The School Based Health Center (SBHC) Behavioral Health Community Outreach Specialist is responsible for establishing a unique relationship with potential SBHC students, families, and school staff through the provision of in school visits and community engagement to provide health education and reinforcement of health promotion/prevention strategies. Serves as a cultural mediator between the community and BMS. Communication skills are required to persuade or gain cooperation and acceptance of ideas. Responsibility exists to ensure that internal customers are satisfied with the service. External communications involve provision of a service, representing the organization at public meetings and ability to deal with sensitive situations/information.

• Advocate for patients in the program and their families.
• Work collaboratively with community resources and health agencies, making linkages to health information and services for BMS patients. 
• Act as a liaison between community programs and services and patients.
• Participate in community events such as health fairs and forums as a representative of BMS.
• Maintain working knowledge of behavioral health treatment agencies and programs and a list of resources that can be shared with client.
• Participate in all assigned meetings, staff development and training as required.
• Participate in multi-team disciplinary meetings.
• Provide outreach and education services to students in schools with SBHCs:
• • Develop educational presentations for BMS/School staff, students and their families to help foster understanding.
  • Provide social emotional/behavioral health education in a culturally appropriate manner to assigned individuals, families and community groups.
  • Provide health education to assigned clients and reinforce health promotion and strategies which have been developed for the client.
• If client does not keep appointment, follow-up by phone, mail or email should be made to reschedule their appointment.
• Support health and wellness activities and health coping skills for clients.
• Identify and make referrals in coordination with SBHC or Behavioral Health Team, to ensure patients have access to needed services.
• Provide and follow-up to clients both in person and on the phone to ensure adequate use of services and connections with community resources.
• Document all visits/encounters:
• • Write reports as required.
  • Draft reports/memos on findings that require intervention and in correspondence with collaborator, as required by program manager.
• Daily contact with patients, health center staff, and management staff are required.
• As indicated, contact with local emergency departments, community-based services, and management are required.
• Contacts HMO’s, insurance companies, vendors, and other external staff as needed based on client needs.
• Help to coordinate services such as transportation to get clients to appointments.
• Assist patients in competing forms and applications to receive services.
• Assist program director to ensure grant goals and objective are met.