RIPIN
$21 – $22 / hour
Bilingual Spanish Required
Bachelors or Equivalent Experience
CHW Certification preferred or within 18 months
About RIPIN:
RIPIN deploys a peer model to support people with special healthcare and education needs across the whole lifespan. Founded in 1991 by a group of parents of children with special needs, RIPIN continues to be peer-led: a majority of our board and more than three-fourths of our staff are parents or caretakers of loved ones with special needs. RIPIN’s peer professionals now help more than 45,000 Rhode Islanders every year navigate healthcare, schools, and other support systems.
Job Summary:
The Health Information Line (HIL) Specialist, Community Health Worker (CHW), is a non-exempt position located at the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), within the Center for Public Health Communication. The HIL Specialist, CHW, will be a part of a team that effectively responds to 6,000-7,000 calls per month from RIDOH’s customers, including healthcare professionals and the public. The HIL is the single point of telephone entry for the Department and for complaint intakes. Quality customer service is critical to all the Department’s strategic priorities.
Essential Functions:
- Answer incoming HIL calls and use approved and scripted information and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to respond to customer inquiries.
- Understand and practice principles of good customer service and meet or exceed industry standards.
- Respond to email and/or written inquiries.
- Participate in requisite trainings, program and supervisor meetings, and quality monitoring improvement activities to ensure and enhance the quality of customer service delivery.
- Assist healthcare professionals with license renewals.
- Serve as first-tier Information Line staff in the event of a short-term or long-term public health emergency or adverse weather event.
- Assist with Spanish or Portuguese translation/review of HIL IVR messaging and prompts and RIDOH educational materials.
- Review and triage complaints submitted against licensed professionals and/or facilities.
- Assist the general public, State and private agencies, social service, and/or advocacy programs regarding federal and state regulation and procedural requirements, legislative issues and community needs and resources.
- Accept other duties and responsibilities as assigned
Qualifications
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Excellent customer service and call management skills.
- Strong ability to read, write, and speak English and a second language (Spanish or Portuguese).
- Proficiency with MS Office 365 (Outlook, Word, Teams, Excel).
- Ability to interact in an empathetic and non-judgmental manner with culturally diverse populations and persons experiencing a wide range of social conditions.
- Ability to pay attention to detail and practice active listening.
- Ability to work independently and as an effective team member.
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- Critical thinking and problem-solving skills and the ability to use sound judgment in responding to client issues and concerns.
- Ability to adapt to changing environments and receive constructive feedback.
- Ability to use discretion, maintain confidentiality, and practice ethical conduct.
- Ability to work effectively with all levels of staff and to establish and maintain collaborative professional relationships.
- Strong time management skills (organization, prioritization, multi-tasking).
- Working knowledge of the Rhode Island and its healthcare environment and resources; and
- Demonstrated prior success in accessing community-based resources in Rhode Island.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Excellent organizational skills to manage multiple priorities and tasks.
- A deep understanding of, commitment to, and ability to carry out the mission, vision, philosophy, and values of RIPIN.
- Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office/computer skills to enter data, prepare reports and correspondence.
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent coursework
- Community Health Worker (CHW) certification preferred; non-certified incumbents are expected to earn certification within 18 months of hire date
- Bilingual (English and Spanish) oral and written proficiency
- Previous employment experience in healthcare or social services
- Minimum of two years’ experience in customer service, preferably in a human service setting
- Any combination of education and experience that shall be substantially equivalent to the above education and experience
Physical Demands:
- Regularly required to talk or hear.
- Regularly is required to stand, walk, sit, use hand to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms.
- Regularly required to climb stairs, reach, stretch, stand, and bend.
- Required to have the ability to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
- Required to remain at their station for prolonged periods of time.
Working Conditions/ Work Environment:
- Primary work location is a climate-controlled indoor office environment located at RIDOH’s Cannon Building, 3 Capitol Hill, Room 103, Providence, RI. Employees may be eligible for remote work after training is completed, and knowledge and skills are reasonably demonstrated.
- Flexibility for travel related to job requirements.
- Willingness and ability to work evenings and weekends as needed.
- Provide own reliable transportation with proof of valid driver’s license and RI minimum requirements of auto insurance.
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
RIPIN provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.
This description is not intended to describe, in detail, the multitude of tasks that may be assigned but rather to give the employee a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations required of his/her position. As the nature of the Agency’s work changes, so too, may the essential functions of this position.
