Spanish-Speaking Immunization Community Health Worker

This position is part of the Health Provision Division within the Gallatin City-County Health Department. As a member of the team, this position will play a vital role in promoting health and wellness within Gallatin County, Montana. This position works alongside the Gallatin City-County Health Department (GCCHD) Immunization Program and collaborates with schools and community partner organizations to support immunization service to Spanish-speaking children and families. This position will work closely with individuals and families to provide education, support, and advocacy to improve their overall health outcomes. This position's responsibilities will involve conducting outreach, facilitating access to healthcare services, and empowering community members to make informed decisions about their health. This position provides services in Spanish to individuals with limited English proficiency. This position reports to the Director of Health Provision. This position is grant funded.

Each duty listed below makes up at least 20% of the job, and all other functions are included in Other Duties as Assigned. All duties below are essential functions unless otherwise indicated.

Essential Duties:

• Provides translation services for health department, school-based, and off-site immunization clinics.

• Coordinates with local community partners and families to obtain immunization records and translate records when necessary.

• Collaborates with the immunization nurses to review immunization requirements for school attendance based on Montana Code 37.114.705 and childhood vaccinations based on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations.

• Communicates immunization requirements and recommendations to Spanish speaking families.

• Translates immunization and community resources to Spanish as needed.

• Builds trusting relationships with community partners and Spanish-speaking families.

• Completes required documentation in an accurate and timely manner to track needs, efforts, progress, outcome, and communication with families, including entering data into Patagonia, GCCHD's electronic medical records system and imMTrax, Montana's Immunization Information System.

• Participates in communications with community partners working to increase immunization services for Spanish-speaking families across Gallatin County.

• Maintains confidentiality in all written and oral communications, in accordance with the Uniform Health Information Act or the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), whichever is more stringent.

• This position is a mandatory reporter for child abuse and neglect.

Other Duties:

• This position has no regular supervisory responsibility over other employees.

• Working relationships, establishes and maintains relationships with health care providers, co-workers, and community partners and organizations to provide immunization services and referrals to resources for Spanish-speaking families.

• Physical/environmental demand: Work is performed in a wide variety of settings with patients and families. Participating in off-site immunization clinics and meetings requires travel in inclement weather. Contact with the public in health care situations requires the incumbent to exercise universal precautions to prevent or minimize exposure to illness and disease. At times the incumbent would be required to handle contentious situations or angry public in a professional manner. The work requires moderate physical effort or exertion when carrying equipment or educational materials.

Minimum Qualifications

This position must be fluent in Spanish and proficient in English. This position must have basic computer skills, including ability to utilize Microsoft programs. This position must have completed an extensive instructor guided community health worker training program from an accredited university within four months of hire. The required knowledge, skills, and abilities for this position are typically acquired through a combination of education and lived and/or professional experience in navigating social services, peer support, health, behavioral healthcare, health education, working with marginalized populations, indigenous communities, and/or economically disadvantaged populations.  Preferred qualifications include a valid driver's license, reliable form of transportation, and a high school diploma or equivalent.

• Work collaboratively as part of a team, including receiving feedback, communicating effectively verbally and in writing

• Work with diverse individuals and groups

• Advocate for clients' needs

• Function without judgement, bias, or stereotypes

• Facilitate clients' access to immunizations and other health and social services

• Communicate with linguistic and cultural proficiency (e.g., in writing, orally, and visually)

• Incorporate ethical standards of practice into all interactions with individuals, organizations, and communities

Competencies/Knowledge-Skills-Abilities (KSA's)

Public Health Tiers 1 and 2: - Frontline employee with supervisory responsibilities

1.Organizational Competencies

All GCCHD employees are expected to ensure that Gallatin County is protected from disease and other public health threats, and to empower others to live healthier, safer lives. In addition, all GCCHD employees are expected to meet specified competencies in the following areas including the guiding principles, mission, and vision of the most current strategic plan.

• Continuous Quality Improvement

- Actively participates, accepts, and engages in the pursuit of departmental and programmatic improvement in everyday activities as well as quality improvement projects independently and as instructed by supervisor.

• Inclusion

- Effectively interacts with all clients, customers, partners, and co-workers with conscious regard for equality, equity, cultural sensitivity, and respect.

