Patient Navigator / Community Health Worker

Rhode Island Free Clinic
Providence
Competitive Salary & Benefits Including Health & Dental Insurance
Start Date: June
Full Time, Permanent
Bilingual English Spanish

POSITION SUMMARY

Patient Navigator/Community Health Worker (40 hours): The full-time Bilingual Patient Navigator/Community health Worker will work as a strategic partner with Clinic staff and volunteers to further our model of high-quality, community-based healthcare services for uninsured adults. Reporting to the Clinic Practice Manager, they will work with RI Department of Health Programs including Wise Women Program and Women’s Cancer & Colorectal Screening Programs, as well as other Clinic interventions and programs, community resources, and Electronic Medical Records. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical Duties:
• Serve as program liaison between the Clinic and RI Department of Health.
• Identify and enroll Patients in the Wisewoman Program and Women’s Canner Screening Program, and additional programs including smoking cessation and others. 
• Assist patients to overcome barriers and support adherence to program activities.
• Provide exceptional navigation to connect patients with resources, and remove barriers to health care in general.
• Support medical providers by providing tools and resources to help patients, including regular monitoring of health indicators including blood pressure at home.
• Take patient vital signs, height and weight; record information in Electronic Medical Record and prepare patients for examinations.
• Perform EKGs and waived testing (Glucometer, Urine Dips).
• Coordinate access to community-based activity such as YMCA memberships.
• Perform tracking, follow up, and data collection/maintenance to monitor client progress, and support grant reporting.

Administrative duties:
• Work with clinic nurse and staff to ensure efficient patient flow during clinic sessions.
• Greet patients, volunteers and Clinic guests.
• Maintain timely and accurate records and documentation of specific deliverables for care.
• Outreach to patients in a timely manner aligned with Clinic priorities & program guidelines.
• Provide assistance to develop and generate reports from Electronic Medical Record.
• Assist staff with data collection for grants and reporting.

Other Duties:
• Bilingual staff will work with Clinic & Wellness Nurses and other providers to provide interpreter services as necessary.
• Facilitates referrals to outside sources, tracks referrals & informs patient of upcoming appointments by phone & by mail.
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bilingual in Spanish and English required.
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• Critical thinking skills, initiative, reliability, follow-through, flexibility, and responsibility are required.
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Related work experience preferred.
• Knowledge of HIPAA and OSHA requirements.
• Knowledge of medical terminology.
• Commitment to the Clinic’s mission and volunteer model of Medical Home care.

Physical Requirements
• Must be able to lift 30 lbs.
• Must be able to stoop, bend and turn without difficulty.
• Meet with patients in the community; at their home or other community setting.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as required.

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION

Rhode Island Free Clinic (www.rifreeclinic.org) provides free comprehensive primary health care to uninsured, working poor, and low-income adults; and, serves as an educational site for trainees in health care fields. Care is provided through a dynamic statewide network of volunteer medical professionals working with academic, medical, and community partners, leveraging robust health care resources with a vitality that is unmatched in Rhode Island and remarkable in the nation. In 2020, the Clinic mobilized nearly 600 volunteers and community partners to provide over 13,000 patient visits to underserved adults, and over 5,700 hours of training for students in health care fields.   

How to Apply

——————————————-
TO APPLY:  Please email RESUME and COVER LETTER to: info@rifreeclinic.org.
No calls please.

Article: Insights on COVID-19 From Community Health Worker State Leaders

Read this article discussing CHWs in the pandemic.

Abstract

Community health workers (CHWs) leverage their trusting relationships with underresourced populations to promote health equity and social justice in their communities. Little is known about CHWs roles in addressing COVID-19 or how the pandemic may have affected CHWs’ ability to interact with and support communities experiencing disparities. A focus group with CHW leaders from 7 states revealed 8 major themes: CHW identity, CHW resiliency, self-care, unintended positives outcomes of COVID-19, technology, resources, stressors, and consequences of COVID-19. Understanding the pandemic’s impact on CHWs has implications for workforce development, training, and health policies.

Excerpt:

“We have had to distance ourselves from our clients, which is not what we are used to. We are used to being face to face, one on one with them, to being remotely…. Normally you can comfort someone, hug them, and say it is going to be okay. We can’t do that now.”

Discussion Draft of the Preliminary Framework for Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccine

Public Comment Opportunities

Discussion Draft of the
Preliminary Framework for Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccine
Public Listening Session
Sept. 2 | 12 to 5 pm ET
Register Now >>Written Comment Period
Sept. 1 – Sept. 4
More Information >>

Starting September 1, the National Academies will invite public comments on a Discussion Draft of the Preliminary Framework for Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccine, part of a study commissioned by NIH and CDC. The study will recommend priorities to inform allocation of a limited initial supply of COVID-19 vaccine, taking into account factors such as racial/ethnic inequities and groups at higher risk due to health status, occupation, or living conditions.

Input from the public, especially communities highly impacted by COVID-19, is essential to produce a final report that is objective, balanced, and inclusive.A discussion draft of the preliminary framework
will be available September 1. 
Prepare your comments now to help shape the final report.Register Now! 
Public Listening Session

Wednesday, September 2 | 12:00 to 5:00 pm EDT
 Please join us for an open session in which members of the public will be invited to address the study committee (as individuals or on behalf of an organization). You can sign up now to make a comment. However, because time at the session will be limited, we cannot guarantee that everyone will have the opportunity to make an oral comment. Please consider submitting a written comment between September 1 and September 4 (more information below).Register

Written Comment Period: September 1 – 4
 Members of the public are encouraged to submit written comments for consideration by the study committee (as individuals or on behalf of an organization). The public comment period will be open for 4 days, from 12:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 1, until 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, September 4. Members of the public will be able to download and review the discussion draft before submitting a comment through a form (uploaded documents accepted). All materials comments received will be placed in the committee’s Public Access File, and may be provided to the public upon request.
More Information

To learn more about the National Academies’ study process, see Frequently Asked Questions on the project webpage.Questions? Email COVIDVaccineFramework@NAS.edu

Mental Health Resources from NAMI (Online!)

