Health Educator

General Statement of Duties

The Forsyth County Department of Behavioral Health is seeking to hire a Health Educator. If you enjoy working in an environment with the possibility for a high impact and the opportunity to collaborate with a diverse group of stakeholders, this may be the position for you.

This position supports, promotes, and engages in efforts to address substance use, including but not limited to the opioid epidemic. The Health Educator will have the responsibility of engaging in youth substance use prevention activities.

Primary responsibilities will include establishing and providing prevention education about substance use and misuse and other high-risk activities, coordinating with Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools regarding school-based naloxone, implementing prevention-based youth programming, recommending/creating social media and media campaign content, disseminating substance misuse prevention information at community events, and establishing metrics/monitoring effectiveness of strategies.

May require some work in the evenings and on weekends.

This position is supported with opioid settlement funding and the length of the assignment is depended on funding availability.

Distinguishing Features

A successful candidate in this position should have the following knowledge, skills and abilities:

Demonstrated ability to partner with other County employees/departments, community groups, and stakeholders.

Experience working with youth.

Ability to create and implement prevention programs.

Ability to identify, recommend, and implement evidence-based prevention practices.

Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely, verbally and in writing, and experience presenting to groups of varying sizes.

Ability to prioritize, plan, and manage a daily schedule.

Possess critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Must have excellent interpersonal skills, be receptive to new ideas, and have skills in facilitating meetings.

Ability to operate within the scope of fonder requirements.

Experience evaluating program implementation for effectiveness.

Knowledge of local resources and partners.

Ability to write and speak effectively in presenting ideas.

Ability to understand the social and psychological factors affecting target group's receptivity to service utilization.

Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with departmental personnel, community organizations and the general public.

General knowledge of the functions of community health agencies.

General knowledge of the methods and techniques used in preparing and disseminating educational information to the public.

General knowledge of the techniques involved in preparing and displaying posters, exhibits and other educational visual aids.

Some knowledge of the theoretical principles and practices of public health and public health education.

Minimum Education and Experience

Graduation from a four-year college or university with a major in health education.

A four-year degree outside of the relevant academic field plus additional years of relevant experience may also be considered.

A higher education level may be considered as a substitution for all or part of the experience requirement.

A valid driver license is required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Essential duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Implements activities within established guidelines based on interpretation of needs assessment.

Selects educational material and methods and implements a planned health education program.

Teaches health education classes for clients in community groups.

Designs health education programs of limited complexity and targeted to specific groups.

Serves as a primary public health educator for programs of limited complexity.

Performs related work as required.

Assists in the collection of community data, generally from existing resources, for planning public health education programs.