Community Engagement Specialist

Position: Refugee & International Health Community Engagement Specialist

Purpose of Position /Summary

The purpose of this position is to build a community engagement strategy to address social determinants of health and to advance health & health equity for refugee & other newcomer populations. Specifically, the Community Engagement Specialist (CES) will work to explore and harness community partnerships and resources to create a network of health and equity promotion support for refugee & other newcomer populations. This position will be in the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) Infectious Disease Epidemiology &Prevention (IDEP)’s Refugee & International Health program and will report to the Refugee & International Health Coordinator.

Location and Schedule:

-Indiana Department of Health. 2 N Meridian, IN

-Eligible for 2 days remote and 3 days in-person after initial 30 days in person period

Essential Duties / Responsibilities

-Strategize to improve IDOH-Refugee & International Health Program connections with ethnic community-based organizations that serve refugees &other newcomer population.

-Identify and curate a resource list of health care services that serve refugees& other newcomer populations.

-Identify gaps in knowledge and/or resources for refugees & other newcomer populations on disease prevention and health promotion; create or identify resources to fill in those gaps.

- Partner with refugee resettlement agencies and screening clinics to identify and leverage opportunities for wrap-around services that would help advance health equity for refugees & other newcomer populations.

- Assist in training/guiding local health departments on effective outreach strategies and how to provide care to the refugees & other newcomer populations

- Develop and implement strategies in partnership with the IDOH Language Access Coordinator to mitigate language barriers to health and equity for the refugees& other newcomer populations.

- Attend community-based activities, meetings, and coalitions to advocate for health and equity for the refugees & other newcomer populations.

- Other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

Education:

-Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., public health, biological sciences, health education, or socials sciences) and ≥ 1 years’ relevant public health experience, OR

-Graduate or professional degree in a health-related field (e.g., RN, MD/DO,DDS/DMD, DVM, PhD, RS) OR

-Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and ≥ 4 years of relevant public health experience

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

- Ability to work with people with no or limited English language.

-Knowledge of state, federal laws, regulations & guidance documents pertaining to public health

- Skill in identification of health promotions opportunity pertinent to the refugee population

- Skill in communication, interpersonal relationship, cultural competency

-Ability to work efficiently and independently with minimal supervision

- Strong critical and analytical thinking skills

-Experience working with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Supervisory Responsibilities /Direct Reports:

N/A

Difficulty of Work:

The scope of the work is broad involving development and/or improving new or existing protocols & tools to engage the community to support the health and wellbeing of ORR-eligible population. Guidelines are established, but the work requires broad interpretation and judgment in its application and implementation. Work also requires consideration of many factors, including culture, origin, race, ethnicity, and language barriers among the target population.

Responsibility:

Work involves implementing and evaluating program activities that support the Indiana Refugee Health Program. This work supports the IDOH mission, the IDOH strategic plan, and the Indiana State Health Improvement Plan

Personal Work Relationships:

The CES works with agency staff and external stakeholders including local public health departments, refugee resettlement agencies, refugee screening clinics, Family and Social Services Administration, and other health professionals. Incumbent must have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build trusted collaboration between agencies and individuals with diverse and competing interests

Physical Effort:

Must sit for extended periods of time working on computer. Possible extended periods of driving time (up to three hours one way, cross-state) are required for within state travel. Occasional lifting and carrying (up to 50 lbs.) is possible for displays at health fairs

Working Conditions:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a teammate encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Majority of time is spent in a climate-controlled office setting at the Indiana State Department of Health.
• Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period.
• In-state travel by car may occasionally be necessary, but transportation will be provided.

A commitment of approximately 37.5 hours/week during routine business hours is required; however, exact hours are flexible.