Harm Reduction Community Health Educator

SUMMARY: The Community Health Educator will be responsible for organizing Harm Reduction grant activities in collaboration with other partner programs, agencies and NACC stakeholders. Key activities include outreach, education, referrals to NACC and external services, tracking and contribution information to grant reports. This role is housed within NACC’s harm reduction team, which offers full-spectrum harm reduction services, including syringe and safer use supply distribution, naloxone distribution and overdose prevention/response education, frequent street outreach and outreach with other harm reduction and healthcare providers in the area. 

This is a grant funded position; NACC cannot guarantee employment beyond the grant period. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

HIV/STI Testing and Outreach:

• Conduct harm reduction outreach in most weather, including street/encampment outreach and outreach to other community locations
• Facilitate HIV/HEP-C testing events to actively engage high risk population and provide linkages to care
• Provide rapid, point-of-care HIV and HCV testing (training will be provided by NACC/MDH, if needed)
• Work with clinical staff/syndemic program manager to carry out testing program protocol and workflow implementation.

• Coordinate with NACC medical, behavioral health, and harm reduction staff to increase linkage to care and HIV and HEP-C testing of homeless and other high-risk populations
• Participate in biweekly Harm Reduction team meetings to plan outreach and testing events. 

Education:

• Provide individual and group education on mental health and substance use and related public health concerns to NACC clients and the Native American community
• Identify, create and implement client education materials to share in groups and at community events

• Respond to and fulfill requests for community public health education to increase awareness/ remove stigma around HIV and HEP-C
• Providing prevention-related information to American Indian professionals and others working with American Indians in other fields to increase understanding of harm reduction
• Identify and resolve barriers to HIV / HEP-C care experienced by homeless and other risk populations 

Community Collaboration:

• Coordinate with external community partners to efficiently provide Harm Reduction services, including testing events, street outreach, harm reduction supply dissemination, and syringe clean-up (training will be provided by NACC for safe biohazard waste and sharps disposal, if needed)
• Provide information and referral to NACC and other partnering programs to meet the comprehensive needs of clients

• Assist with overseeing future community volunteer program, including coordinating external volunteers, interns and other partners 
• Assist in coordinating and delivering naloxone and other pertinent harm reduction training for NACC staff and community partners. 

Tracking Program:

• Track inventory as it relates to harm reduction supplies, including anticipating supply needs and working with other NACC staff to conduct orders in alignment with funding streams.
• Collect and maintain up-to-date data, track progress towards goals for relevant grants, community surveys, and provide accurate reporting on grant outcomes regularly. 
• Coordinate Harm Reduction supply organization and distribution including safer injection/smoking/snorting supplies, hygiene supplies and outdoor equipment.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Directly supervises 0 employees within the department.

Required QUALIFICATIONS:

-One year of direct care experience working in direct service, preferably in direct harm reduction services

-Experience working in an outreach setting (including street outreach)

-Associate degree in community health or other related field OR highly related experience (harm reduction) equal or greater than educational level listed will be considered.

-Flexibility to work nights and weekends, if needed

Preferred QUALIFICATIONS:

-Experience working within the local Native American community preferred

-Driver’s license and ability/willingness to drive outreach vehicle

-Experience providing overdose response and education

-Experience in rapid HIV/HCV/syphilis testing or willingness to learn

-Lived or professional experience engaging with communities disproportionately impacted by substance use and homelessness.

-Strong commitment to harm reduction, trauma-informed practice, and nonjudgmental support.

-Experience using EMR systems like EPIC or willingness to learn

-Willingness to conduct street outreach in all weather, including walking in snow and cold temperatures, rain, summer conditions, etc.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: 

Ability to read and interpret documents such as risk assessments, safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively with individuals, groups of participants, or employees of organization. 

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: 

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. 

REASONING ABILITY: 

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. 

COMPUTER SKILLS: 

To perform this job successfully an individual must have intermediate to advanced knowledge of: Spreadsheet Software (Excel); Word Processing Software (Word); Electronic Mail Software (Outlook/Teams); Presentation Software (PowerPoint); and Publisher Software as well as capability to use Electronic Record software. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
 While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to walk. The employee is occasionally required to stand. 

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision.