Community Health Worker

At Cleveland Clinic Health System, we believe in a better future for healthcare. And each of us is responsible for honoring our commitment to excellence, pushing the boundaries and transforming the patient experience, every day.

We all have the power to help, heal and change lives — beginning with our own. That’s the power of the Cleveland Clinic Health System team, and The Power of Every One.

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Join the Cleveland Clinic team, where you will work alongside passionate caregivers and provide patient-first healthcare. Cleveland Clinic is recognized as one of the top hospitals in the nation. At Cleveland Clinic, you will receive endless support and appreciation and build a rewarding career with one of the most respected healthcare organizations in the world.   

As a Community Health Worker (CHW), you will play a vital role in connecting diverse and underserved populations to health and social service systems. In this role, you will primarily work in the community with specific target populations, collaborating with medical providers, primary care teams, and other agencies to improve patient care and outcomes. CHWs bring a close understanding of the communities they serve, building trusting relationships that allow them to act as a liaison between health and social services and the community. This helps improve access to services and the cultural quality of care, while also building community and individual capacity through education, outreach, counseling, support, and advocacy.

A caregiver in this position works Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., with occasional community events, with advance notice and team rotation. 

A caregiver who excels in this role will:  

• Establish trusting relationships with patients and their families while providing support, encouragement and feedback. 

• Coach patients in effective management of their chronic health conditions and self-care. 

• Convey the purposes and services of a program to the user population and the impact the program or service would have. 

• Assist patients in understanding care plans and instructions. 

• Visit patients in their homes as needed to assess the patient, their living conditions, and meet with family members or caretakers. 

• Document activities, service plans, and results in an effective manner while strictly adhering to the policies and procedures in place. 

• Advocate for patients and act as a liaison between the patient/family and community service agencies (schools, hospitals, support groups, etc.). 

• Help patients in utilizing resources, including scheduling appointments, and assisting with completion of applications for programs for which they may be eligible. 

• Assist patients in accessing health related services, including but not limited to: obtaining a medical home, providing instruction on appropriate use of the medical home, overcoming barriers to obtaining needed medical care and social services. 

• Facilitate communication and coordinate services between providers. 

• Motivate patients to be active, engaged participants in their health. 

• Effectively work with people (staff, clients, doctors, agencies, etc.) from diverse backgrounds in reducing cultural and socio-economic barriers between clients and institutions. 

• Build and maintain positive working relationships with the clients, providers, nurse case managers, agency representatives, supervisors and office staff. 

• Continuously expand knowledge and understanding of community resources, services and programs provided, human relations and the procedures used in dealing with the public as part of a service or program, volunteer resources and the practices associated with using volunteers, operations, functions, policies and procedures associated with the department or program area, and procedures and resources available to handle new, unusual or different situations. 

Minimum qualifications for the ideal future caregiver include:  

• High school diploma/GED 

• Valid driver’s license 

• Knowledge of community resources 

• Community Health Worker (CHW) Certification and be certified as a CHW through the Board of Nursing

• Ability to develop trusting and effective working relationships 

• Strong information gathering, interviewing and time management skills 

Preferred qualifications for the ideal future caregiver include:  

• One year of experience in a medical office setting  

• Two years of community service experience 

• Bilingual in English and Spanish 

• Medical Assistant training or Medical Assistant certification 

• Knowledge of medical terminology 

• Knowledge of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR)  

• Epic experience

• Experience as a CNA, Medical Assistant, or other patient-facing healthcare role

• Community outreach or human services experience

Physical Requirements:

• May need to move around intermittently during the day, including sitting, standing, stooping, bending and ambulating. May need to remain still for extended periods, including sitting and standing.

• Work evenings and weekends may be required.

• May need to lift boxes or carry objects.

• Possess dexterity to operate a PC and other office equipment.

Personal Protective Equipment:

• Follow Standard Precautions using personal protective equipment as required.

The policy of Cleveland Clinic Health System and its system hospitals (Cleveland Clinic Health System) is to provide equal opportunity to all of our caregivers and applicants for employment in our drug free environment. All offers of employment are followed by testing for controlled substances.

Cleveland Clinic Health System administers an influenza prevention program. You will be required to comply with this program, which will include obtaining an influenza vaccination on an annual basis or obtaining an approved exemption.

Decisions concerning employment, transfers and promotions are made upon the basis of the best qualified candidate without regard to color, race, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, status as a disabled or Vietnam era veteran or any other characteristic protected by law. Information provided on this application may be shared with any Cleveland Clinic Health System facility. 

If applying for a Florida position, please see the following website for more information on the background screening requirements required by the Agency of Health Care Administration: https://info.flclearinghouse.com/

Please review the Equal Employment Opportunity poster. 

Cleveland Clinic is pleased to be an equal employment opportunity employer.