Health Coordinator

Job Summary:

This position serves as a Health Coordinator for the Community Action Program Committee’s Head Start/Early Head Start program.  The Health Coordinator plans and collaborates with other coordinators and staff in the Head Start program to ensure the health and well-being of all children in the Head Start program.  The Health Coordinator has a significant role in enhancing relationships and partnerships with local agencies to ensure children and families in the Head Start program have access to services health, dental, mental health, disability and developmental services.

Requirements:

• Bachelor Degree in Public Health, Health Education and Promotion, Family and Child Development or related field.
• At least three years of experience working with diverse families in low-income communities on health and wellness interventions, including evidence-based strategies to reduce health disparities, with supervisory responsibilities
• Background and understanding of child preventative health, including EPSDT requirements for children ages 0-5.
• Maintain certification in CPR and First Aid.
• Physical exam and background checks are required for this position.
• Travel required locally or long-distance up to 10% of the time for work-related meetings and functions.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.

 Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Ability to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated computer literacy skills, using MS Office applications and other basic data systems including internet navigation.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

The Health Coordinator integrates knowledge of evidence-based practices to promote child and family health and wellness to build a health program that:

• Helps staff and families understand the relationship between child and family health and children’s school readiness outcomes
• Develops strategies to address the health disparities in low-income communities, particularly related to common chronic health conditions such as asthma, obesity and lead exposure.
• Engages families as leaders in building a program environment that promotes health and wellness.
• Develops community partnerships to assure that children and family’s preventive and health treatment needs are met; and that secures long-term relationships for families to providers who will support their children’s long-term health and well-being.
• Represents the agency as a community speaker and resource regarding agency services and programs to assist low-income individuals and families.

The Health Coordinator’s responsibilities chiefly fall under the following core functions, although s/he may perform other tasks as needed:

• Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) Health Adherence
• Health, Mental Health, Disability and Wellness
• Family Engagement
• Planning, Ongoing Monitoring, and Record Keeping
• Health Education
• Program Collaboration
• Supervision
• General Staff Responsibilities

Non-Essential Duties:

• Performs any and all other duties as assigned.

EPSDT Health Adherence

• Assure that children with allergies, chronic health conditions, or special needs, up to date medical documentation is received and case conferences occur prior to entry.
• Establish regular coordination and communication with the Family Engagement, Health and ERSEA team members in order to provide more intensive support to families of children with chronic health conditions and special needs, including targeted goal setting, and assistance with building family advocacy skills to navigate community systems of care for their children.
• Work in coordination with the Family Engagement team to assure that a determination of a medical and dental home and insurance is made within 30 days of a child entering the program and a determination of the child’s EPSDT status is made within 90 days of a child entering a program.
• Support Family Advocates to assure that all families have quality medical and dental homes, and maintain consistent health insurance coverage, if eligible.
• Develop strategies with the Family Engagement team and parents to ensure that all children are up to date on EPSDT requirements, including receiving timely evaluation and treatment for identified concerns.
• Establish and maintain working relationships with community partners to strengthen access to resources and training identified as priority goals in the area of health and nutrition by families.
• Works with the Family Engagement Leadership and other program leadership to establish monitoring systems to oversee EPSDT adherence, including follow up on expired or coming due preventive health visits and follow up.

 Health and Wellness

• Provides guidance and support to Family Advocates to complete and/or participate in Individual Care Plans for children with chronic health conditions and follow up to ensure that children’s health conditions are effectively managed.
• Coordinate with Family Engagement, Early Learning, and Health teams to execute high quality case consultation and case conferencing systems to address the needs of children with chronic health conditions and/or special needs.
• Supports family engagement and health staff to assist families to set individualized evidence-based goals and make demonstrable changes in family life practices linked in the research to school readiness.
• Monitor family goal setting, follow-up and coordination for children with chronic health conditions and special needs to assure coordination of home/school strategies.
• Develops and aligns program wide health and wellness campaigns with agency mission; including promoting consistent family routines that support healthy lifestyles and habits.
• Provides coaching and support to the Family Engagement team to assure the reliability of family assessment and goal progress data and to strengthen staff focus on outcomes-focused family interventions.
• Promotes, in conjunction with Family Engagement and Center Leadership, active parent engagement in the total Head Start Health Program, for example, parents as members of the Health Advisory Committee.
• Assists Family Advocates in linking the child/ family into an ongoing health system. Ensures that parents are involved as full partners in prevention and early intervention.
• Works with families, Family Advocates, and health care professionals to ensure all known issues are in treatment and, once treatment has begun, that it is completed.

 Disability Services

• Assists Education/Early Learning with coordinating the program’s disability services efforts.
• Monitor and document the progress of children with disabilities enrolled in the program.
• Participate as an active member of the Head Start Health Services Advisory Committee and other outside committees as assigned.
• Maintain system for intra-agency referrals and convene regular EHS/HS multi-disciplinary team meetings (Disabilities and Mental Health) to coordinate services and ensure timely access to resources and services for high-need children and/or families.
• Participate in Head Start/Early Head Start management team meetings and planning sessions to assist in the coordination of program services.
• Collaborate with Education/Early Learning team and staff to ensure completion of developmental screenings, follow-up, and documentation of child records, according to state, federal and Head Start Program Performance Standards.

Health Education

• Integrates health education into the program and provides health education for parents, staff and children.
• Design, facilitate, and participate in health-related trainings per Head Start/Early Head Start and local and state requirements.
• Promotes environmental health and safety practices.
• Ensures that the health and safety of children is maintained through teaching children and parent’s preventive health practices.
• Assists in training/certification of Pediatric CPR and First Aid for staff.
• Assists in the development and distribution of written and web-based materials for children, adults and employees within the areas of personal health, fitness, safety, nutrition and preventive health education.
• Ensures mechanisms are in place that supports communication among staff, parents, and community providers to assure follow-up services are received.
• Support establishing and maintaining working relationships with health community partners to strengthen access to resources and training identified as priority goal areas by families.
• Assists in contracting, hiring, and training of Nurses as needed.

 Planning, Ongoing Monitoring and Record Keeping

• Develop and implement an annual screening plan for controlled screenings (e.g. 45 days screening).
• Coordinate with internal and external resources to develop a plan to assure all children are up to date for EPSDT.
• Conduct Health & Safety Audits as outlined by program’s policy and /or state licensing requirements in, but not limited, to immunization, medication, first aid supplies, health concerns, allergies, etc.
• Compiles and analyzes data on the effectiveness of the health service component.

Supervision

• Supervises assigned department personnel. Includes the following responsibilities, but not limited to hiring, training, scheduling, evaluating, and ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and the completion of all work performed by direct reports.
• Educates direct reports on all department and agency policies and procedures.

General Staff Responsibilities

• Participate in staff meetings, conferences, training sessions and workshops as assigned.
• Maintains confidentiality in regard to staff and family information.
• Fulfills role as mandated reporter as stated in Child Abuse and Neglect Policy.
• Performs any other work-related duties as requested by your supervisor.
• Demonstrates commitment to mission, values, and policies in the performance of daily duties.

The Community Action Program Committee, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer, participates in E-Verify and advocates for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.