Community Health Assistant

Posting number: Fall 26 5172-53464

Department: Health Department

Division: WIC Breastfeeding Peer Council

Job classification: Community Health Assistant

Posting type: Open

Categories: Health Services, Public Health, Health Education, Community and Social Services

Summary

This position serves as the primary point of contact for the public and families seeking services related to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program. It is a paraprofessional role that involves handling clerical duties, as well as providing administrative support for daily operations, and may include acting as a breastfeeding peer counselor (BFPC) if assigned.

This position functions in the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program within the Nutrition Services Division of the Onslow County Health Department.

This position schedule is Monday-Friday 9am-1pm

Our core values—Resilience, Excellence, Accountability, Customer Service, and Honesty—are the foundation of our work and the standard by which we operate. As a member of our team, you are expected to demonstrate these values in every aspect of your role. This means delivering high-quality work, taking responsibility for your actions, providing exceptional service, and maintaining integrity in all interactions. Your commitment to these principles is essential to fostering a positive workplace culture and ensuring the success of our organization and the community we serve.

Examples of duties

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Provides breastfeeding education and support to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers via clinic visits, texting, telephone, and classes/support group meetings
• Collaborates with local hospitals, physicians, employers, and community partners to coordinate breastfeeding help and support for participants.
• Facilitates/teaches breastfeeding support groups/prenatal infant feeding classes. attends community outreach events and provides in-service training to increase program awareness.
• Performs receptionist duties, greets visitors, gives information about the different aspects of the WIC Program, and gives appointments to program participants and applicants according to the clinic schedule.
  • Receive incoming calls to the WIC hotline, directing callers to the appropriate departments or agencies, as necessary. o
  • Identify the primary language spoken and read by individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and coordinate the utilization of suitable language assistance services.
  • Use a variety of automated office systems to establish, retrieve, verify, research, update, and/or authorize program-related actions.
  • Provide information about Health Department services and various community resources. o Handle minor client complaints and concerns in a professional manner, escalating issues when necessary
  • Handle minor client complaints and concerns in a professional manner, escalating when necessary.
  • Function as a primary contact for the public seeking WIC information and support, such as eligibility criteria, clarification about benefit, and scheduling appointments,
• Perform designated responsibilities as a member of the Disaster Ready Team (DRT), whether through appointment or volunteer participation.
• Performs additional duties as required.

Core Competencies

Communication Skills

• Understand basic principles of verbal and nonverbal communication
• Engage in active listening, demonstrate empathetic communication, and gather information while considering language and accessibility requirements.
• Gives the speaker full attention, provides affirmation through verbal and nonverbal cues, does not interrupt, repeats/confirms what the speaker has said
• Provide information to individuals and groups in a clear and concise manner
• Document and maintain written records of activities and services
• Collect data and provide feedback to health and human services agencies, funding sources, and community-based organizations, as applicable

Health Equity Skills

• Protect and maintain confidentiality
• Employ techniques for interacting sensitively and effectively with individuals from diverse cultures
• Understand how implicit bias affects individuals’ understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner when working with individuals
• Support the development of authentic, effective partnerships between individuals and providers by helping each to better understand the other’s perspectives

Public Health Sciences

• Knowledge about social determinants of health and related disparities
• Promote health and provide support for individuals to understand and use agency and institutional services
• Identify and access resources to make referrals and connections within the community to help individuals and families meet basic social needs
• Follow up to assure linkage to services and support individuals through interaction with health and human service systems to obtain needed services

Community Partnership Skills

• Assist with implementing health improvement plans, in cooperation with individuals and professional colleagues
• Provide support for individuals to use provider instructions or advice, and convey individual challenges to subject matter experts, as applicable
• Assist in facilitating care transition, supporting the completion of referrals, providing, or confirming appropriate follow-up, and tracking care and referral outcomes
• Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with community-based organizations and other resources to promote services, care, education, and advocacy
• Initiate and sustain trusting relationships with individuals, families, and social networks, such as meeting individuals in inaccessible places, making multiple efforts to engage individuals and/or partnering with community-based agencies to increase awareness of services
• Conduct outreach with attention to possible safety risks for self, clients, and colleagues

Qualifications

Has experience working with people from diverse backgrounds; ability to establish rapport and relate to the population served; communicates with professionals in a variety of service disciplines (nutritionists, nurses, doctors, social workers, etc.); ability to make accurate observations and understand and follow oral and written instructions. Knowledge of general office principles and practices, software applications relative to the position assignment, and oral and written communication skills. Skilled in customer service, in person and via telephone, with the ability to display discretion, patience, etiquette, and professionalism.

Supplemental information

Highschool diploma or GED required, moderate experience in performing similar tasks in a hospital, clinic, public health, nursing home, medical corps, or another medical treatment program, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Bilingual English-Spanish preferred.

Valid driver's license.
Must be able to access to Camp Lejeune
Must have REAL ID to gain sponsored access to the DoD Installation

The breastfeeding program requires that employees must have breastfed an infant for at least six months in accordance with guidelines provided by the USDA WIC Works Loving Support program.

Salary will be determined based on qualifications, internal equity, budget, and market considerations.