NAMI Connection Recovery Support Groups

– Now over Zoom!!!

NAMI Connection is a free recovery support group for people living with any mental illness. NAMI Connection provides a place that offers respect, understanding, encouragement, and hope. You don’t need to register to attend. For more information about Connections, please call us at 401-331-3060 or email us at info@namirhodeisland.org.

NAMI Connection is a recovery support group program that offers respect, understanding, encouragement and hope. NAMI Connection groups are:

  • Free and confidential
  • Held weekly for 90 minutes 
  • Designed to connect, encourage, and support participants using a structured support group model
  • Led by trained facilitators living in recovery themselves

Currently NAMI Connections is being held over Zoom. Click here for the latest schedule (updated September 2020).

HHS Announces Partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine to Fight COVID-19 in Racial and Ethnic Minority and Vulnerable Communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 23, 2020

HHS Announces Partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine to Fight COVID-19 in Racial and Ethnic Minority and Vulnerable Communities
$40 Million Initiative Will Help Communities Hardest Hit by the Pandemic 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) announced the selection of the Morehouse School of Medicine as the awardee for a new $40 million initiative to fight COVID-19 in racial and ethnic minority, rural and socially vulnerable communities. The Morehouse School of Medicine will enter into a cooperative agreement with OMH to lead the initiative to coordinate a strategic network of national, state, territorial, tribal and local organizations to deliver COVID-19-related information to communities hardest hit by the pandemic.

“The Trump Administration has made it a priority to support and empower Americans who have been most impacted by COVID-19, including minority, rural, and socially vulnerable communities,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “This new partnership between the Morehouse School of Medicine and our Office of Minority Health will work with trusted community organizations to bring information on COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, and other services to the Americans who need it.”

The initiative – the National Infrastructure for Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 within Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities (NIMIC) – is a three-year project designed to work with community-based organizations across the nation to deliver education and information on resources to help fight the pandemic. The information network will strengthen efforts to link communities to COVID-19 testing, healthcare and social services and to best share and implement effective response, recovery and resilience strategies.

“Underlying social determinants of health and disparate burdens of chronic medical conditions are contributing to worse COVID-19-related outcomes in minority and socially vulnerable communities, and this partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine is essential to improving our overall response,” said Assistant Secretary for Health ADM Brett P. Giroir, M.D. “We’ve made important strides over the past few months in fighting the pandemic, and with Morehouse School of Medicine as our partner, we are ready to advance our efforts to support our most affected communities.”

These social determinants of health are the conditions in which we live, work, grow and age, that can include working conditions; unemployment; underemployment; access to essential goods and services such as water, sanitation and food; housing; and access to quality healthcare. Such conditions may reflect inequities experienced by disadvantaged communities, leading to poor health status and adverse health outcomes and requiring community- and systems-level responses.

“We know the power of partnerships to help us solve our most pressing public health challenges,” said U.S. Surgeon General VADM Jerome M. Adams, M.D., M.P.H. “This initiative has at its core the community-based organizations who know their people best and who are committed to working collaboratively to reduce health-inequities and make them healthy and safe.”

OMH announced the initiative through a funding announcement on May 1. The NIMIC initiative is expected to begin in July and the first award is for $14.6 million.

“Communities throughout the country have already done a lot of hard work to adapt and respond to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on racial and ethnic minority, rural and vulnerable populations,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health RADM Felicia Collins, M.D. “OMH and the Morehouse School of Medicine look forward to continue working with our communities to link them to the information, resources, healthcare and services needed to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides public health and science advice to the Secretary, and oversees the Department’s broad-ranging public health offices, whose missions include minority health, HIV policy, women’s health, disease prevention, human research protections and others. OASH also includes the Office of the Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities.

For more information about the Office of Minority Health, visit: www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/.
 ###Connect with HHS and sign up for HHS email updatesFacebookTwitterLink to Youtube    

Age Friendly RI Virtual Community Center

Announcing Rhode Island’s Virtual Community Center!

Keeping our bodies healthy, minds sharp and spirits high.


The Age-Friendly RI Virtual Community Center is the place to go to connect, learn, and play online when in-person
community experiences are not possible.

Take part in a wide array of online activities – fitness and wellness, cooking and gardening, tech help, information and how-to sessions, classes, entertainment, games, social and cultural events, trips and tours – wherever you may be.


Visit us at https://agefriendlyri.org to find a full schedule of free, engaging activities every day. Click and enjoy!

Brought to you through a grant from the Tufts Health Plan and support from our many coalition partners.

Call for Presenters – CHW Conference

Reminder – Call for Presenters for the 11th Annual CHW Conference on Thursday, May 7, 2020
Deadline for submitting proposals: Friday, 12/13/2019

CHW Bridge 2020


11th Annual Community Health Worker Conference 
Explore ways to pursue professional development and career enhancement
opportunities to gain success and happiness at work!

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Four Points by Sheraton, Norwood, MA

Interested in presenting at a breakout session?
Please download and complete one of the documents below:
Call for Presenters CHW 2020 Conference MS Word
Or
Call for Presenters CHW 2020 Conference PDF
 Please email your completed proposal to: CHWInfo@state.ma.us

Deadline for proposal submission is Friday, December 13, 2019
We look forward to hearing from you.


 
  Presented by
the Massachusetts Department of Public Health 
and the Massachusetts Association of 
Community Health Workers