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Community Education Specialist

Employer
City Of Alexandria Virginia
Location
Alexandria, VA
Salary
$49,101.00 - $54,132.78 Annually
Closing date
Nov 16, 2019

Job Details

Community Education Specialist

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. About one-quarter of the City's square miles have been designated as a national or local historic district. We proudly embrace our rich history and seize the endless opportunities that lie ahead. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Community Education Specialist position in our Health Department.

An Overview
The Community Education Specialist works with teens and is primarily responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing individual (one-on-one) and group health education, counseling and community-awareness programs as well as coordinating outreach activities within the Teen Wellness Center. Employees in this class also collaborate with other community partners, make oral presentations to a variety of groups, and act as a resource for the multidisciplinary staff in the Teen Wellness Center. Employees are allowed considerable latitude and independence in developing educational and training programs with final approval for all activities resting with the Teen Wellness Center NP Supervisor and/or the Health Director or Nurse Manager.

What You Should Bring
The ideal candidate should have the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:
  • Experience demonstrating leadership in community outreach.
  • Experience working with teens - ideally in counseling/mentoring/teaching role.
  • Experience in making oral presentations to diverse groups.
  • Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with other professionals and with the general public, both orally and in writing
  • Ability to work with developed evidence-based programs targeting the adolescent population.
  • Knowledge of child and adolescent growth and development.
  • Knowledge of adolescent risky behaviors, including teen pregnancy, STI's and substance abuse and is able to provide individual counseling, testing and referral to appropriate Teen Wellness Center staff and/or community agencies.
  • Knowledge of adolescent nutrition and health needs.

The Opportunity - Examples of Work
  • Plan, coordinate and implement evidence-based prevention and/or early intervention programs and practices that serve to prevent youth risk behaviors (including teen pregnancy) and support the youth's educational success.
  • Assist the TWC clinic with data collection for programs such as Continued Quality Assurance projects, Family Planning grant requirements, and the yearly Customer Satisfaction Survey.
  • Independently collaborate with community partners (ACPS, ACAP, etc.) to plan, promote and implement events and programs that will benefit Alexandria City youth and promote TWC services to eligible youth, city and school staff and parents in the community.
  • Make oral presentations on youth health topics and Teen Wellness Center services to various groups in the school setting (e.g. collaborate with classroom teachers and healthcare providers [school nurses] to provide group health education in a classroom setting)
  • Provide individualized counseling for TWC patients about confidential issues and health education topics, and provide individual (one-on-one) testing and counseling for STI and HIV prevention.
  • Collaborate and support TWC healthcare providers with outreach and care at the TWC satellite clinics, T.C. Williams's Minnie Howard campus and other sites as needed within the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS).
  • Recruit youth for the TWC Teen Health Advisory Board and provide leadership for participants related to outreach, TWC evaluation of services, and educational events.
  • Manage the TWC text appointment line daily and helps to update and maintain TWC web page
  • Travel often within the City of Alexandria to attend evening and/or weekend community meetings
  • Perform related work as required.


About the Department
Alexandria Health Department (AHD) is one of 35 health districts in Virginia. As part of the Virginia Department of Health, AHD serves the residents, businesses, and visitors of Alexandria and works closely with the City of Alexandria and community partners to achieve its mission and vision. AHD's mission is "Protecting and Promoting Health and Well-Being in Our Communities" and our vision is "Healthy People, Healthier Communities." We view "health" in the broadest sense and this drives our path towards continuous health improvement with a focus on equity of the social determinants of health.

AHD's Teen Wellness Center (TWC) was established to empower teens to lead healthful lives and to ensure that each and every Alexandrian teen succeeds physically, emotionally, socially and academically by collaboratively providing an easily accessible wellness center located within TC Williams High School. TWC is a small, integrated operation where health professionals and adjunct staff persons work together to provide a welcoming environment for teens who seek important health services and information.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

  • Two years of college-level course work (e.g. two years of continuing education in adolescent health education)
  • And two years of professional or paraprofessional experience in health education or related field,
  • Or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.


Preferred Qualifications

  • Three or more years of professional or paraprofessional experience in a field or occupation relevant to health education in child and adolescent health or related field
  • Reliable means of transportation
  • Knowledge of local area health, legal, social, and other community services.
  • English/Spanish Language fluency


Notes

This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment background checks including but not limited to state and federal criminal history background check, driving record check, National Sex Offender Registry check, U.S. DHHS IG Exclusion report and GSA search.

Company

The City of Alexandria is an award-winning, innovative, and progressive local government that brings together elected leaders, residents, businesses, and staff to foster a thriving community.  We are an independent, full-service city, providing the services typically operated by both counties and cities in areas such as public safety, transportation, human services, parks and recreation, planning, and administration. We offer a wide range of exciting career opportunities in a variety of fields, with the resources and expertise to succeed.  In Alexandria, employees are our most important asset, and we work hard to create and support a culture that delivers excellence through the shared values of respect, integrity, teamwork and continuous improvement.

Our employees have access to excellent medical, dental, vision, life insurance and other benefits.  Alexandria provides a defined-benefit pension and offers six weeks of paid parental leave to employees who become parents through birth, adoption or foster care.

We offer a robust wellness program, interdepartmental rotation program, tuition assistance funding and professional development program that helps employees obtain the knowledge, skills, qualifications and experience to enhance their professional and personal growth.

With a population of approximately 160,000 and a land area of 16 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Located on the Potomac River across from Washington, D.C., Alexandria is known for its beautifully preserved 18th- and 19th-century architecture, charming waterfront, high-tech economy, vibrant retail and restaurant corridors and diverse neighborhoods. We are a unique and historic community, and we continue to innovate for the 21st century.

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