Community Health Worker – Pathways and Downtown Public Health

Public Health Seattle & King County’s Pathways Program at Downtown Public Health Center is seeking an Education Specialist (Community Health Worker) who brings experience working with adults with opioid use disorder (OUD), complex social, medical, and mental health conditions and experiencing homelessness, providing care using a harm reduction approach. The community health worker will greet patients entering our building and coordinate with multiple programs at the Downtown Public Health Center and community partners and will be instrumental in individuals’ linkage to services and assisting with ongoing MOUD service and behavioral health care. They will perform outreach and engagement activities, and provide support to patients, as well as supporting other team members as needed. They will be responsible for providing program information and details to clients and community partners, as well as gathering and reporting data. The community health worker will provide health education related to OUD, injection drug use, homelessness, and other disease risk factors.

Background

The Downtown Public Health Center provides a broad range of integrated healthcare and support services focused on improving access and health outcomes for underserved communities.

Services include primary medical care for adults and children, such as preventive care, immunizations, and chronic disease management, along with maternal and reproductive health services like prenatal care and WIC support. The center also offers dental care, pharmacy access, and behavioral health and substance use services, including treatment and harm-reduction programs. In addition, the clinic provides communicable disease testing and prevention (e.g., HIV, STI, and hepatitis services) and supportive services such as interpretation, refugee health screenings, and connections to community resources. Overall, the center serves as a comprehensive safety-net provider, integrating medical, behavioral, and social services in one location.

Note:This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx

Work Schedule

Typical work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, with the possibility of evenings and weekends depending on program needs. This is a non-exempt position and is subject to the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is overtime eligible.

Work Location

Primary work location will be based at the Downtown Public Health Center, located at 2124 - 4th Ave., Seattle, WA 98121.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

• Greets individuals searching for services at downtown public health center and connects them to appropriate program and community resources.
• Conduct outreach and connect with patients in clinic to provide linkage to community resources.
• Conduct community outreach to connect with outside organizations for referrals and patient resources.
• Will act as a patient liaison for programs and services within Public Health - Seattle and King County.
• Provide individualized harm reduction counseling to help initiate and maintain behavior change to reduce risk of opioid overdose, death, and other drug use related harms.
• Create and maintain education and resources handouts for patients and for interdisciplinary team.
• Facilitate referral and enrollment of patients across Public Health programs and outside organizations.
• Coordinate and follow up on referrals to housing and other services that affect overall health and risk of overdose.
• Develop and maintain expert knowledge of Medicaid, other health insurance coverage and public funding options for MOUD, other substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and health care services.
• Provide insurance enrollment services to patients and clients of downtown public health center.
• Lift and move boxes of supplies and equipment weighing up to 25 pounds.

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum):

• Prior experience, which can be from work or personal lived experience with substance use, substance use disorder, people experiencing homelessness and/or other vulnerable populations.
• Demonstrated excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate complex information in a culturally appropriate, consistently respectful, and non-judgmental manner to people.
• Skill and comfort making cold contacts to engage potential new patients in outreach settings.
• Demonstrated skill to set and maintain clear, professional, respectful boundaries and interactions with clients and fellow staff members.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently following established protocols and policies, and ability to take initiative and be motivated to engage with patients and community.
• Ability to lift and move boxes of supplies and equipment weighing up to 25 pounds with or without accommodation.

The most competitive applicants will have the following experiences and qualifications (Desired):

• Demonstrated skill in delivering harm reduction interventions to people who use drugs.
• Demonstrated current knowledge of: MOUD, harm reduction concepts and principles; and local SUD treatment, health care and criminal justice systems and resources.
• Valid Washington state driver’s license.
• Strong de-escalation skills.

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference?Come join the teamdedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Who May Apply

This career service position is open to all qualified applicants.

The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

• NEOGOV Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)

(Please note: Cover letters, resumes, and additional attachments will not be reviewed as part of the evaluation process if not outlined as a required application material as outlined above).

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in the application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted

This position is posted as open until filled. First review will be conducted of applications received by May 14th at 11:59 pm.

Interviews: Interviews are anticipated to be held on the week of May 28th.

Contact

If you have questions or would like more information about the application process, please contact Salyse Duckworth, HR Analyst at sduckworth@kingcounty.gov.

Necessary Special Requirements

• The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation, and Pre-employment Physical, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment.
• For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring. For tips on interviewing, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/audience/employees/learning-and-development/Interview_Tips.ashx?la=en.
• Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
• When Public Health responds to an emergency, and in accordance with relevant CBA language and/or KC policy and procedures, we may assign duties outside your regular job description. This may involve responding at any time, including nights and weekends, with possible deployment to locations other than the department.
• If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Union Membership

This position is represented by the PROTEC 17 labor union.