Patient and Community Navigator

JOB SUMMARY

Under the direct supervision of the Patient Navigation Manager, and in close collaboration with the Patient Access Center, Medical Services Department,Operations,and the External Affairs Department,the Patient and Community Navigator (PCN) is responsible for providing proactive, equity-centered navigation services that bridge clinical care and community-identified needs.The PCN works to reduce racial, geographic, and structural barriers to sexual and reproductive health care by supporting patients who are due or overdue for care, addressing unmet social needs, and strengthening trust between Planned Parenthood of Delaware (PPDE) and the communities it serves. This role combines patient navigation, barrier resolution, proactive outreach, and community engagement, including convening andfacilitatingcounty-level community advisory groups.The PCN supports completion of preventive and essential services,including STI testing, contraception care, cancer screenings, HIV services, and related follow-up,while ensuring culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and nonjudgmental care coordinationin alignment with PPDE’s mission and values.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. All duties and responsibilities are performed in a professional and customer service-oriented manner in compliance with PPDE’s Medical Standards and Guidelines, PPDE policies and procedures, and State and Federal regulatory requirements.
2. Conduct proactive outreach to patients who are due or overdue for services (e.g., STI testing, contraception renewals, cancer screenings), including patients lost to follow-up, using phone, text, and electronic communication platforms.
3. Organize and manage appointments to ensure patients receive servicesin a timely mannerand at locations that align with clinical needs and patient preferences.
4. Schedule appointments according to PPDE protocols anddemonstrateknowledge of PPDE services to support basic assessment and appropriate visit scheduling.
5. Identify, document, and actively resolve barriers to care, including transportation, financial concerns, language access, childcare needs, technology access, and other social determinants of health.
6. Coordinate transportation and logistical support by working with internal teams, external vendors, and community-based organizations tofacilitateaccess to care.
7. Educate patients on care processes, preventive health recommendations, and follow-up expectations to improve care completion and patient confidence.
8. Facilitate communication between patients, supportpersons, healthcare providers, and internal teams to promote continuity of care and patient satisfaction.
9. Maintain strict confidentiality anddemonstratesensitivity and a nonjudgmental approach when addressing sexuality, reproductive health, mental health, and other sensitive topics.
10. Provideaccuratefinancial counseling, including education on estimated costs of care and linkage to financialassistanceor external resources asindicated.
11. Work collaboratively withthe Medical Services teamto identify complex psychosocial needs and ensure warm handoffs to appropriate support services.
12. Facilitate pre- and post-care follow-up, ensuring continuity of care and linkage to internal and external community resources.
13. Convene and co-facilitate county-level community advisory groups to surface community-identified needs, strengthen trust, and inform culturally responsive outreach, messaging, and service delivery.
14. Build andmaintainrelationships with community-based organizations, particularly Black-led and identity-affirming partners, to strengthen referral pathways and bidirectional communication.
15. Collect, track, andmaintainaccuratedocumentation of all patient interactions, outreach efforts, barriersidentifiedand resolved, referrals, and follow-up activitiesin accordance withPPDE standards.
16. Participate in quality improvement activitiesto reduce no-show rates, improve care completion, and enhance patient experience.
17. Collect, track, and report required program data, including navigation metrics and equity indicators, as directed by the supervisor.
18. Work as part of a cross-functional team to meet established productivity, quality, and customer service standards.
19. Assistinidentifyingtrends and gaps in access to care andmakerecommendations to improve workflows, patient experience, and equity outcomes.
20. Participate in required training sessions, including trauma-informed care, equity-centered navigation, and computer-assisted learning.
21. Demonstrate commitment to PPDE’s mission, Workplace Values, and Service Standards, with a clear focus on advancing health equity.
22. Performadditionalduties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge,skill,and/or abilityrequired. Reasonable accommodation(s)may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

1. High School diploma or equivalencyrequired;associate degree in social services, Public Health, Human Services, Community Health, or a related field preferred.
2. Minimum of one year of experience in patient navigation, care coordination, community health work, medical administration, or a related customer-facing role; experience serving historically marginalized communities strongly preferred.
3. Demonstrated experience working with electronic health records or practice management systems; Epic experience preferred.
4. Experience with clinical appointment scheduling and patient outreachrequired.
5. Familiarity with sexual and reproductive health care, preventive services, and/or social determinants of health preferred.
6. Experience with community engagement, facilitation, or partnership-buildingis stronglypreferred.
7. Proficiencyin Microsoft Office applications, including Word and Excel; comfort with data tracking and documentationrequired.
8. Bilingual or multilingual skills preferred(Spanish/English; Haitian-Creole/English).
9. Commitment to PPDE’s mission, values, and goals.

Reasoning Ability

Must have the ability to define problems, collect data,establishfacts, and draw validconclusions.The abilityto multi-task andworkeffectively under pressure due to conflicting demands isrequired. Must be flexible, highly organized,creative,and detail-oriented with theability to set and meet deadlines. Mustdemonstratea commitment to a positive and proactive approach to problem solving.

Language Skills

Ability to read, analyze and interpret periodicals, proceduremanuals,and technical procedures. Must have the ability to respond effectively to the most sensitive inquiries or complaints.Requires excellent verbal and written communication skills, listening and interpersonal relationship communication skills. Must be able to communicate clearly and interact comfortably with a diverse group of clients,staff,and volunteers in a non-judgmental,professional,and sensitive manner.

Mathematical Skills

Mustpossessthe ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, commonfractionsand decimals.

Computer Skills

Excellent keyboarding skills withhigh levelof accuracyrequired.Proficiencyin Internet usage and Microsoft Outlookisrequired. Mustpossessthe capacityto learn software programsrequiredfor specific position and access electronic communications, including e-mail,extranetand intranet.

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. All of the job functions listed within this job description involve to greater and lesser degrees the following physical demands: close vision; hearing/listening; clear speech; walking; lifting and carrying up to 10 or more pounds; stooping; kneeling; bending; sitting; standing; and use of hands to finger, handle, feel and use keyboard.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The employee mustpossessa demonstrated ability to work in a diverse environment and build productive relationships. A demonstrated ability to effectively work independently and collaboratively as part of a team is essential.

• Work in a diverse environment, build productive relationships, and effectively work independently and collaboratively as part of a team
• Work in an environment where protestors may be present at work and related sites.
• This position requires the ability toworkan irregular schedule which could include some weekends, earlymorningsand evenings.
• Work in a cost-effective and flexible manner, multi-taskand work effectively under pressure due to conflicting demands
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• The position requires state-wide travel and as such avaliddriverlicenseor otherwise ability to provide own reliable transportation isrequired.

This description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and requirements associated with this job. While this is intended to bean accuratereflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed.

THIS JOB DESCRIPTION REPLACES ALL FORMER JOB DESCRIPTIONS.

$20 - $21 an hour