Community Health Worker

Hiring graphic for the Community Health Worker position. Lists qualifications and benefits like healthcare, PTO.

✦  ✦ Organization & History ✦  ✦ 

✧ Mission: Presente! Maine is a grassroots organization that fights to empower displaced Indigenous and Afro-Latinx peoples of Maine through survival programs, community power building, cultural celebration, and transformative healing practice. Presente envisions a world where all peoples enjoy their rights to joy, beauty, wellness, food, land, and home.

✧ Presente! targets three key program areas: Community Health and Wellness (Bienestar), Food Sovereignty and Land Stewardship, and Leadership & Community Power Building. 

✧ Since 2020, we have led critical initiatives to get people fed, prevent eviction, advocate for public health emergency funds for community-based organizations across Maine, deploy public health response, restore indigenous foodways, and win Mainecare for people regardless of immigration status, all while working with a small staff and a few dedicated volunteers. 

✧ We are seeking builders, storytellers, weavers, and frontline responders to join our team as a Community Health Worker (CHW) based in Portland, ME. In this role, you will support our critical community-based health and wellness programs through outreach, education, issue identification, care coordination, and advocacy.

✦  ✦ Responsibilities ✦  ✦ 

  • Build horizontal, authentic relationships with community members to facilitate equitable access to care and foster community consciousness around the root causes of barriers

  • Act as an advocate, witness, and partner to community members as they navigate the healthcare system, including care coordination, accompaniment, interpretation, transportation, and assistance with insurance or public benefits eligibility

  • Conduct community-level outreach and public health education activities

  • Provide meaningful support tailored to the specific needs and contexts of individuals and families, ensuring access to essential resources,services, and delivery of care, which is informed by and sensitive to language, culture, class, and trauma history

  • Serve as a bridge between providers and individuals to promote health, reduce disparities,  improve service delivery, and advocate for individual and community needs

  • Promote equity and language justice through trauma-informed community interpreting

  • Advocate for individual and community needs

  • Maintain mapping of community hubs, local health inequities, and systemic barriers impacting communities

✦  ✦ Qualifications & Hiring Information ✦  ✦

✧ Requirements:

  • Commitment to racial, gender, and economic justice

  • Strong understanding of the community and current context, gained through prior work, community relationships, or other life experiences

  • Strong planning and organizational skills

  • Solid time management skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple projects.

  • Excellent written and oral communication skills

  • Experience synthesizing public health concepts so that people can better understand.

  • Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team

  • Ability to establish positive, supportive, and trusting relationships with community members and to work collaboratively and effectively within our team

  • Ability to develop, adapt, and execute outreach plans

  • Ability to organize, collect, and document written information and prioritize work.

  • Fluency in Spanish and English

  • Possession of a driver’s license with a cleaning driving record (access to personal vehicle strongly preferred)

✧  Rate of pay: $27/hour

✧ Benefits:

  • 100% employer-covered healthcare, vision, and dental insurance premiums

  • Employer-covered AAA Membership

  • Education reimbursement

✧  Paid Time Off: 

  • 10 days of vacation time

  • 10 days of personal time

  • Seven paid holidays

  • Extended Breaks: 

    • Summer closure (2 weeks)

    • Thanksgiving (3 days)

    • Winter Break (1 week)

  • Portland Public Schools “No Student” Days (find the PPS calendar here)

✧  Anticipated start date: September 4, 2023 or sooner.

✧  Expected Hours: Full time (40 hr/week)

  • Generally Sunday to Thursday or Tuesday to Saturday, 9AM - 5PM

  • Evenings and weekends periodically required

✧  To apply, please send a cover letter, resumé, and references to Crystal (ccron@presentemaine.org) and CC Adriana (aortiz@presentemaine.org)

For more information or any questions, please visit presentemaine.org, email info@presentemaine.org, or contact 207-800-7453.