Health Educator

The Health Educator is a valued member of the Minnesota Community Care team, strengthening our community through the planning, delivery, and evaluation of culturally and linguistically appropriate health education and outreach activities on a variety of health topics, in individual, group, clinical, and community settings.   

Summary

Plan, deliver, and evaluate culturally and linguistically appropriate health education and outreach activities on population appropriate health topics, in individual, group, clinical, and community settings.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Plan, deliver, and evaluate individual and group health education services in clinical, community, and classroom settings on appropriate health topics to effectively increase awareness and understanding for target populations.
• Liaise with clinical care team and program staff to identify, recruit, and enroll eligible clients into health education services.

• Align clinical interventions, group education, community programs and educational materials with current evidence and best practices, while promoting health equity.
• Create and assess educational strategy, appropriateness and effectiveness of printed materials, website content, and social media communication with key stakeholders, marketing, and leadership.
• Develop, organize, and facilitate support groups and peer education programs with a variety of target populations. For assigned group education programs: assume primary responsibility for enrolling participants, maintaining enrollment registries, planning classes in consultation with clinical counterpart, arranging logistics, monitoring attendance, and serving as primary communication contact for participants between classes.
• Follow methods of clinical documentation, data collection, tracking, entry, and reporting, as assigned.
• Assess individual client needs, including social determinants of health and health literacy, to provide culturally sensitive counseling and educate on wellness, health issues, and specific health concerns to promote related behavioral changes.
• Participate in community health education and outreach efforts by meeting/planning/engaging other community health stakeholders, e.g. health department staff, school-based staff, health educators, community leaders, and activists.
• Participate with grant activities with Grants Director, including grant reporting and fulfilling all grant requirements pertaining to the program.
• Maintain knowledge of partner agencies and community resources that provide health care, health education services, and address social determinants of health needs.

Key Competencies

• Seek to understand and meet the needs of patients, families, vendors, co-workers, and others through respectful, courteous, and culturally sensitive interactions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent organizational and planning skills with attention to detail
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines
• Strong critical thinking skills
• Excellent communication, leadership, and planning skills
• Strong project management skills and experience managing cross-functional relationships and priorities
• Proven strategic agility, ability to succeed in a fast-paced, continuously evolving environment 
• Ability to adapt to the needs of the organization and employees
• Know, understand, and adhere to organizational policy

Supervisory Responsibilities
Does not directly supervise other staff. May supervise/educate/direct Health Education interns/students/volunteers.

Work Environment
Primary environment includes multiple schools, both in clinic and classroom. This position is based on a 22 pay periods meaning you will have summers off. You will be able to use accrued PTO otherwise it would be leave without pay. Work hours are conducted within 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday. This position requires occasional evening and weekend work. This role may come into contact with patients who may have contagious illnesses.

Physical Demands
This position is active and requires regular standing, walking, bending, kneeling, and stooping. The employee must be able to lift and/or move items over 20 pounds.

Travel Requirements
Must have the ability for occasional travel within the seven-county metro area, with rare statewide travel.

Who We Are

As Minnesota's largest Federally Qualified Health Center, Minnesota Community Care ensures that the communities we serve have access to high quality and affordable health care. Our patients predominantly identify as people of color (80%), low-wealth (61% patients = 200% FPL), and un/under-insured (40% uninsured, 45% publicly insured) (UDS, 2020).

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Minnesota Community Care values building a culturally diverse staff that reflects the communities it serves, and strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to apply. Minnesota Community Care is committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunities to all applicants. EO M/F/Disability/Vet Employer.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in health education, public health, or related field
• Demonstrated success working effectively with target population(s)
• Participation in prior health promotion and health education in sexual and reproductive health

Preferred Education and Experience

• Master’s preferred in health education, public health, or related field
• Previous classroom facilitation or education with adolescents in clinical or school settings
• 1-3 years providing health education to adolescents.
• Experience working with parents in teaching sexual health in developing youth
• Group or classroom facilitation/teaching
• Experience planning, implementing, and evaluating health outreach activities.
• Bilingual strongly preferred