Community Health Worker

The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD ("The HARRIS CENTER") is looking for a Community Health Worker to join our team. The Community Health Worker (CHW) serves as a frontline member of the Integrated Primary Care and Behavioral Health Home, supporting adults with Serious Mental Illness (SMI), including individuals with co-occurring chronic physical health conditions and complex social needs. The CHW provides outreach, engagement, care navigation, and barrier reduction services to promote continuity of care, improved health outcomes, and long-term stability. Operating within a CCBHC framework and utilizing a "Channels of Reveal" approach, the CHW connects individuals who are disengaged from care or cycling through hospital, crisis, justice, and community systems to evidence-based treatment and wraparound supports. This role emphasizes relationship-based engagement, whole-person care, and coordination across behavioral health, primary care, and community partners.

Your role in action:

Outreach & Engagement
• Conduct proactive, community-based outreach through "channels of reveal," including emergency departments, inpatient units, crisis services, justice settings, and other community locations where individuals with untreated or poorly managed SMI frequently present.
• Engage individuals who are treatment-naïve, disengaged from care, or identified as high utilizers of emergency or inpatient services.

Linkage to Care
• Connect individuals with SMI to Integrated Health Home and CCBHC services using warm handoffs.
• Support appointment scheduling, care engagement, and follow-through with recommended treatment plans.

Care Coordination & Navigation
• Serve as a trusted connector between individuals and the multidisciplinary care team, including behavioral health clinicians, primary care providers, nursing staff, peer support specialists, and external partners.
• Assist individuals in navigating healthcare appointments, preparing for visits, understanding care plans, and following treatment recommendations.
• Support medication access and adherence in collaboration with the care team.

Addressing Health-Related Social Needs
• Identify and address social determinants of health impacting stability and recovery, including housing, food insecurity, transportation, employment, legal issues, and access to benefits.
• Connect individuals to appropriate community resources and social service supports.

Transitions & Continuity of Care
• Support individuals during high-risk transitions such as hospital discharge, emergency department visits, or community reentry following incarceration.
• Conduct follow-up outreach to reinforce discharge instructions, coordinate follow-up appointments, and support medication continuity to reduce avoidable crises and relapse.

Documentation & Team Participation
• Document outreach, engagement, navigation, and support activities in the electronic health record.
• Participate in team huddles, case conferences, and care planning meetings.
• Contribute to quality improvement activities and support data collection related to engagement, retention, and utilization outcomes.
Performs other related duties as assigned.

What qualifications you will need:

Education:

• High School Diploma or G.E.D required.
• Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)-Certified Community Health Worker or ability to obtain certification within required timeframe
• Completion of DSHS-approved training and continuing education in accordance with state requirements
• Compliance with Texas CHW Scope of Practice and Code of Ethics
• Experience working with individuals with Serious Mental Illness and complex social needs preferred.

Experience:

• One (1) year of related experience, required.

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Ability to adapt to constant changes in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to maintain absolute confidentiality of all work-related matters with the ability to communicate effectively and tactfully within all levels of the agency
• Ability and willingness to provide emotional support, encouragement and motivation to patients.
• Demonstrates knowledge of the correlation of physical & mental health challenges with the population served.
• Effectively collaborate with others.
• Strong communication skills
• Identify & offer solutions to resolve problems using knowledge of the Agency to identify helpful resources.
• Effective time management & organizational skills.
• Basic Word & Excel capabilities.

About us:

The Harris Center is the state-designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Authority serving Harris County, Texas. As the largest behavioral and developmental disability care center in Texas, The Harris Center provides care to over 90,000 people and has an annual budget of over $300 million.

As part of its mission to transform the lives of people with behavioral health and IDD needs in the third largest county in the United States, The Harris Center provides a full continuum of services at 80 different sites across Harris County. In addition, services are provided in more than 40 different languages as well as sign language in order to better serve what is one of the largest communities in the nation.

By utilizing the unique expertise of its more than 2,500 employees, The Harris Center is committed to meeting the behavioral health and IDD needs of Harris County residents and giving them hope to live to their fullest potential.

What else you should know:

• This posting is associated with position #2835-26111.

What we have to offer:

The Harris Center not only offers a competitive salary but also a suite of excellent benefits designed to enrich your life both professionally and personally. Imagine a future with a robust retirement plan complemented by our generous company matching - a testament to our investment in your long-term financial well-being. Experience the unique advantage of our prior service credit, accelerating your journey towards a more substantial Paid Time Off accrual, empowering you to enjoy well-deserved breaks.

Enjoy Cell Phone Discounts, exclusive entertainment deals through Tickets at Work, and a free Headspace subscription for mental wellness. Additionally, our Employee Assistance Program supports your overall well-being.

Take advantage of significant financial relief through student loan forgiveness as a valued member of The Harris Center team. As a qualifying entity, our employees are eligible for various student loan forgiveness programs, designed to alleviate the financial burdens associated with higher education.

Contributes to suicide care and prevention by embracing our values and applying a trauma-informed approach rooted in safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.