Job Description

Posting number: 07602

Department: Public Health Department

Division: Health Equity and Strategic Initiatives

Job classification: Tobacco Cessation Navigator

Posting type: Regular

Categories: Community Services, Mental Health, Public Health, Professional, Miscellaneous

The Tobacco Cessation Navigator (TCN) is part of the Community and Behavioral Health (CBH) Unit within Adams County Health Department’s (ACHD) Strategic Health Initiatives Division (SHI). The TCN is instrumental to creating healthy communities in Adams County through facilitating work related to improving in-home environmental health conditions within multi-unit housing settings and promoting evidence-based secondhand smoke prevention and cessation education within ACHD’s chronic disease prevention work. This position contributes to tobacco and nicotine grant-funded prevention, policy, and systems change work that addresses the social determinants of health impacting Adams County. This role leads and participates in the promotion of smoke-free policy adoption, expanding access to cessation resources, and reducing secondhand smoke exposure through proactive education, training, and support for tenants and housing providers in multi-unit housing settings in Adams County. This position completes all grant monitoring and reporting using a critical eye and attention to detail.

Examples of duties

Partner Engagement and Community Outreach (65%): Lead partner engagement and community outreach with identified multi-unit housing settings and housing providers to execute evidence-informed, culturally and geographically relevant shared risk and protective factor health strategies that support tobacco and nicotine prevention and cessation activities.

• Identifies and recruits low-income and subsidized housing provider along the East Colfax Corridor and in collaboration with Maiker Housing Partners, with support from the ACHD Housing Stability Coordinator, to implement the Smoke-Free Multi-unit Housing and Integrated Cessation Support Program.
• Works closely with identified multi-unit housing settings and housing providers to recruit tenants, collect data, provide individual and group counseling, develop quit plans, and connect participants to STEPP-funded cessation resources.
• Responds to 100% of secondhand smoke complaints in the identified multi-unit housing settings.
• Supports a wide range of perspectives, builds, and maintains relationships with tenants and housing providers as well as partner organizations to understand community assets and priorities, creates connections across organizations, and ensures achievement of program objectives.
• Maintains active working knowledge of the social determinants of health, principles and practices of community outreach, the principles of population-based health promotion and disease prevention; principles and practices of community engagement and developing community partnerships and policies in multi-unit housing settings.
• Exercises moderate decision-making latitude and works independently while consulting with staff at various levels, from entry level to executives and elected officials.
• Initiates and conducts ongoing quality improvement that support the implementation of grant-funded prevention, policy and systems change work, completes all grant-related progress reports and documentation, and actively participates in all grantee meetings and trainings.
• Engages with policy makers and advocacy groups and communicates effectively, both verbally and in writing, to inform, educate and advise housing providers, the community, elected officials, government officials and internal partners, including presenting data to inform local policy initiatives considered by City Councils, Mayors, County Commissioners, and other community partners.

Capacity Building and Training (25%): Deliver and support the Healthy Landlords for Healthy Smoke-Free Communities curriculum collaboratively with identified housing partners, ensuring culturally relevant messaging.

• Implements Healthy Landlords for Healthy Smoke-Free Communities (HLHSC) through trainings and technical assistance to help community-based housing providers (ie: those along the East Colfax Corridor and Maiker Housing Partners) meet smoke-free policy requirements using trauma-informed, tenant-stabilizing approaches.

• Creates, adapts, and disseminates culturally relevant content for priority audiences.

• Collaborates internally and externally, with multiple partners, building trust to provide interested/affected groups with education on evidence-based strategies and best-practices in tobacco and nicotine prevention and cessation programs.
• Ensures that community voices, decision-making processes, and local policy approaches involve the impacted community.
• Demonstrates leadership abilities, including educating, mentoring, training, and developing colleagues and community partners in program related areas.

Other Duties (10%):

• Supports program development, grant writing, and grant implementation, to advance the work in the community.
• Prepares written materials and presents program updates for the public, other government agencies and elected officials.
• Performs both internal and external work in a way that represents and is effective within the various communities we serve.
• Regularly assesses work and supports changes to remove obstacles, build systems that address unfair differences, and integrate fairness into all areas of work.
• Creates and maintains partnerships and processes that support, integrate, and celebrate unique and fair engagement into all aspects of Adams County Health Department work.
• Performs other duties as assigned and required.
• Responds, as required, to support public health emergencies, incidents, and events.
• Participates in all exercises and drills on emergency preparedness, as required.
• Completes emergency preparedness and response trainings as appropriate for this level of employee within the health department.
• Maintains sensitive and confidential client information according to the HIPAA policy and Title X confidentiality requirements.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of the socioecological model of behavior change and how environmental, social and policy influences on health align to create change.
• Knowledge of Social determinants of health, their impact upon health, and strategies to address them within community settings.
• Knoweldge of techniques and best practices related to engaging and mobilizing communities, culturally relevant messaging, community engagement, coalition building and developing community partnerships.
• Skills to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other ACHD employees, representatives of other agencies/organizations, and members of the community.
• Ability to conduct community needs assessment, program development, and evaluation techniques.
• Ability to present information in a variety of settings with different stakeholders within the community both internal and external to the organization.
• Knowledge of Microsoft operating system computer, Internet and spreadsheet functions and resources.

Supplemental information

Education & Training

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Public Health, Environmental Health, Health Education, Public Policy, Social Work, or a closely related field.
• Certified Health Education Specialist preferred.

Experience

• Four (4) years of experience working with communities, local government, policy makers and/or government entities to measurably improve health and social outcomes or a related field.

Education Substitution
Relevant experience maybe substituted for education on a year-for-year basis. The following combinations meet the minimum qualifications:

• High school diploma (or equivalent) + 8 years of related experience
• Associate degree + 6 years of related experience
• Master's degree + 2 years of related experience

Comparable experience with substance use treatment, poverty and homelessness, and/or behavioral health may count for up to one (1) year towards combined experience requirement.

*If you would like your comparable experience to be considered for Qualifications for Success, please respond to the prompts in the Questions section.

Other Qualifications:

• Bilingual preferred.
• Must pass criminal background & MVR check.
• Valid Colorado Driver's License.