NYC DEPT OF HEALTH/MENTAL HYGIENE
**Amended office title on 7/12/2022**
Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (the NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the country. Our mission is to protect and improve the health of all New Yorkers, in service of a vision of a city in which all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, how old they are, where they are from, or where they live.
As a world-renowned public health agency with a history of building transformative public health programming and infrastructure, innovating in science and scholarship to advance public health knowledge, and responding to urgent public health crises — from New York City’s yellow fever outbreak in 1822, to the COVID-19 pandemic — we are a hub for public health innovation, expertise, and programs, and services. We serve as the population health strategist, and policy, and planning authority for the City of New York, while also having a vast impact on national and international public policy, including programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and racial and social justice work, among others.
Our Agency’s five strategic priorities, building off a recently-completed strategic planning process emerging from the COVID-19 emergency, are:
1) To re-envision how the Health Department prepares for and responds to health emergencies, with a focus on building a “response-ready” organization, with faster decision-making, transparent public communications, and stronger surveillance and bridges to healthcare systems 2) Address and prevent chronic and diet-related disease, including addressing rising rates of childhood obesity and the impact of diabetes, and transforming our food systems to improve nutrition and enhance access to healthy foods
3) Address the second pandemic of mental illness including: reducing overdose deaths, strengthening our youth mental health systems, and supporting people with serious mental illness
4) Reduce black maternal mortality and make New York a model city for women’s health
5) Mobilize against and combat the health impacts of climate change
Our 7,000-plus team members bring extraordinary diversity to the work of public health. True to our value of equity as a foundational element of all of our work, and a critical foundation to achieving population health impact in New York City, the NYC Health Department has been a leader in recognizing and dismantling racism’s impacts on the health of New Yorkers and beyond. In 2021, the NYC Board of Health declared racism as a public health crisis. With commitment to advance anti-racist public health practices that dismantle systems that perpetuate inequitable power, opportunity and access, the NYC Health Department continues to work in and with communities and community organizations to increase their access to health services and decrease avoidable health outcomes.
PROGRAM AND JOB DESCRIPTION:
The Bureau of Community Engagement Policy, and Practice (CEPP) leads cross-cutting policy, practice change, and research; engages and supports community action; and invites and includes peer perspectives to integrate equitable access to behavioral health across sectors and settings. CEPP is organized into six offices including Behavioral Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, Community Engagement and Training, Consumer Affairs, Data Aggregation, Translation and Analytics, Neighborhood Response Unit, and Policy and Practice. Key programs, initiatives, and collaborations include Connections to Care: Building Resilience for Youth, Community Covid Conversations (3C), Behavioral Health Parity Project, Commercial Insurance Behavioral Health Access Project, NYC Project Hope, Resilience and Emotional Support Team (REST), Justice Peer Initiative, and the Mayor’s Subway Safety Plan.
The Neighborhood Response Unit will employ a multidisciplinary community engagement approach to prevent the emergence of mental health and substance use challenges in neighborhoods that evidence the poorest health and social outcomes, as well as to intervene and/or mobilize community assets during acute and ongoing crises.
NRU’s initial work will include full participation in the Mayor’s Priority Subway Safety Plan.
The NRU navigator is an individual with lived experience who will utilize their direct lived experience with homelessness, mental health, substance use and/or criminal justice system to enhance client engagement and support. The NRU navigator will conduct outreach, education, and engagement of people who may use drugs, have mental health needs, and/or have housing needs in the identified areas and use their lived experience to build rapport.
Schedule
There will be two schedules available. Sunday-Thursday 11a-7pm and Tues-Saturday 11a-7pm
We will do our best to accommodate scheduling.
1st Week all staff will work Monday to Friday remotely and receive new hire training. All trainings will be remote via zoom or online
Weeks 2 and 3 for two weeks staff will begin to deploy into the field for shadowing
o Still will shadow on their respective days/times either Sunday to Tuesday or Thursday to Saturday
Week 4 staff will be paired in teams and will begin their outreach assignment
Health Navigator Role:
The Outreach Worker will conduct outreach, education, and engagement of people who may use drugs, have mental health needs, and/or have housing needs in the identified areas and use their lived experience to build rapport
Each team will be comprised of two staff
Teams will be assigned to one location and will work at that location for the duration of the assignment to allow for rapport building and consistency
Teams will conduct outreach, provide education and counseling around public consumption and mental health, offer naloxone distribution and overdose education, will provide immediate referral and connection to services (housing, substance use treatment, mobile vaccination clinic)
Teams will collaborate with DHS, NYPD, local Community Based Organizations and local Syringe Service Programs to assist in connection to treatment and/or housing
By the end of the shift, each team must complete data entry
Safety and Support
Each team/staff will have options for transportation that will be discussed during training to ensure safety
PPE will be provided to all staff as needed
All staff will be assigned a DOHMH shirt to wear while conducting this assignment
All staff will receive an in-person training as well as two weeks of field outreach training
All staff will participate in a weekly supervision/check-in meeting to ensure communication, consistency of work and services being provided
Supervisors will be available both in office and in the field
Minimum Qual Requirements
1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
2. High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to “1” or “2” above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in “1” above.
Preferred Skills
Looking for individuals with lived experience who are willing and able to share that experience
Utilize direct lived experience with homelessness, mental health, substance use and/or criminal justice system to enhance client engagement and support
Passionate about social justice & health equity
Committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture with law enforcement, city agencies and other social service partners
Experience navigating NYC’s mental health, substance use, and criminal justice systems.
Familiarity and openness to the principles of harm reduction
Ability to work effectively as part of a team
Willingness to travel within the five boroughs
Ability to maintain appropriate professional and client level relationships
Proficient in the use of computers and software
Creative problem-solver who enjoys working on a fast-paced team, is highly motivated and able to coordinate multiple priorities
2 years of experience providing support & services to vulnerable populations, particularly people with health, mental health, and substance abuse issues.
Additional Information
**IMPORTANT NOTES TO ALL CANDIDATES:
Please note: If you are called for an interview you will be required to bring to your interview copies of original documentation, such as:
A document that establishes identity for employment eligibility, such as: A Valid U.S. Passport, Permanent Resident Card/Green Card, or Driver’s license.
Proof of Education according to the education requirements of the civil service title.
Current Resume
Proof of Address/NYC Residency dated within the last 60 days, such as: Recent Utility Bill (i.e. Telephone, Cable, Mobile Phone)
Additional documentation may be required to evaluate your qualification as outlined in this posting’s “Minimum Qualification Requirements” section. Examples of additional documentation may be, but not limited to: college transcript, experience verification or professional trade licenses.
If after your interview you are the selected candidate you will be contacted to schedule an on-boarding appointment. By the time of this appointment you will be asked to produce the originals of the above documents along with your original Social Security card.
**LOAN FORGIVENESS
As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at StudentAid.gov/PSLF.
“FINAL APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT & BUDGET APPROVAL”
To Apply
Apply online with a cover letter to https://a127-jobs.nyc.gov/. In the Job ID search bar, enter: job ID number # 581056.
We appreciate the interest and thank all applicants who apply, but only those candidates under consideration will be contacted.
The NYC Health Department is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and culturally responsive workforce. We strongly encourage people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and gender non-conforming persons to apply.
All applicants will be considered without regard to actual or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, age, prior record of arrest; or any other basis prohibited by law.
NOTE: This position is open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate in your resume that you would like to be considered for the position under the 55-a Program.
Residency Requirement
New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.