Community Health Worker - Temporary to Permanent

Job Description

Job Description

ABOUT RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE NEW YORK

Ronald McDonald House New York provides temporary housing, care, and support for families whose children are undergoing treatment for pediatric cancer and other serious illnesses. The House is a place of comfort, stability, and community during some of the most challenging moments in a family’s life.

AT A GLANCE:

• Serving families since 1978

• Located in New York City

• Pediatric illness support

• Community-centered mission

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Community Health Worker (CHW) plays a crucial role in ensuring that patients receive comprehensive and coordinated care by addressing social determinants of health and connecting them with critical support services. CHW’s work with patients, healthcare providers, and community organizations to facilitate care navigation, resource linkage, and service coordination to improve overall well-being

CHW’s are responsible for conducting outreach, identifying social needs, assisting with housing navigation, providing case management, and ensuring Medicaid-eligible individuals receive the necessary support services. The role requires strong interpersonal skills, a passion for advocacy, and the ability to develop trusting relationships with patients.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Essential Functions:

The CHW is a member of an interdisciplinary care team that has a remit to support individuals by addressing their health-related social needs (HRSN) and assisting in service coordination.

• Conduct comprehensive HRSN screenings to assess social and economic barriers affecting health outcomes.
• Provide housing navigation support, assisting individuals in securing stable housing by helping with applications, documentation, and liaising with housing authorities.
• Support patients with transportation coordination, including Medicaid-sponsored rides and community-based transportation resources.
• Assisting individuals applying for public benefits (Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, SSI, etc.), ensuring proper documentation and follow-ups.
• Establish linkages with community-based organizations that provide services such as food assistance, utility support, and legal aid.
• Assist with patient advocacy by helping individuals understand their rights and options for social services.
• Conduct home visits and in-person/virtual follow-ups to assess ongoing social support needs.

Referral & Documentation Responsibilities:

• Coordinate referrals for housing support services, ensuring clients receive assistance with shelter applications and housing stabilization programs.
• Maintain detailed and accurate documentation in electronic health records (EHRs) and referral platforms.
• Track patient progress and follow up on referrals to ensure services are accessed and outcomes achieved.
• Assist with data collection and reporting for Medicaid Waiver initiatives and contracted programs.
• Support program compliance by adhering to contractual obligations for PHS HRSN services, including tracking performance metrics.

QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES:

Education:

• High School Diplomarequired; associate or bachelor’s degree in human services, public health, or a related field preferred.

Experience:

• At least 1 year of experience in social services, community health work, or care coordination.
• Experience in housing navigation, case management, or Medicaid programs is highly preferred.

Skills & Competencies:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust with diverse populations.
• Familiarity with local housing resources, community-based organizations, and public benefits programs.
• Ability tomaintainaccuraterecords in electronic health records (EHRs) and case management systems.
• Proficiencyin Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and data entry platforms.
• Bilingual skills preferred (Spanish, Haitian Creole, or another language commonly spoken in NYC communities).
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care, harm reduction strategies, and motivational interviewing is a plus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & TRAVEL:

The work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This joboperatesin an office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filingcabinetsand fax machines.
• The office for this jobis located inthe same facility where RMH-NY provides temporary accommodations to pediatric patients and their families while the patients are undergoing active medical treatment at area hospitals. For some RMH-NY guests, medical treatment may include radiation therapy. While radiation therapy is never administered at RMH-NY, there is the potential for some radioactive material to be present in guests who have undergone radiation therapy. Based on radiation measurements performed throughout RMH-NY, it is not expected that individuals working at RMH will receive radiation doses that would exceed thegeneral publiclimit (100 millirem per year).
• The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud. Noise levels often increase with families and children who have temporary residence in the building as well as guests and musical performers forspecial events.
• This position requiresflexibleschedule at times to meet the needs of the families. Some weekends and evening hours are necessary.
• The CHW will work both in office settings and conduct outreach in the community, including home visits.
• Some travel may berequiredwithin all five boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan,Bronxand Staten Island) to meet with clients and service providers.
• The role involves sitting, standing, and walking for extended periods, as well as carrying outreach materials.

Other

• This job description is an overview of major duties,activitiesand responsibilitiesrequiredfor the role.
• This description is not intended to be a complete list of all tasksrequiredfor the role.
• Responsibilities will change with the needs of the organization.

YOU WILL THRIVE IF YOU ARE...

• Compassionate, welcoming, and service-oriented.
• Organized, adaptable, anddetailfocused.
• A collaborative team player withstrong communicationskills

SUCCESS IN THE FIRST YEAR

• Build a caseload of Medicaid-enrolled clients and consistently meet screening and engagement targets
• Develop strong working relationships with Social Care Network partners and community-based organizations
• Demonstrateproficiencyin documentation, referral tracking, and compliance with Medicaid Waiver program requirements