Community Health Worker - Pathways / Downtown Public Health

Salary

$32.51 - $41.20 Hourly

Location

Seattle, WA

Job Type

Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs / week

Job Number

2025FF25909

Department

DPH - Public Health

Division

Community Health Services

Opening Date

12 / 01 / 2025

Closing Date

12 / 15 / 2025 11 : 59 PM Pacific

FLSA

Non-Exempt

Bargaining Unit

C9A : PROTEC17-DPH, DCHS-Health Prof

Full- or Part-Time

Full Time

Summary

Public Health - Seattle & King County's (PHSKC) Pathways Program is hiring a Community Health Worker (Education Specialist) to join our Downtown Public Health team. We are looking for an individual who brings experience working with adults who have opioid use disorder (OUD), complex social, medical, and mental health conditions and are experiencing homelessness by providing care using a harm reduction approach.

This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

Position Summary

Our Community Health Worker's get the opportunity to coordinate with multiple programs at our Downtown Public Health Center, co-locations and with our community partners. They are instrumental in individuals' linkage to services, assisting with ongoing medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) service and behavioral health care, performing outreach and engagement activities, and support to patients, as well as other team members as needed. This position will be responsible for providing program information and details to clients and community partners, as well as gathering and reporting data. The Community Health Worker will provide health education related to OUD, injection drug use, homelessness, and other disease risk factors.

Background

CHS is the largest of 7 divisions in Public Health - Seattle & King County with over 500 employees and deliver a variety of health services through the programs, partnerships, and Public Health Centers they operate.

Pathways is an innovative program that uses a harm reduction approach to help address the opioid epidemic and provides low barrier access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), primarily buprenorphine . Our Pathways program is co-located at the Downtown Public Health Center with the Robert Clewis Center (RCC) - Needle Exchange Program, Downtown Family Medicine primary care clinic, and other Downtown Public Health Center programs.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all - in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit : http : / / www.kingcounty.gov / elected / executive / equity-social-justice.aspx .

Work Schedule

Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8 : 00am to 5 : 00pm, 40 hours per week. Based on program needs, there may be a need to work outside typical work hours. This position is designated as hourly / non-exempt under the regulations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which means it is overtime eligible. You must receive prior approval from your supervisor before working any necessary overtime hours to meet your position responsibilities.

Work Location

Downtown Public Health Center - 2124 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121. There is no option for telecommuting.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Job Duties

• Greets individuals searching for services at the Downtown Public Health Center and connects them to appropriate program and community resources.
• Conduct outreach and connect with patients in-clinic to provide linkage to community resources.
• Conduct community outreach to connect with outside organizations for referrals and patient resources.
• Will act as a patient liaison for programs and services within Public Health - Seattle & King County .
• Provide individualized harm reduction counseling to help initiate and maintain behavior change to reduce risk of opioid overdose, death, and other drug use related harms.
• Create and maintain education and resource handouts for patients and the interdisciplinary team.
• Facilitate referral and enrollment of patients across Public Health - Seattle & King County programs and outside organizations.
• Coordinate and follow up on referrals to housing and other services that affect overall health and risk of overdose.
• Develop and maintain expert knowledge of Medicaid, other health insurance coverage and public funding options for medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), other substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and health care services.
• Provide insurance enrollment services to patients and clients of the Downtown Public Health Center.
• Other duties as assigned.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum Qualifications) :

The most competitive applicants will have the following experiences and qualifications (Desired) :

medications for opioid use disorder

Supplemental Information

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request an accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Who May Apply

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives, life experience, and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

Application Process

The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy :

(Please note : Cover letters, resumes, and additional attachments will not be reviewed as part of the evaluation process if not outlined as a required application material as outlined above).

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in your application. Cover letters and / or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and / or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

Contact

If you have questions or would like more information about the application process, please contact Falisha Forgash, HR Analyst at fforgash@kingcounty.gov .

Union Membership

Positions in this classification are represented by Professional and Technical Employees, Local 17 (PROTEC17) .

Necessary Special Requirements

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our " True North ",we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs :

For additional information about employee benefits, visit our Benefits, Payroll, and Retirement Page .

This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.

NOTE : Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and / or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position.Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.

For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.

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