• Team Building

• Works effectively with other employees, maintains a positive attitude and contributes to the overall success of the department.

• Communication

• Communicates openly and honestly. Is willing to share information and ideas. Helps to define goals and objectives. Is cordial in dealing with others.

• Reliability

• Is dependable and completes assignments on time and within established quality standards. Arrives at work on time and is ready to perform their duties.

• Organization

• Manages workload effectively and is able to prioritize assignments appropriately as well as to plan for future demands.

• Integrity

• Is honest and trustworthy in dealing with others and providing value as a public servant.

• Motivation

• Strives for excellence seeks growth as an employee and maintains an interest in continuous improvement.

• Productivity

• Maintains a workload that is at or above acceptable standards for his/her position and delivers work products of good quality.

• Purpose

• Works towards achieving the department's Mission and Vision through the conscious consideration and utilization of the guiding principles as detailed within the current Strategic Plan.

2.Job Specific Competencies

Descriptions of each competency can be found at: http://www.phf.org/resourcestools/Pages/Competency_Assessments_For_Public_Health_Professionals.aspx

• Data Analytics and Assessment Skills

• 1.1 Describes factors that affect the health of a community (e.g., income, education, laws, environment, climate change,  resilience,     homelessness, food security, access to healthcare, racial equity, distribution of resources and power, social and  community       engagement, changing demographics)

• Policy Development and Program Planning Skills

• 2.2 Implements policies, programs, and services (e.g., within the organization, external to the organization, in collaboration with others)

• 2.4 Improves policies, programs, services, and organizational performance

• 2.6 Engages in organizational strategic planning

• Communication Skills

• 3.1.    Determines communication strategies

• 3.2.    Communicates with internal and external audiences (e.g., staff, elected officials, students, volunteers, community-based organizations, healthcare professionals, the public)

• Health Equity Skills

• 4.1    Applies principles of ethics, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (e.g., Public Health Code of Ethics, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)

• 4.2.    Engages in continuous self-reflection about one's biases (e.g., perceptions, assumptions, stereotypes)

• 4.3.    Recognizes the diversity of individuals and populations

• Community Partnership Skills

• 5.1.    Describes conditions, systems, and policies affecting community health and resilience (e.g., social and institutional inequities, determinants of health, structural racism, historical trauma, gender discrimination, power dynamics, natural disasters, poverty, housing, trust, local politics, competition, redlining)

• 5.4.    Collaborates with community members and organizations

• Public Health Sciences Skills

• 6.1.    Describes systems, policies, and events impacting public health (e.g., slavery, colonialism, John Snow and the London cholera outbreak, smallpox eradication, development of vaccines, Tuskegee Syphilis Study, fluoridation of drinking water, Jim Crow       laws, establishment of Medicare and Medicaid, Americans with Disabilities Act, seatbelt legislation, banning tobacco in public      buildings, death penalty, gun violence, globalization, deforestation, climate change, COVID-19 pandemic)

• Management and Finance Skills

• 7.4.    Engages in professional development (e.g., training, mentoring, peer advising, coaching, drills, exercises)

• 7.10.    Applies critical thinking in decision making

• 7.13.    Engages in performance management

• Leadership and Systems Thinking Skills

• 8.5.    Responds to emerging needs

ACCOUNTABILITY

This position is accountable for provision of direct services and carrying out standardized practices and procedures to a wide variety of problems or situations. Work may often require the incumbent to interpret and apply rules, regulations and policies to situations that may be without specific protocols and require individual professional judgment to determine the appropriate health services required. Confidentiality is maintained in all written and oral communications, in accordance with the Uniform Health Information Act or the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, whichever is more stringent.

INDEPENDENCE OF ACTION

The position and supervisor work jointly to develop work objectives but the incumbent has significant input on policies and methods in each work process. The supervisor occasionally reviews completed work to ensure quality.

PERSONAL CONTACTS

Communication occurs both within and outside the work unit and includes contacts with school staff, community organizations, members and leaders, state, federal and local government agencies, and the general public.

ADDITIONAL COMPENSABLE FACTORS

Supervision Exercised

This position has no regular supervisory responsibility over other employees.