Health Navigator - Bilingual in Somali or Amharic - Seattle, Washington, USA

[Admin]

DESCRIPTION
Department: Education and Community Services

Reports To: Youth Program Coordinator and Community Learning Manager

FLSA: No

Status: Regular, Part-time, approximately 8-15 hours per week

Range: 12 ($15.26 - $16.96 per hour)

Closing Date: November 28, 2011 or until filled


Neighborhood House Programs

Since 1906, Neighborhood House has been helping diverse communities of people with limited resources attain their goals for self-sufficiency, financial independence, health and community building. Our services include early childhood education (including Head Start and Early Head Start), mentoring and tutoring, emergency referral services, self-sufficiency/employment classes and services (including ESL and citizenship), job placement and training, substance abuse services, transportation and outreach for the elderly and disabled and publication of the Voice newspaper. Annually, Neighborhood House serves over 13,500 individuals. Of those, 80 percent are refugees and immigrants.


Scope

Neighborhood House (NH) is a partner with International Community Health Services (ICHS) and SeaMar to launch a new health clinic at the Seattle World School, a secondary school for newly arrived immigrant/refugee students in Seattle Public Schools. In addition to providing health services to students, this project will also innovate in providing services to families of the students in these schools. NH and SeaMar will be teaming to provide family services and linkages to support health care navigation, primarily for students. Additional family support and navigation of health and social service systems will also be provided to participating families.

Neighborhood House is hiring 1-2 individuals to work with East African families. The number of hours available for each individual depends on the combination of languages each qualified candidate is able to communicate in.

This position will be located primarily in the Seattle World School, although some services may be offered at NH facilities or in the home. In-person contacts with students and families at school, in the community or at their homes will be a key part of this work. As the health clinic is school based, staff will be expected to be strong contributors to the school team and culture. NH staff will be providing support primarily to East African families.

Responsibilities

Provide outreach (phone, home visits and other methods) to families to inform them of services available at the health clinic, invite them to events, or provide other information.
Assess family needs and make appropriate information or referrals to health, social service or other resources, as needed; follow agency protocols for referral follow up and quality.
Meet with families individually to provide information and coaching on common health issues and how they can support the wellness of their children.
Work with families (individually or in groups) to gather information (surveys, focus groups, etc.) to help inform clinic services.
Participate on student/health-centered teams to coordinate services and improve care, as needed.
Provide insight and consultation to project partners on developing program options that are culturally responsive to the target populations.
Provide limited interpretation for students at the school based health clinic as needed.
Provide assistance, including interpretation, in preparing and delivering health education groups, in coordination with ICHS.
Review materials developed by ICHS or program partners for cultural appropriateness and meaning.
Maintain communication with team members, NH management and partners on student and community needs to help ensure program is responsive.
Assist team members with ongoing continuous quality improvement to enhance program operations, including problem solving, helping to develop program systems and procedures, or participating on team workgroups.
Maintain timely, accurate and complete records of all client activities in line with agency and funder requirements.
Liaison and bridge to key ethnic communities and/or leaders to help coordinate services
Provide appropriate No Wrong Door Services to clients, including maximizing NH resources available for holistic, family centered services.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications

AA in health related field, social work or education; experience accepted in lieu of degree. B.A. Preferred.
Bi-lingual (written and verbal) in English and Somali or other East African languages a plus.
One year experience working in social work, patient-focused health care or education
Knowledge of resources available to assist immigrant and refugee families, including financial/emergency resources, as well as health resources
Team player who is resourceful, proactive, and comfortable working with diverse populations
Good listening and oral/written communication skills, and a non-judgmental positive, problem solving attitude
Demonstrated ability to perform job duties within the context of complex regulations and definitions, and willingness to comply with legal confidentiality requirements (HIPPA and FERPA)
Attention to detail and an ability to accurately and quickly complete extensive technical documentation
Ability to excel in highly visible, highly public settings
Computer literacy, including MS Office
Provide organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks
Willingness to comply with established agency policies and performance standards, which may include productivity/personal responsibility, client/customer service, teamwork and maintaining a professional demeanor.
Must have reliable, independent transportation for frequent travel to client homes and between sites.
Must be able to work a flexible schedule that includes some evenings and weekends.
Current First Aid certification (within 30 days of hire)
Current CPR certification (within 30 days of hire)
Family Development Certification (within 6 months of hire)
Washington State Patrol background clearance (re-checked every two years)
Clearance through the Seattle Schools fingerprint background check.
Preferred Qualifications

B.A. in health related field, social work or education
Experience working with schools
Professional understanding of health provider options and systems

Benefits

Paid leave benefits (pro-rated); vacation, sick, holiday. Employer contributes up to 4% toward retirement plan with employee match.

Employment Practice
Neighborhood House is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications are considered without regard to race, age, sex, color, creed, religion, disability, national origin, marital status, mental or physical handicap, sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality) and expression of gender identity or any other classification protected by law. Neighborhood House encourages and gives hiring preference to current and former Head Start parents and children. We encourage people of color and residents of the communities we serve to apply

HOW TO APPLY
Application Procedure
Submit an agency application, resume and cover letter. Agency applications can be downloaded (www.nhwa.org) or picked up at the address below. Only applicants considered for interviews will be contacted. Applicants may FAX their materials to (206) 461-3857, email to nhjobs@nhwa.org or mail to:

Neighborhood House
905 Spruce St., Suite 200
Seattle, WA 98104
attn: Jill Trakarnsilpa, HR Manager

For more information

Inquiries may be directed to Human Resources at (206) 461-8430 or by e-mail to [[javascript:void(location.href='mailto:'+String.fromCharCode(110,104,106,111,98,115