Outreach Specialist (Yucca Valley)

Reach Out is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that has been serving the Inland Region of Southern California since 1969. Reach Out’s mission is to strengthen communities by bringing people together to solve our region’s toughest issues: breaking barriers to education achievement, expanding economic opportunities, and creating safe, healthy, and innovative communities. Our aim is to be an effective, positive disruptor of the inequitable status quo. Our core work of strengthening communities takes many forms, from direct services to youth and families, to deep root cause work in building the health and quality of life in our region.  

Reach Out is seeking team members who are passionate about building an equitable Inland Empire, and who recognize that, collectively with our partners, we will be the ones who will ultimately shift mindsets, policies and practices toward equity, justice, and prosperity for all our residents. We support the rights of immigrants, the LGBTQ community, and persons living with disabilities. If you hold these same values and goals, Reach Out offers a stellar work culture, a rich benefits & retirement package, and the opportunity to use your talents to build a region where all can thrive.  

BASIC POSITION FUNCTION 

Under the supervision of the Program Manager, the Outreach Specialist will function as a member of a multidisciplinary team. The Outreach Specialist will perform liaison functions, between assigned program and providers and the community, clients, and/or public. The Outreach Specialist are further tasked with identifying clients, and or public needs and assisting in meeting those needs by providing referrals to various health and community services. Primary responsibilities include facilitation of health improvement, health promotion, disease prevention activities, and coordination with regional programs and other partners within the community.  

• $24.16/hr per hour

Benefits: 

• Four-day work week to support work-life balance.  

• Cost and no-cost options for health insurance. 

• Reach Out pays 100% of its employee’s dental, vision, and life insurance. 

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP). 

• Paid personal time and sick leave.  

• 7 holidays per year. 

• 403(b) retirement plan with match after 1 year. 

• Professional development. 

• Work laptop provided. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES 

 Community Engagement 

• Assist clients/patients with navigation of the health care system and processes, including Medication Assisted Treatment for opioid addiction.   

• Assist clients/patients in completing forms/applications required to receive needed services or community resources, as required by referral agencies. 

• Facilitate referrals for appropriate health information and services as recommended by the provider and health plan.  

• Will make home visits to contact clients regarding missed or broken appointments, and to follow-up on services provided by designated health care providers  

• Refers clients to appropriate care providers regarding social issues and health problems  

• Provide clients/patients with community resources as needed. 

• Provides basic health information to clients / patients 

• Provide one-on-one education on diseases and encourage clients/patients to adopt self-management skills.  

• Act as a navigator for clients/patients to achieve desired health behaviors 

• Provides orientation to clients / patient regarding program services available to them 

• Assists clients / patient in obtaining temporary transportation  

• Teach community groups/organizations to promote health and educate on Medication Assisted Treatment.  

• Speak with diverse populations about health programs in a sensitive and culturally competent manner. 

• Proactively anticipate and address client’s/patient’s present and future healthcare challenges, advocate for solutions from an equitable perspective while taking into account the social determinants of health. 

• Assist with health screenings in the community. 

• Perform door-to-door outreach for community education on availability and range of health services, and to locate clients in the community in need of services  

• Conduct surveys to determine community needs and collect statistical information  

• Participates in community outreach activities  

 Administrative 

• Schedules medical, dental and behavioral health appointments and follows up on missed or broken appointments 

• Schedule and/or deliver health education classes in designated communities. 

Professional Development 

• Attend agency-approved workshops, conferences and conventions related to this position.  

• Attend all agency training sessions and staff meetings.  

OTHER REQUIREMENTS 

• Willingness to sign a Training Agreement, if required, for participation in mandatory trainings related to program compliance and government funding requirements. 

• Ability to work flexible schedule including nights and weekends. 

• Provide translation support for documents and verbal communications if fluent in Spanish. 

• Ability to drive throughout the Inland Empire on a regular basis.  

• Assist with and provide support for Reach Out events as needed. 

• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.  

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employee(s) will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform cc other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments.  

Required Education: 

• Possession of high school diploma, G.E.D equivalency or a high school proficiency certificate.  

• After employment, completion of Reach Out's Community Health Worker Training Program with at least 80 hours of training and 20 hour Substance Use Navigator training. 

Preferred Education:  

• Bachelor’s Degree from a four-year college or university 

• Or three (3) to five (5) years of related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.    

Preferred Experience:  

• Fluent Bilingual Spanish/English 

• A minimum of two-three (2-3) years of community organization experience working with a diverse group of adults and youth from various socioeconomic, cultural, and self-identified groups. 

Knowledge of: 

• The Morongo Basin  

• Public speaking skills strongly preferred.  

• Intricacy of working and advocating for vulnerable and underserved communities. 

• Providing training for individuals and communities from diverse backgrounds.   

• Social Drivers of Health and their impact on individuals and communities' health and wellbeing.    

• Creative Thinking – Discovering new opportunities and solutions for problems by looking beyond current practices and using innovative thinking. 

• Innovation/Initiative – Using information from a variety of sources, identifying immediate action needed to address current issues, seizing the opportunity to enhance performance and advance horizontal/vertical goals. Attending to imminent issues while maintaining an awareness of emerging opportunities.  

• Teamwork/Cooperation – Readily sharing information, knowledge, and personal strengths. Seeking to understand and building on different perspectives of others to enhance team efficiency and quality outcomes. 

• Values and Ethics – Serving the agency with integrity and respect in personal and organizational practices. Includes respecting democratic, professional, ethical and people values. Building respectful, bilingual, diverse, and inclusive workplaces. Ensuring decisions and transactions are transparent and fair. Holding themselves, their employee, and their department accountable for their actions. 

Ability to: 

• Communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing 

• Prepare clear, concise, and accurate, reports, documentation, and other written materials 

• Facilitate group sessions both by providing designated curriculum as well as engaging participants to explore additional topics or interventions. 

• Exercise sound independent judgment within general policy guidelines 

• Use tact and diplomacy when dealing with sensitive, complex and/or confidential issues and situations 

• Establish and maintain highly effective, customer-focused working relationships with all end users, other school staff, representatives of other agencies and others encountered in the course of work 

• Maintain an appropriate work pace to accomplish an acceptable volume of work. 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to adequately perform each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

• Language Skills - Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.  Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.  Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of the organization.  

• Reasoning Ability - Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions.  Ability to deal with problems involving multiple concrete variables in standardized situations.  

• Mathematical Skills - Ability to add and subtract two-digit numbers and to multiply and divide with 10's and 100's.  Ability to perform these operations using units of American money and weight measurement, volume, and distance.  

• Physical Demands - While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; stand, walk and use their hands to complete various tasks. The employee is occasionally required to react quickly with hands and arms.  The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.  The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 20 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 45 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and ability to adjust focus.  

• Work Environment - While performing the duties of this job, the employee is infrequently exposed to extreme outside weather conditions.  The employee is infrequently exposed to wet and/or humid conditions. On occasion the employee could be exposed to fumes or airborne particles. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate as found in an office environment.  

Training Agreement Requirement 

Participation in certain trainings may be required for your position, as these sessions are mandated by program compliance standards and by our government funding agreements (federal, state, or local). If you are required to attend such trainings, you will be asked to sign a Training Agreement that details the terms and conditions—including any reimbursement obligations—associated with the training. You are welcome to review a sample of this agreement upon request, particularly once a specific training has been identified for you. 

Reach Out is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion or religious creed, disability or handicap, pregnancy, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.   

Salary : $24