TITLE: Community Health Outreach Associate

DIVISION: CDF-Texas

LOCATION: East Texas: Smith, Cherokee, Rusk, and Gregg Counties

Mission of the Children’s Defense Fund

The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind^® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

CDF provides a strong, effective and independent voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor children, children of color and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investments before they get sick, drop out of school, get into trouble or suffer family breakdown.

CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by individual donations, foundation, corporate and government grants.

Summary Statement:

The Community Health Outreach Associate will assist in activities to enroll uninsured children in health coverage through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Children’s Medicaid, including, coordinating community-level, regional and school based outreach and application assistance drives and events. This position will work closely with community, school, business and health leaders to reduce the number of uninsured children in Texas. This position reports to the East Texas Health Outreach Program Director.

Nature and Scope:

Children’s Defense Fund works to inform, mobilize and maintain a well-trained and informed network of state and local advocates for children. Long-lasting improvements in the health of our children will only materialize is all children have access to affordable health coverage. Stable public health insurance programs for children also require sustained advocacy, education and outreach partnerships at the community, local, state and national levels.

Core Responsibilities:

To partner with local school districts, child care providers, businesses, faith-based organizations, and community agencies to identify uninsured children in the target counties and connect them to affordable healthcare options.

• Work with other members of the East Texas Outreach and Enrollment team to create local strategies for enrolling uninsured children in CHIP, Children’s Medicaid and/or referring them to local clinics for care.
• Maintain regular communication with community partners via face-to-face meetings, email, and telephone calls.
• Work with the Program Director to create and distribute informational and public education materials for community partners.
• Assist in implementation of workshops and trainings for community partners.

To provide ongoing community outreach, education, and training of key community groups, school leaders and child care providers as well as individuals who have close contact with families of uninsured children.

The Community Health Outreach Associate will:

• Determine appropriate locations for maximum reach of target population.
• Schedule, promote, and conduct public outreach events to raise awareness of CHIP/Medicaid benefits and attend regularly schedule school and community events on behalf of CDF-Texas.
• Assist parents/caretakers directly with enrollment of eligible children for health benefits under Children’s Medicaid and CHIP.
• Work with the Program Director to recruit, train, and manage community volunteers and student interns.
• Collect data and assist in generating reports on health outreach activities and outcomes.

To collaborate with CDF-Texas staff in developing and promoting accurate, timely, and informative materials for families the Community Health Outreach Associate will:

• Assist with the development of promotional and educational materials.
• Collaborate with CDF-Texas staff on public messaging and dissemination of information.

Required Skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong public speaking and presentation skills are essential.
• Ability to work independently and as a part of a team in implementing project goals.
• Computer Skills a must: Microsoft Office: Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc. Comfort with social media and other web-based programs (i.e. Google Docs) a plus.
• Bachelor’s Degree and at least three years of experience preferred. Community Health Worker Certification required.
• Familiarity with target counties (St. Augustine, Cherokee, Rusk)
• Must have reliable transportation.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) strongly desired.
• Flexible hours: Some evenings and weekends may be required.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of the position. Incumbents may be asked to perform tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

Salary: Commensurate with experience. Attractive benefits package.

To apply: Please submit cover letter, resume and salary requirement

Children’s Defense Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer