Community Health Worker - Youth Opioid Response

Community health is about more than just vaccines and checkups. It’s about giving people the resources they need to live their best lives. At Neighborhood, this is our vision. A community where everyone is healthy and happy. We’re with you every step of the way, with the care you need for each of life’s chapters. At Neighborhood, we are Better Together.

As a private, non-profit 501(C) (3) community health organization, we serve over 500,000 medical, dental, and behavioral health visits from more than 100,000 people annually. We do this in pursuit of our mission to improve the health and happiness of the communities we serve by providing quality care to all, regardless of situation or circumstance.

We have been doing this since 1969 and it is our employees that make this mission a reality. Regardless of the role, our team focuses on being compassionate, having integrity, being professional, always collaborating, and consistently going above and beyond. If that sounds like an organization you want to be a part of, we would love to have you.

The Community Health Worker, Youth Opioid Response, will work primarily with transitional-age youth (TAY), ages 16-25, at risk of opioid and stimulant use disorders (SUD). The CHW will provide outreach, peer support, and harm reduction education to TAY. CHW will enroll eligible TAY into Enhanced Care Management (ECM) program, to improve their whole health through outreach and engagement activities by helping patients navigate/access community services/resources and adopt healthy behaviors. This position will serve as an integral component of the Harm Reduction program and support addiction treatment services. This position will be dynamic, providing services in schools, parks, community spaces where TAY congregate, and in clinical settings.

We are seeking individuals who can effectively engage with youth and young adults facing substance use challenges. Ideal candidates will have lived experience or a demonstrated ability to build rapport with individuals aged 16–25, especially those impacted by opioid use.

Responsibilities

• Maintain situational awareness and ensure scene safety when providing services in the community
• Provide harm reduction education, products, and referrals to social and recovery service providers
• Provide trauma-informed approaches and culturally competent services
• Conduct low barrier community outreach and establish trusting relationships with patients while providing general support and encouragement
• Work to increase level of cultural sensitivity, awareness, and competency regarding person-centered and peer delivered services
• Provide education on “Good Samaritan” laws and naloxone kit training and kit distribution
• Manage and provide ongoing follow-ups to a caseload of patients including:
• Schedules patient appointments and encounter patients using EMR Registration program
• Uses basic motivational interviewing and goal setting
• Conducts phone calls, home or living environment visits, and visits to other settings where patients are located
• Assists patients attend appointments through assessing and addressing access barriers
• Provides referrals for services to community agencies as appropriate
• Assists patients with transportation resources and provides appointment reminders, as needed
• Liaise between patients and community service agencies to ensure patient needs and rights are met, including collaboration with community providers and caregivers when appropriate, to ensure continuity of care
• Assist patients in navigating the healthcare system by finding and following up by phone and in-person. Encourage patients to identify personal goals, overcome barriers, build protective factors, and pursue future goals towards an enhanced quality of life.
• Provide informal lay counseling utilizing motivational interviewing. Promote hope through positive self-disclosure, demonstrating that improved behavioral and physical health/recovery is possible. Serve as a role model of self-care and effective use of behavioral health and recovery skills.
• Facilitate psychoeducation substance use recovery groups
• Provide harm reduction education, overdose prevention, early intervention, and linkage to care. Remove access barriers through providing low-barrier services.
• Provide brief interventions and direct service referrals for SUD treatment
• Provide community presentations to raise awareness of TAY SUD risk, reduce stigma, and provide resources for treatment
• Document and share patient barriers with ECM team and PCP to improve care and outcomes
• Identify TAY with lived or living SUD experience for Advisory Council and facilitate regular meetings
• Utilize evidence-based approaches when engaging with patients to increase their sense of control over their health, such as motivational interviewing to promote collaboration between patients, caregivers as appropriate, and their medical/behavioral care team
• Communicate and deliver easy-to-read information about health and wellness to the community and provide information on ECM patient benefits and services
• Build and maintain a positive working relationship with providers, including interactions within provider offices, phone, email, fax, and other approved communication methods
• Assist the ECM team and providers to understand the culture, norms, beliefs, and preferences about TAY and their communities by representing TAY voice
• Help create messages and materials that fit TAY community culture and deliver messages to fit the culture of TAY patients
• Work collaboratively within the ECM, Harm Reduction, and Addiction Services teams to discuss conflict resolution and patient case reviews
• Ensures documentation is accurate, helpful, and compliant with regulatory requirements and accreditation standards, including recording required documentation in eCW and managed care plans ECM portal within one day
• Operate to instill confidence in Neighborhood Healthcare services, employees, and community service providers
• Participates in required staff meetings or other activities, as assigned
  
  

Qualifications

Education/Experience

• High school/GED required
• Valid BLS certification required upon hire
• Two years’ healthcare, behavioral health, street medicine, or social services industry experience required
• Experience as a person with opioid and/or stimulant substance use in recovery
• Experience working with TAY SUD preferred
• Experience working in outreach and customer service within the medical office and behavioral health environments with individuals who struggle with substance use disorder and mental health issues preferred
• Valid CA Driver’s License and proof of auto insurance required
  
  

Additional Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills And Abilities)

• Bilingual (English/Spanish) highly preferred
• A clear drug test and no current abuse of any substance
• Knowledgeable about and experience with numerous cultural issues, such as immigration, socioeconomic, LGBTQIA+, seniors, etc
• Knowledgeable about and experience with trauma-informed practices, mental health conditions and addictive disorders
• Ability to perform intermediate computer and data entry skills
• Ability to apply emotional and cultural intelligence to provide appropriate communication and patient care
• Ability to sufficiently engage patients in a variety of settings including phone, in person/homes, community streets/shelters, and/or healthcare settings
• Knowledgeable about community-based resources, especially substance use treatment providers
• Ability to develop relationships with community patients and leaders, including faith-based community
• Ability to make decisions and sound judgements to anticipate the needs of patents and knowing when to consult with the team, supervisors, and experts
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including superior composition, typing and proofreading skills
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form
• Ability to successfully manage multiple tasks simultaneously, including changing priorities and time sensitive deadlines
• Excellent planning and organizational ability
• Excellent teamwork and relationship building skills
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as independently
• Ability to work with highly confidential information in a professional and ethical manner
  
  

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift/carry 20 lbs/weight
• Ability to stand for long periods of time
  
  

Neighborhood Healthcare offers a generous benefit plan that includes: Partially company paid Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans. Two plus weeks of vacation, Nine Holidays including two Floating Holidays of your choosing, Sick/Personal time, Volunteer Time Off (VTO), 403b Retirement plan (similar to a 401k), optional Health and Wellness events, and much more!

Pay range: $24.95 - $33.46 per hour, depending on experience.

Compensation Disclosure: The posted salary range reflects the designated pay grade for this position. While this range represents the broader classification of the role, actual compensation will be based on several factors, including but not limited to: the candidate’s overall knowledge, skills, and experience, market data and industry benchmarks, internal equity within the organization, Budgetary considerations and organizational needs.