Public Health Educator

About the role

This position supports identified population-based regional issues, increasing local capacity to carry out public health essential functions and creating or enhancing the public health presence in rural counties with limited or non-existent public health resources.

Responsibilities

• Prepares, delivers and/or coordinates Community Health Improvement (CHI) presentations and trainings to community organizations and stakeholders to provide education on identified health issues.
• Identifies CHI presentation and training needs; develops goals and objectives; develops evaluation plan; evaluates processes, techniques, and impact; and propose recommendations for improvement.
• Maintains professional health education competency in the essential public health services, community collaboration and development, CHI diseases/illnesses, and associated population-based priorities and interventions through trainings, conferences, webinars, and membership in professional organizations.
• Maintains certifications related to CHI program interventions.
• Facilitates and/or participates in community meetings, including but not limited to Child Fatality Review Teams (CFRT) and School Health Advisory Councils (SHAC) in assigned communities.
• Provides support, direction, training, and technical assistance to local community groups, teams, or organizations.
• Identifies and develops communication strategies and techniques for increased awareness of best practices and sustainable interventions that help address community needs identified during meetings or by groups, teams, or organizations.
• Serves as health education and promotion subject matter expert to local community meeting, group, team, or organization leaders.
• Plans, develops, and coordinates equitable population-centered evidence-based interventions addressing identified CHI priorities.
• Conducts assessment of communities by identifying existing resources that engage individuals and populations in health behaviors while examining quantitative and qualitative county-level, regional, state, and national health, social and economic data to identify CHI gaps and priorities.
• By identifying patterns and gaps in data and interventions, make recommendations for new health education programs and promotions.
• Collaborate with internal departments, organizations, community members and officials through workgroups, committees, and special projects to determine and/or facilitate course of action for development, implementation, management, evaluation, and sustainability of equitable population-centered services to meet identified health issues.
• Serves as health education and promotion subject matter expert through the provision and/or development of resources, training, consultation, and implementation, management, and evaluation of strategic health education and promotion interventions and campaigns.
• Participates in regional assignments/duties/special initiatives.
• Actively participates and/or serves in a supporting role to meet the agency’s obligations for continuity of operations activation during public health emergency response and recovery.

Requirements

• Texas Driver's license or driver's license from another state with the intent to obtain a Texas driver's license.
• Community Health Worker certification preferred or must be able to obtain within 6-12 months of hire.
• Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician preferred or must be able to obtain within 6-12 months of hire.
• Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES or MCHES) or Certified in Public Health (CPH) preferred but not required.
• QPR Gatekeeper Instructor certification preferred or must be able to obtain within 6-12 months of hire.
• First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor certification preferred or must be able to obtain within 6-12 months of hire.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university is required (coursework in public health, community health, health education and promotion, or related field preferred).
• Certification as a Community Health Worker and three years’ experience in public health, community health, or a healthcare environment may be substituted for degree.

Skills

• Principles and practices of effective public health practice and health equity.
• Community health needs assessment processes.
• Continuous quality improvement.
• Concepts of health education and promotion including planning, development, implementation, management and evaluation of programs/interventions/campaigns.
• Public health best practices and evidence-based interventions.
• Collective Impact model.
• Texas laws and statutes related to public health.

Benefits

DSHS offers insurance coverage and other benefits available through the State of Texas Group Benefits Plan administered by the Employee Retirement System of Texas (ERS).

Pay

$3,793.41 - $4,399.95 Monthly

Schedule

Day Shift