Field Based Community Health Worker - Baton Rouge, LA

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data, and resources they need to feel their best.

Here, you will find a culture guided by diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits, and career development opportunities.

Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring.

Connecting. Growing together.

The Community Health Worker will be the primary care navigator for members with complex behavioral health needs. The CHW works assertively to locate and engage members in the community to develop individualized plans of care that focus on the member's definition of success and identify and address social determinants of health (SDOH) or other barriers impacting members ability to achieve their stated goals.

This position will collaborate with an interdisciplinary care team (ICT) to provide comprehensive care navigation, improve clinical and quality outcomes, and reduce total cost of care.

CHWs will approach their member work with an understanding of how inequities drive health disparities and use this information to advocate and promote health equity.

This position is full-time, Monday-Friday. Employees are required to work our normal business hours of 8 : 00am - 5 : 00pm CST.

It may be necessary, given the business need, to work occasional overtime or weekends. T his role is located in the parishes of West Feliciana, East Feliciana, Pointe Coupee, East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension

We offer 2 weeks of on the job training. The hours during training will be 8 : 00am - 5 : 00pm CST , Monday - Friday.

Primary Responsibilities :

• Locate and engage members within a 60-mile radius of a designated region
• Assess SDOH needs using a standardized screening tool and coordinate with ICT to identify and connect members to available community resources
• Engage with members post-discharge from inpatient setting to facilitate connections with community-based services and Peer Support Specialist as needed
• Provide support to improve medication adherence ensuring access to medications through dispensing pharmacy and facilitating connection to clinical pharmacy programs
• Proactively provide education and coaching to support self-management of health and care needs as outlined in member's care plan and in alignment with member-stated goals
• Partner and collaborate with the ICT, community-based organizations, and inpatient / outpatient providers to ensure members can access medical, behavioral, and substance use treatment services to meet their healthcare needs.
• Understand member-specific Medicaid benefits and assist with coordination of applicable services to support care goals and needs
• Collaborate with clinical team and member to develop both personal wellness plan and crisis plan documents

You'll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications :

• High School Diploma / GED OR equivalent work experience
• Must be 18 years of age or older

3+ years of experience working within the Community Health setting in a field-based healthcare role

• 2+ years of experience working within the local community, with knowledge of community culture and values and familiarity with available resources
• Knowledge of Medicare and Medicaid benefits
• Access to reliable transportation that will enable you to travel to residential or commercial locations within a designated area
• Must reside within a 30-mile radius of Baton Rouge, LA
• Ability and willingness to travel 75% of the time within 60 miles of assigned region (Parishes of LA - West Feliciana, East Feliciana, Pointe Coupee, East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension)
• Ability to work our normal business hours of 8 : 00am - 5 : 00pm CST. It may be necessary, given the business need, to work occasional overtime or weekends.

Preferred Qualifications :

• LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) Licensure or CNA / HHA
• Bilingual fluency in English / Spanish
• Previous case management experience
• Experience working in team-based care
• Knowledge and / or experience with behavioral health or substance use disorders

Soft Skills :

Ability to listen, collect relevant information, build rapport quickly, respond compassionately, work independently, adapt to change, and interact with internal and external customers in a variety of settings

Physical and Work Environment :

• Candidates must be able to perform all essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation
• Ability to transition from office / telecommute to field locations multiple times per day

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone.

We believe everyone-of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location, and income-deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life.

Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups, and those with lower incomes.

We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes - an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere : UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug - free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment .

RPO #RED