POSITION SUMMARY
Under the direction of the Public Health Director and Project Manager, the Lead Public Health Technician will provide quality assurance, orientation, training, and tracking to the Public Health Technician team stationed at TCRHCC in providing public health interventions to include pandemic/epidemic preparedness; infectious disease case investigation/contact tracing; vaccination outreach; community health work; community connecting & resource delivery; health education & coaching related to primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention; population health measurement; and public health data support. The incumbent will provide day-to-day direction in the provision of evidence-based intervention, education, and public health communication to community members. The Lead Public Health Technician will assist in communication and coordination to meet the Service Area’s public health needs. The Lead Public Health Technician will ensure utilization of patient tracking and data collection software and EHR to provide and document services provided. This is an American Rescue Plan Act-funded position.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Provides quality assurance support to Public Health Director and Public Health Tech Team by observing case, contact, and results notification calls and assessing documentation. Tracks case and contact calls to ensure timeliness and adequate frequency of contact.
- Trains and orients direct hire and volunteer staff to contact tracing activities, roles, and workflows under the direction of PH Director.
- Under direction of PH Director, provides day-to-day direction of Public Health Tech Team activities, including the oversight of staff activities related to public health messaging, critical incidents, and epidemiological linkages. Ensures accurate information is reported up chain of command as appropriate.
- Monitors Public Health Technician team to ensure following of evidence-based guidelines.
- Ensures coordination of public health techs, clinical staff, and support staff to efficiently complete timely case investigations, contact notifications, and follow-up calls.
- Updates scripts as needed on results notification, isolation or quarantine, testing, self-care, and emergency signs, symptoms, and recommendations.
- Direct staff in connecting community members to available resources, such as food, water, housing, electric, health care services, public health interventions, and social services. Support individuals and families in navigating systems and obtaining culturally appropriate, science-based information.
- Supervise staff and ensure competency in providing evidence-based and trauma-informed public health interventions related to mental and physical health promotion, such as the Family Spirit home visiting program. Includes health coaching to support individuals and communities in primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.
- Deliver public health communication and messaging on various prevention topics.
- Deliver vaccination efforts and promote public health services to communities, households, and individuals by phone, telehealth technology, or face-to-face in the community.
- Provide front-line epidemic response and disease surveillance support. Collaborate closely with data analyst and epidemiologist to ensure data input and collection.
- Always maintain professional appearance and personal conduct.
- Carry out community health assessment surveys across Service Area, gathering data on the health of community members, social determinants of health, and other assessment data.
- Maintain patient confidentiality and adhere to HIPAA; includes conducting case and contact interviews without violating confidentiality. Ensure compliance to all TCRHCC policies, including employee conduct, HIPAA, and safety procedures
- Responsible for accurate and timely electronic health records and contact tracing software data entry pertinent to patient service role, and ensures the same from team.
- Communicate clearly and effectively on the telephone and face-to-face to provide excellent customer service regarding any and all public health needs with accurate, timely, and up-to-date information. Handles higher level concerns such as inter-service unit coordination and school coordination.
- Uses EHR and available data systems to track public health data. Contacts patients to obtain missing data and to promote public health services.
- Assists Community Connectors by providing distribution of food, water and other necessary essentials to community members who are in Isolation or quarantine.
- Assists the Contact Tracing team by performing contact tracing activities for patients testing positive for Covid 19, and conducting negative results calling.
- Assists the Screener/Greeters at various entry points to ensure appropriate screening for all patients and visitors entering the TCRHCC campus.
- Ensure proper PPE is worn at all times while on duty including but not limited to, face mask, gloves, gown, isolation gown, NIOSH-approved N95 filtering facepiece respirator or higher, if available), and eye or face shield.
- Complete all donning and doffing tasks in a safe acceptable method and discard of used PPE accordingly. (see CDC website for most current updates)
- Complete task training for all routine cleaning and decontamination processes for all surfaces contaminated by a communicable disease to ensure a high level of patient, visitor, employee and external customer satisfaction.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EFFORT
The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Physical:
Work is mostly sedentary requiring prolonged periods of sitting, talking, and hearing. However, does require at times prolonged periods of up to three to four hours of standing and walking at a time. The incumbent must be able to frequently reach with hands and arms; and, use hands to finger, handle or feel. This position does require the ability to occasionally lift, push, and pull up to 25 pounds. Work does require the ability to hear client calls, instructions from physicians/department staff, and, overhead pages over loudspeaker. The job requires the ability to see close, distance, color, and peripheral vision. Incumbent will need to be able to repetitively move using both hands in grasping simple/light; grasping firm/heavy; and, fine dexterity.
Mental:
Incumbent must be able to effectively communicate to the patient what specific information is needed, the reason for requesting such information and be able to ascertain that it is accurate as possible. Must be able to effectively manage high-stress situations, such as urgent or emergent medical needs, while maintaining infection prevention standards. Must have ability to cope with high levels of stress, make decisions under high pressure, cope with anger/fear/hostility of others in a calm way, manage altercations, concentrate, handle high degree of flexibility, handle multiple priorities in stressful situation, work alone, demonstrate high degree of patience, adapt to shift work, and work in areas that are close and crowded.
Environmental:
Work may occur outdoors in various types of weather conditions, frequently while wearing personal protective equipment. Noise level of work area is typically moderate.
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