Chicago COVID Community Response Worker

WHO WE ARE:

Annually serving over 1,400 youth and families, Lawrence Hall is a community-based organization committed to helping Chicago's youth, families, and communities heal from the adverse effects of childhood trauma. For more than 150 years, Lawrence Hall has been delivering high-quality care throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and is a statewide leader in highly effective, evidence-based, and innovative therapeutic treatment. Their core programs-Child and Family Treatment Center, Therapeutic Day School, Creative Therapies, Foster Care, Transitional/Independent Living Program, Workforce Development, and Community Wellness-have met the changing and complex needs of youth and families by not only becoming more community based, but also by developing more preventative programs that help curb violence in Chicago's communities.

PROGRAM SUMMARY

According to the funder, the Community Health Response Corps will serve in Chicago communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and other public health determinates while creating a public health workforce representative of their residents. This program unites the City of Chicago's commitment to public health with its deep commitment to racial and economic equity across neighborhoods. This strategy is designed to invest in communities most impacted by health inequity, including COVID-19. The Response Corps will cultivate a public health workforce to tackle the drivers of disparity between predominantly White communities compared to predominantly Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities, with a major focus on chronic disease and communicable disease including COVID-19, and additional efforts on other drivers of the life expectancy gap (infant mortality, violence, and opioid overdose). This strategy unites CDPH's commitment to improving public health with the City's commitment to racial and economic equity across neighborhoods.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The goals of this Response Corps are to create public health workforce employment and training opportunities for people who live in communities that are most affected by health and economic inequities, increase community members' connections to and utilization of resources to mitigate the social, economic, and health impacts of the pandemic, equip Chicagoans with health knowledge and resources to achieve their desired health outcomes, continue efforts to promote resilience against COVID-19 and other public health threats in high-risk communities. Community Health Response Workers must comply with all CDPH and Community Health Response Corps training regarding confidentiality and the handling of personally identifiable information; and follow all scripts, policies and procedures established for the program. This position offers full-time work, with shifts Monday-Friday, including occasional weekends as needed. Lawrence Hall fosters a culture built upon four core values: Respect, Empowerment, Safety, and Teamwork. These values are deeply embedded within our organization's philosophy of trauma-informed care and directly influence every position. Must have flexibility to adjust to the needs of the program/agency.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Promoting community health education

• Stay up to date on all community health-related news and developments from reliable sources, including: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH)
• Visit the CDC, IDPH, CDPH websites on a regular basis to be kept up to date with COVID-19 cases and vaccination rates and implement work plans to support communities with COVID testing and vaccination resources
• Monitor CDPH's COVID Dashboard on a weekly basis to track the City's current cases, hospitalizations, positivity rate, and vaccination percentage by zip code
• Communicate gaps in community knowledge and information sharing to the Partnership, to inform training requests and additional learning/professional development

Community Health Work, Outreach, and Canvassing

• Conduct community outreach in needed communities to discuss COVID-related topics, vaccination hesitancy, and resources available. Discuss risk of exposure and provide approved information on
• self-quarantine procedures, what to do if symptoms develop, and, if appropriate, make referrals for testing or other resources for assistance

• Support planning and execution of COVID-related events/sites including city events and weekend/evening events
• Collaborate with CDPH and other city emergency operations centers, local health providers, and community-based organizations to design and implement activities, events, and interventions
• Community engagement and outreach to promote vaccination
• Connect community members to resources to meet the full range of their COVID-related needs such as food security, health and mental health, employment, housing, childcare, and other resources

