Community Health Worker

The Community Health Worker is responsible for the outreach, coordination and delivery of Health Empowerment Evidence Based programs to the community. This includes establishing, implementing, maintaining community partnerships, and serving as a liaison between YMCA and community sites and partners.

Essential Functions / Job Duties:

• Helps participants develop health management plans, goals, and follows-up on health management care plans with participants and providers.
• Establishes trusting relationships with participants while providing general support and encouragement.
• Assesses participants’ interest in evidenced-based programming and assists participants in enrolling in such programming.
• Utilizes motivational interviewing and teaches approaches to ensure that participants understand their health issues and how to manage them.
• Helps participants connect with transportation resources however transporting participants is strictly prohibited.
• Facilitates at least two workshops a year, one every six months. If inactive within 6 months must attend update session. If inactive for a year must complete specialized training once again.
• Picks up workshop materials at least 2 days before teaching workshop.
• Provides ongoing follow-up, motivational interviewing and goal setting to participants.
• Be present at all times during workshop sessions including set up and break down. 15 minutes are allocated for set up and 15 minutes for brake down.
• Prepare charts with legible writing.
• Reviews data forms thoroughly and returns them completed to Metro.
• Returns workshop materials to office no later than 5 days after completion.
• Keeps Director abreast of any attendance issues.
• Understands, articulates and reflects in professional practice the mission and philosophy of the YMCA.
• Conducts field visits, outreach and serves as resource to both participants and partners.
• Coordinates and participates in community site events.
• Recruits program participants including conducting presentations and distributing printed materials.
• Identifies community leaders and maintain a community contact list.
• Maintains records of registered participants, weekly attendance records and programs sites.
• Reports to Director on a weekly basis. Responsible for providing consistent communication to the Director/Supervisor.
• Engages and motivates participants to be active participants in their health.
• Follows-up with participants with calls, and visits locations where participants can be found.
• Provides referrals for services to community agencies as appropriate.
• Stays abreast of community resources to meet the needs of community members.
• Provides appropriate referrals regarding community resources to evidence-based programs such as A Matter of Balance, Chronic Disease Self-Management, Diabetes Self-Management, Enhance Fitness, YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program and others.
• Attends quarterly staff meetings.
• Participates in professional development trainings to keep abreast of health empowerment opportunities and resources for participants.
• Develops working understanding of health disparity and resources to overcome.
• Adheres to the YMCA of South Florida’s Risk Management and Safety protocols and guidelines.
• Assumes other duties and projects as needed and as assigned.

Position Profile: 

• Ideally comes from the community being served or has an unusually close understanding of the community served.
• Possesses life experience resulting in empathy to the needs and abilities of persons with chronic health conditions or other health issues.

Qualifications, Skills and Abilities / Position Requirements:

Education and Experience:

• High school Diploma or GED equivalent.
• Minimum of one year of customer service experience.

Certificates and Licenses:

• Current CPR/FA/AED certifications (or within first 90 days of start date)
• Certification as a Certified Community Health Worker is highly desirable.

Other skills and abilities:

• Minimum of 1 years of teaching, training and public speaking experience preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; able to relate with individuals at all levels and with diverse community.
• Exhibits enthusiasm; optimistic about a person’s ability to make changes.
• Respect for diversity and always maintain high level of cultural sensitivity.
• Ability to work well with others, understanding and use of Motivational Interviewing skills.
• Excellent communications skills; able to communicate with individuals of the targeted audience (at about 10th grade level).
• Able and willing to work nights and weekends.
• Has reliable transportation.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive and collaborative working relationships with participants, staff and community partners.
• Possesses critical thinking and evaluative skills.
• Knowledge of basic health information, interventions and resources.
• Bilingual, English, Spanish and Creole, preferred.

As a condition of employment and a Drug-Free Workplace you will be required to submit to and satisfactorily clear a thorough Level II fingerprinting background screening and drug test.

Failure to complete the drug test will automatically disqualify you from employment. Please note Medical Marijuana cards do not exempt you from successfully passing your drug test.

The YMCA of South Florida is committed to the policy of Equal Opportunity prohibiting discrimination in the workplace because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, political affiliation, age or disability.