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UT Health System

Community Health Worker II - Pediatrics Neurodevelopmental Clinic (TMC)

Texas Medical Center-Houston, Texas · US

OTHER

About the role

Institution: UTHealth Houston

What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas’ resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That’s where you come in.

The Community Health Worker supports patients and families at the Dan L. Duncan Children’s Neurodevelopmental Clinic by connecting them with community resources, therapies, and support services that improve access to care and treatment plan adherence.

Why Join Our Team?
Join a collaborative team dedicated to improving outcomes for children with neurodevelopmental conditions. As the first Community Health Worker in the clinic, this role offers a unique opportunity to shape the position, build meaningful partnerships, and make a lasting impact on patient care.

Schedule
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., onsite at the Texas Medical Center.

Once you join us you won't want to leave. It’s because we reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you’d expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:  

  • 100% paid medical premiums for our full-time employees  
  • Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time – all of which equates to around 37-38 days per year) 
  • The longer you stay, the more vacation you’ll accrue! 
  • Longevity Pay (Monthly payments after two years of service) 
  • Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan! 

We take care of our employees! As a world-renowned institution, our employees’ wellbeing is important to us. We offer work/life services such as... 

  • Free financial and legal counseling 
  • Free mental health counseling services 
  • Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs 
  • Other employee discounts including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc. 
  • Resources for child and elder care 
  • Plus many more! 

Position Summary:

Works in coordination with physicians, nurses and clinical care team members to effectively provide patients with internal and external resources, and deliver patient education to address and improve preventative and clinical quality care outcomes.

Position Key Accountabilities:

1. Establishes and maintains rapport with physicians, clinical and business staff and patients. 
2. Responsible for conducting patient pre- visit planning procedures to identify gaps in care and reporting collected data and findings to the clinical care team to improve patient quality outcomes.
3. Gathers and documents demographic, insurance, health and social needs of patient to address barriers to care that may be affecting their medical condition.
4. Helps patients utilize resources in their area and assist with applications for eligible programs. Identify and build relationships with community organizations/resources.
5. Educates patients and their families of clinical care team roles, expectations of patient-centered medical home (PCMH) activities to manage their health conditions, and the importance of preventative health care.  Motivate patients to be active, engaged participants in their health care. 
6. Thoroughly documents patient encounter activities and follow up functions of resource distribution and referrals to resolve patient needs.
7. Maintains a comprehensive understanding of community needs, resources, services and programs available to advocate for patient needs and requests.
8. Continuously expands knowledge for professional growth and development to meet requirements to maintain State certification and skills competency that supports department goals.
9. Works to support the onboarding of new Community Health Workers (CHWs).  Act as liaison between clinical staff and new CHWs as needed. 
10. Plans, coordinates and facilitates applicable health and wellness programs. Contacts patient to schedule and/or reschedule clinical/wellness program visits. 
11. Maintains confidentiality per HIPAA guidelines in regards to patient information. Adheres to all policies, procedures and standards within the organization.
12. Performs other duties as assigned.  

Certification/Skills:

  • Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred
  • Must have ability to perform complex and diverse administrative duties that involve application of procedures and demonstrate appropriate judgment within the CHW scope of work.
  • Community Health Worker (CHW) by Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) required

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED.

Minimum Experience:

Three (3) years of related experience in health, social work or education.  May substitute required experience with equivalent years of education beyond the minimum education requirement.

Physical Requirements:

Exerts up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds frequently and/or a negligible amount constantly to move objects.

Security Sensitive:

This position is a security-sensitive position pursuant to Texas Education Code §51.215 and Texas Government Code §411.094. To the extent that a position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Texas Business and Commerce Code §117.001(2), the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired for and to continue to be employed in that position. Personnel in such positions, and similarly situated state contractors, will be routinely reviewed to determine whether things such as criminal history or continuous connections to the government or political apparatus of a foreign adversary might prevent the applicant, employee, or contractor from being able to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure. A foreign adversary is a nation listed in 15 C.F.R. §791.4.

Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.