Community Outreach Associate - Gregg County

Organization Overview

The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) envisions a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive. The Children’s Defense Fund builds community so young people grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. We serve and advocate for the largest, most diverse generation in America: the 74 million children and youth under the age of 18 and 30 million young adults under the age of 25, with particular attention to those living in poverty and communities of color. CDF partners with policymakers, aligned organizations and funders in this service. The Children’s Defense Fund is the only national, multi-issue advocacy organization working at the intersection of child well-being and racial justice by wielding the moral authority of programmatic proximity and community organizing to inform public policy. For more information visit www.childrensdefense.org

Position Summary

Heavy Travel in the region

The Community Outreach Associate position will be tasked to work with the Outreach & Enrollment team in East Texas. This person will assist in activities to enroll uninsured children in health coverage through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Children’s Medicaid. They will assist with coordinating community-level, regional and school-based outreach and application assistance drives and events. This position will work closely with community, school, business and health partners to reduce the number of uninsured children in Texas. This position reports to the East Texas Health Outreach Program Director.

Responsibilities

• To assist the East Texas team in partnering with local school districts, child care providers, businesses, faith-based organizations, and community agencies to  identify uninsured children in the target counties and connect them to affordable healthcare options.
• Work with the East Texas Outreach and Enrollment team to create local strategies for enrolling uninsured children in CHIP, Children’s Medicaid and/or referring them to local clinics for care.
• Maintain regular communication with community partners via face-to-face meetings, email, and telephone calls.
• Work with the Program Director to create and distribute informational and public education materials for community partners.
• Assist in implementation of workshops and trainings for community partners.
• Be assigned to investigate and reach out to new communities that could benefit from the activities and assistance provided by the East Texas team.
• Help determine appropriate locations for maximum reach of target population
• Schedule, promote, and conduct public outreach events to raise awareness of CHIP/Medicaid benefits and attend regularly scheduled school and community events on behalf of CDF-Texas.
• Assist parents/caretakers directly with enrollment of eligible children for health benefits under Children’s Medicaid and CHIP.
• Work with the Program Director to recruit, train, and manage community volunteers and student interns.
• Collect data and assist in generating reports on health outreach activities and outcomes.
• To collaborate with CDF-Texas staff in developing and promoting accurate, timely, and informative materials for families the Community Outreach Worker will:  Assist with the development of promotional and educational materials.
• Collaborate with CDF-Texas staff on public messaging and dissemination of information.

Education and/or experience

• Bachelor’s Degree and at least two years of relevant experience preferred. Community Health Worker Certification preferred. Preferred Qualifications.
• Familiarity with target counties (Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Rusk, Nacogdoches, Panola, San Augustine, Smith and Gregg)
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) strongly desired.