Ongoing Expectations

• Systematically collect and record information in corresponding centralized databases
• CHRC Workers will be deployed to respond to hyperlocal needs, in accordance with the City's policies and procedures of public health responses to clusters and outbreaks. CHRC Workers are required to work in a hybrid model, which includes both in-person and remote work (including community outreach)
• Communicate with colleagues, supervisors, leads, and the public in a professional and empathetic manner
• Collaborate with supervisor(s) in identifying and meeting project goals
• Maintain regular, frequent contact with supervisor and/or leads for special initiatives
• Participate in ongoing professional development and related trainings
• Participate in Earn and Learn opportunities
• Attend all team meetings
• Conduct other community health related duties as assigned
• Uses active and reflective listening skills and affirmations to demonstrate respect and empathy, avoiding negative and derogatory labels that foster disrespect
• Understand that behaviors, responses, attitudes, and emotions are a collection of survival skills often developed in response to traumatic experiences
• Maintain confidentiality of employees, volunteers, and program participants to provide a safe environment
• Depending on the volume of each project activation, CHRC Workers may perform additional duties in service of community health work, resource navigation, and COVID-19 prevention, response, and
• resource provision in communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and high economic
• hardship, with a focus in priority areas. The Partnership will collaborate with selected respondents to define and plan any additional duties. These would be performed in the office/home environment or in the field at a prior-approved/designated location and may include:

• Prevention education
• General health and wellness education
• Community engagement to foster understanding of and support for disease mitigation efforts
• Identification of available healthcare and social assistance resources at the neighborhood level
• Attend at least two trainings related to being trauma informed in a twelve-month period
• Ability to work effectively with program participants and family members, employees and vendors in a culturally diverse environment to support healing and recovery
• Maintains electronic calendar to provide accounting for daily activities and provides permissions for viewing to the appropriate individuals
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Must be WIOA eligible (See "WIOA Eligibility Fact Sheet") WIOA Eligibility Fact Sheet
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact professionally, appropriately, and effectively with a wide range of culturally diverse individuals during a time of crisis and distress
• Excellent ability to communicate both verbally and in writing in a professional and empathetic manner
• Ability to think critically and assess multiple perspectives of a given situation
• Computer skills are necessary and should include the ability to access and navigate Microsoft programs, email accounts, web browsers, as well as gain knowledge of and efficiency with various databases and software programs following training
• Equal comfort with working individually and within a team environment that emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration
• Applicants must reside, or have extensive work/lived experience, in the high economic hardship communities identified by the Chicago Department of Public Health for the purposes of this grant program (see attached list)
• A background check is required. However, the circumstances of prior justice-involvement will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will not necessarily disqualify a candidate
• Present evidence of identity and authorization to work in the United States (I-9 documentation) is required
• Knowledge of childhood trauma and prior experience working in settings with youth and families that have been exposed to trauma or experiencing traumatic stress preferred
• Knowledge of youth development, adolescent issues, positive youth development/strengths-based approach preferred
• No history of child abuse or neglect
• Ability to pass drug screen

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience conducting telephone or in-person interviews
• Community engagement and/or outreach experience
• Customer service experience
• Contact tracing experience
• Fluency in Spanish, Polish, Mandarin, Cantonese, or additional languages highly valuable

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The position consists of remote work, in office work, and in-person outreach, or a combination of all as determined based on the needs of the initiatives assigned by the funders and the requirements of the Community Based Organization of employment. The position requires responding to public health emergencies and at times requires rapid turnaround of communications on short notice. All Community Health Response Corps employees are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination

EEO STATEMENT

The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, its partners, and subcontractors are committed to a policy that provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition, including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and

expression, sexual orientation; and to making all employment decisions so as to further this principle of equal employment opportunity

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Community Response Workers will earn $22.25 per hour with benefits

Highlighted benefits

• Provides full time employees 2 times their salary in term life insurance for no additional cost
• Reimburses your gym memberships up to $20 per month to aid on your overall fitness and health
• Offers 100% match up to 3% on your retirement savings after 1 year of service
• All employees start off with an average of 17-25 days of PTO
• Employee Referral Program gives employees an opportunity to receive up to $1500 for referring candidates
• 9 paid holidays off

Frequently cited statistics show that women and underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Lawrence Hall encourages you to apply even if you do not meet all listed qualifications. We look forward to your application. 

This position meets the FLSA requirements for Non-Exempt

Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V