start with nursing.  Helps parents prevent and handle common lactation concerns. 
• Supports WIC participants in achieving breastfeeding goals during pregnancy and in the postpartum period.  Revisits goals at appointments to assess need for assistance based on participant desires.
• Provides peer coaching to support participants with breastfeeding/chestfeeding using the Breastfeeding curriculum as the basis for information given to help them choose, initiate, and continue breastfeeding. 
• Seeks to meet with WIC participants during their appointments and does telephone outreach at established intervals with the goal of supporting breastfeeding and linking participants who have more complex needs with IBCLC support via Pacify, DC Breastfeeding Coalition, or in-clinic scheduling.
• Provides facilitation of breastfeeding/chestfeeding group education including but not limited to Making Milk 101 in conjunction with the MCH Lactation Champions team. 
• Monitors a caseload of five to ten participants during pregnancy and postpartum with regards to their infant feeding goals. Ensures that participants on their caseload have access to evidence-based information about breastfeeding during pregnancy and in the postpartum period.  
• Completes training in the WIC breastfeeding curriculum for peer counselors within the first 90 days of employment. 
• Serves as a member of the COH Maternal Child Health Lactation Champions team after completing 45 hours of lactation specific education.
• Reports identified barriers to care and social well-being to the Director of WIC and/or Director of Maternal & Child Health. 
• Participates in meetings including morning staff huddle in-clinic, as well as Maternal Child Health Department and WIC meetings. 
• Attends breastfeeding peer counselor meetings organized by DC Health to stay informed of new research, techniques and guidelines. 
• Tracks and documents distribution of breast pumps and lactation supplies. Follows up with participants after distributing breast pumps and other items to ensure that the parent is able to use them successfully.  
• Attends Centering Pregnancy sessions and other MCH groups to meet patients, provide information about the WIC program/WIC lactation support, and offer enrollment to eligible patients as needed for recruitment purposes. 
• Supports the WIC program in meeting requirements and benchmarks set by DC Health. 
• Documents breastfeeding contacts and breastfeeding goals by close of patient visit, documenting all participant encounters in HANDS system by close of business. 

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum High School diploma required. Has breastfed at least one baby for a minimum of six months.  
• Is currently enrolled in the WIC program or is a former WIC recipient.  
• Demonstrated basic knowledge of breastfeeding including the benefits to parent and infant. 
• Demonstrated cultural competence in communicating with people from various backgrounds.  
• Strong interpersonal skills. 
• Strong organization and communication skills. 
• Ability to work with computers and spreadsheets. 
• Willingness to provide support to WIC participants outside of regular clinic hours.  
• Ability to travel to various COH locations as needed.  
• Proof of required vaccinations is required.  This includes, but may not be limited to, Flu and Covid. COH will consider requests for reasonable accommodations for anyone who cannot be vaccinated for a religious or medical reason, subject to applicable law.
•  Demonstrated cultural competence in communicating with low-income populations required 

At COH, we understand the toll that the Covid-19 pandemic has taken on the workforce, which is why we prioritize the following well-being and work-life balance-centered benefits: 

• Remote work opportunities are available for many of our roles, promoting a culture of work-life balance. 
• 8-hour workdays, which include a paid lunch 
• 11.5 paid company holidays, 1 personal floating holiday, 15 days of paid vacation (increases to 20 after 3 years of service), and 12 days of paid sick leave on an annual basis 
• Annual performance-based raises, up to 5% of your annual pay 
• National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and DC Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (DCHPLRP) participants 
• Tuition reimbursement, loan repayment for clinicians, licensing reimbursement, and continuing education unit funds for licensed staff 
• Many opportunities for internal promotions and transfers across the agency as we continue to grow; we average 30 promotions each year 
• Ongoing internal leadership training for supervisors 
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion training and initiatives for all staff 
• Ongoing well-being activities, culture compact activities, and trauma-informed care initiatives 
• Medical/Dental/Vision Plans through CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield 
• Life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance 
• 403(b) Retirement Plan 
• Flexible Spending Accounts for medical and dependent care reimbursable expenses 
• And much more! 

About Us: 

Community of Hope is a mission-driven, innovative, and rapidly growing nonprofit. For over 40 years, we have provided healthcare, housing, and supportive services for under-resourced, underserved and people experiencing homelessness in Washington, DC. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, we provide medical, dental, emotional wellness, and care coordination services for the whole family at three locations in DC. Community of Hope also strongly emphasizes maternal and child health, with midwifery practice and the only free-standing birth center in DC. In 2020, Community of Hope provided about 28,400 medical visits, 7,000 dental visits, and 10,000 behavioral health visits for about 11,000 patients. Community of Hope provides community walk-in COVID testing and COVID vaccines. Community of Hope is also one of the largest providers in DC of housing and support services for families and individuals experiencing homelessness. Through providing these programs, we live out our mission to improve health and end family and individual homelessness to make Washington, DC, more equitable.

Community of Hope cares for families and individuals by providing direct services focusing on prevention, healing, and wellness. We improve lives by building on families' and individuals' strengths, honoring their choices, and taking a whole-family, multi-generational approach. We lead and advocate for system change to address the effects of historical and current racial inequities on health outcomes and housing opportunities. We embrace the diversity of our community, welcome all voices and perspectives, and treat everyone with respect, compassion, and integrity. We strive for excellence in everything we do, implement evidence-based practices, measure our outcomes, and use this knowledge to strengthen our work continuously. We were selected as one of The Washington Post 150 Top Workplaces in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021 based on feedback from our staff.

To request a reasonable accommodation to complete an employment application or for general questions about employment with Community of Hope, contact a Recruiting Coordinator. Email: hr@cohdc.org Phone: 202-407-7747. Community of Hope is an equal opportunity employer.