Gender Health Center Community Health Worker Sacramento, CA · Part time Company website

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The Gender Health Center (GHC) is a Trans and Global Majority- led nonprofit organization located on lands stewarded by the Plains Miwok and Nisenan peoples also known as Sacramento, CA. The GHC is dedicated to ending the pathologization of trans people and creating more equitable access to healthcare and resources through our programs, training, and direct services that prioritize the wellness and joy of Queer, Transgender, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (QTBIPOC). Our unwavering dedication lies in fostering radically hopeful, safer, and healthier futures for transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive people across all intersecting identities. The GHC provides access to affirming healthcare, counseling, and community programs that address our unique needs. Services provided by GHC include a free hormone clinic, mental health counseling, Mental Health Counseling Training Program, support groups and culturally specific community programs, HIV and STI testing and linkage to HIV healthcare, mobile harm reduction services, a hosted electrolysis clinic, legal assistance, advocacy, and resource referrals.

Through its advocacy efforts, the GHC has played a significant role in raising awareness about trans healthcare inequities and promoting policy changes to improve the rights and well-being of transgender community members. GHC has actively engaged with legislators, community leaders, and healthcare institutions to advocate for access to gender-affirming care, trans-inclusive policies, and equitable access to services. As GHC continues to evolve, the organization remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting access to gender-affirming care, resources, and health equity to support the empowerment of transgender and gender expansive persons to live authentically and thrive in our communities.

This team member will report directly to the Harm Reduction Program Manager. This is a part-time, non-exempt position. The Community Health Worker works an average of 24 hours per week, with a daytime M-F schedule (occasional monthly evening or weekend hours as-needed). The rate of compensation will be $28 per hour. The Community Health Worker is eligible for GHC’s employee benefits package.

Essential Responsibilities (including by not limited to)

Community Outreach & Participant Engagement

• Participate in weekly mobile outreach and community-based harm reduction services throughout Sacramento and surrounding communities.
• Build trusting relationships with participants through compassionate, nonjudgmental, and participant-centered engagement.
• Provide harm reduction education on overdose prevention, wound care, safer GAHT/HRT injection practices, and community health resources.
• Distribute harm reduction supplies, wound care materials, hygiene supplies, and educational resources.
• Identify participant strengths, goals, and immediate needs while supporting self-determined decision-making.
• Assist participants in accessing healthcare, behavioral health, MAT, housing, food, transportation, legal assistance, and other community resources.
• Conduct participant accompaniment and advocacy during appointments when appropriate.
• Identify emerging community concerns and communicate trends and service gaps to program leadership.

HIV Prevention & Health Navigation

• Conduct rapid HIV testing in accordance with California Department of Public Health certification requirements.
• Provide HIV prevention education and risk reduction counseling.
• Support PrEP education and enrollment by connecting participants with Gender Health Center Sexual Health Services and healthcare providers.
• Assist with referrals for confirmatory HIV testing, healthcare navigation, and ongoing prevention services.
• Promote routine sexual health screening and reduce barriers to HIV prevention services.

Outreach Operations

• Prepare the outreach van before scheduled community outreach events by loading supplies, organizing materials, and ensuring operational readiness.
• Assist with deliveries of harm reduction supplies to community partners and outreach locations.
• Support inventory management by tracking supply levels and notifying leadership of ordering needs.
• Pack kits, hygiene kits, wound care kits, and outreach materials.
• Assist with restocking outreach supplies and completing storage runs.
• Maintain clean, organized outreach and storage spaces.
• Support routine van maintenance by reporting maintenance concerns, assisting with vehicle cleaning, and ensuring readiness for outreach activities.

Community Partnerships & Collaboration

• Foster positive relationships with community partners and participants.
• Participate in community meetings and collaborative events as assigned.
• Attend CASEP Syringe Services Program meetings and California Department of Public Health Harm Reduction Huddles when appropriate.
• Work collaboratively with Gender Health Center staff to ensure participants receive coordinated services across programs.

Team Collaboration

• Participate actively in Harm Reduction Team meetings and agency-wide staff meetings.
• Provide regular updates regarding participant needs, outreach activities, and operational concerns.
• Collaborate with coworkers to improve outreach processes and participant experiences.
• Contribute ideas during departmental strategic planning discussions.
• Support a collaborative, respectful, and healing-centered workplace culture.

Professional Development

• Participate in required training related to harm reduction, overdose prevention, HIV prevention, trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, cultural humility, and community health work.
• Maintain required certifications, including HIV testing and counselor certification, overdose response training, Adult CPR/AED certification, Bloodborne Pathogens Training. 
• Remain informed about emerging public health issues, harm reduction best practices, and local community resources.
• Engage in reflective supervision and ongoing professional development opportunities.

Qualifications

Required

• Experience working in community outreach, public health, harm reduction, behavioral health, peer support, social services, or related community settings and/or lived experience as an impacted community member.
• Demonstrated commitment to harm reduction philosophy, health equity, trauma-informed care, and social justice.
• Experience working respectfully with 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities, people who use drugs, unhoused individuals, and historically marginalized populations.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Valid California driver's license and ability to travel throughout Sacramento County using agency vehicles.

Preferred

• Certified HIV Test Counselor or willingness to obtain certification
• Adult CPR/AED Certification or willingness to obtain certification
• Bloodborne Pathogens Training or willingness to obtain certification
• Experience with PrEP navigation or HIV prevention services or willingness to obtain certification
• Community Health Worker certification
• Lived experience navigating systems related to substance use, housing instability, healthcare, or behavioral health is strongly valued and welcomed
• Lived and/or living experience reflective of the communities we serve
• Bilingual or multilingual abilities reflective of the communities served

Physical Requirements - HIGH

The physical demands described below are representative of those that an employee must be able to perform to successfully carry out the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable employment law.

• Frequently stand, walk, bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, reach, stretch, twist, and move throughout indoor and outdoor work environments.
• Regularly lift, carry, push, and pull outreach supplies, equipment, and materials weighing up to 40–50 pounds.
• Load, unload, organize, and transport outreach materials, harm reduction supplies, hygiene kits, and storage containers between agency facilities, outreach vehicles, and community locations.
• Operate agency vehicles and safely enter and exit vehicles multiple times throughout the workday while conducting mobile outreach.
• Work for extended periods in a variety of community settings, including sidewalks, parks, encampments, parking lots, shelters, community centers, and other indoor and outdoor environments.
• Perform work outdoors during varying weather conditions, including exposure to Sacramento's high summer temperatures, cold, rain, wind, smoke, dust, and uneven terrain, while following agency safety protocols.
• Tolerate prolonged periods of standing, walking, and moderate physical activity during outreach events and community engagement activities.
• Use hands and fingers to assemble harm reduction kits, prepare supplies, perform rapid HIV testing, complete wound care support, and operate office and mobile technology.
• Read printed and electronic materials, communicate verbally with participants and team members, and accurately document services provided.
• Safely handle medical and harm reduction supplies using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and universal precautions.
• Respond appropriately to dynamic community environments, including situations requiring situational awareness, de-escalation, and adherence to organizational safety procedures.
• Maintain sufficient mobility and stamina to perform outreach activities throughout a scheduled workday, including frequent travel between outreach locations.

Working Conditions

• This position is primarily community-based and requires regular work outside of a traditional office environment. Employees should expect to work in neighborhoods throughout Sacramento County where conditions may include uneven walking surfaces, traffic, noise, limited access to climate-controlled environments, and interaction with community members experiencing homelessness, navigating distressing or traumatic circumstances, or other complex life situations. The Gender Health Center provides appropriate safety training and protocols to support staff working in these environments.