Public Health Advocate II

The Environmental & Occupational Health (EOH) Division works with individuals, community groups, small businesses, and others to prevent or eliminate adverse health impacts from environmental factors at home, work, school, and in public spaces. The Public Health Advocate II (PHA II) position supports the BPHC mission and EOH Division activities by working with Division Inspectors to provide in-home education, case management services, and connection to resources for clients impacted by environmental hazards. The PHA II will also provide outreach, education, and technical assistance to small businesses on pollution prevention and worker health protection.
Finally, the PHA II will take part in community outreach efforts and classroom training sessions offered by EOH. This will all be done in partnership with programs across EOH and the Commission as a whole.

Duties:

• Works to help BPHC advance as an antiracist organization by meeting or exceeding the standards set by the BPHC Anti-Racism Policy.
• Conducts home visits to provide in-home education, case management, and connection to resources for clients of EOH.
• Helps connect residents to programs and services that promote health and advocates for residents’ access to services that provide basic needs, education, housing, health care and counseling assistance.
• Attends community events including but not limited to block parties, community meetings, health fairs, food distribution sites, vaccine clinics, etc. to provide information about EOH programs/topics and serve as a community liaison.
• Develops and fosters relationships with community- and faith-based organizations.
• Conducts outreach to businesses, community organizations, and others to provide one-on-one and group education/training in topics covered by EOH.
• Provides culturally competent outreach and education.
• Assists small businesses in connecting to knowledge and resources to protect the health of their workers, reduce pollution, and mitigate climate impacts.
• Facilitates/conducts formal training classes offered by EOHs.
• Prepares all necessary reports.
• Maintain accurate, legible and current documentation of case management, outreach, and engagement.
• Performs other duties as required.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of or willingness to learn about the role of public health in addressing racism, the social determinants of health, and inequities in health outcomes as well as strategies to advance racial justice and health equity.
• Commitment to health equity and racial/social justice issues.
• High school or GED required, BA/BS preferred.
• Experience in community outreach, case management, health care, social service, or public health required.
• Demonstrated cultural competence working with diverse ethnicities, cultures, and socio-economic groups.
• Good organizational skills with the ability to develop timelines, meet deadline, and be autonomous.
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated ability to work with computers for task management (use of Outlook email and calendar, Microsoft Teams, and similar) and careful record keeping (Word, Excel, use of a case tracking database, etc.)
• Must be available to work flexible hours including weekends and evenings on occasion.
• Travel to homes and businesses throughout Boston neighborhoods is required and the PHA II must have daily access to a personal vehicle and valid driver’s license for such travel.
• Prior experience facilitating small group meetings, classroom instruction, or family case management support preferred.
• Knowledge/experience of local community-based organizations, Boston neighborhoods/communities, and/or the Boston Public Health Commission is preferred.
• Bilingual candidates strongly preferred.