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Street Medicine Peer Support Worker

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department -
Tacoma, WA

Job Details

Full-time
$29.23 - $31.30 an hour

Qualifications

Driver's License
Video conferences (communication methods)

Full Job Description

Job Summary

Are you ready to use your unique life experience to connect with people, build deep trust, and save lives? The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is looking for a passionate Street Medicine Peer Support Worker to meet people exactly where they are. In this role, you will work as a Health Promotion Technician with our Street Medicine Program. This is a full-time, 1.0 FTE project position within our Strengthening Families Division. This position is funded through 12/31/2027 and budgeted for a starting salary ranging from $29.23 - $31.30 hourly.

The Street Medicine Peer Support Worker will play a key role in providing essential services to individuals experiencing homelessness in Tacoma. This position involves working directly with the unsheltered community, driving and operating outreach vehicles (cargo van and RV), packing, organizing, and distributing supplies, connecting patients to resources. The Street Medicine Peer Support Worker will also help build and maintain community partnerships and ensure a positive, compassionate, and trauma-informed approach to outreach. This position requires flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to work in all weather conditions while navigating the complexities of homelessness.

This technical classification is responsible for supporting community health promotion and program objectives. Work involves coordinating services with clients, customers, and community partners, and providing education and training. This role also provides administrative and on-the-ground support for Health Department programs.

Distinguishing Characteristics
This position is a technical classification under the direction of a lead, supervisor, or program manager, whose work supports the Health Promotion Coordinator (HPC) series. An employee assigned to this classification will work semi-independently with close supervision. Work requires strict adherence to well-defined directives, instructions, and procedures.

Position Series

Health Promotion Technician
Health Promotion Coordinator I
Health Promotion Coordinator II
Health Promotion Coordinator III

Career Path Options
Options to continue your career at the Health Department depend on your interest, education, and training. Possibilities beyond include:

Office Administrator
Communications Specialist I, II
Executive Assistant II
Technical Assistant

Essential Functions

Provides administrative and on-the-ground support for community-based outreach and education activities.
Collects, enters, tracks, and reports program activity data for grants and program delivery measurables.
Assist with scheduling, coordination, and set-up of community-based outreach, events, and education activities. Provides logistics support for community events, including but not limited to advertisement, invitations, setting up virtual or in-person meeting spaces, event set up, and note taking.
Attends community events and assists HPC’s in distributing informational materials.

Examples of Key Duties
The items in this section are the key duties and responsibilities for this job and do not represent an exhaustive list. Our organization is dynamic, and duties may change based on business needs. Any new duties will remain within the scope of the job.

Provides administrative and on-the-ground support for community-based outreach and education activities.
Collects, enters, tracks, and reports program activity data for grants and program delivery measurables.
Assist with scheduling, coordination, and set up of community-based outreach, events, and education activities. Provides logistics support for community events, including but not limited to advertisement, invitations, setting up virtual or in-person meeting spaces, event set up, and note taking.
Attends community events and assists HPC’s in distributing informational materials.
Coordinates with department staff and community partners to gather and maintain accurate program data.
Helps with the development and maintenance of accurate and culturally appropriate resources, training, and promotion materials.
Works with administrative staff to monitor, track, and maintain program-specific supply inventory.
Uses purchasing card to make purchases for assigned program.
The work you do might require you to participate in the Title XIX Medicaid Claiming Program.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Safety & Emergency Preparedness

Adheres to all workplace and trade safety laws, regulations, standards, and practices.
Understands and properly follows established procedures in preventing and responding to unsafe or emergency situations. Identifies and reports potentially unsafe practices or conditions.
Operates equipment, tools, machinery, and vehicles safely and understands processes for reporting an accident or injury.
Understands and applies knowledge and skills necessary to successfully perform assigned emergency response role during an emergency.

When public health responds to an emergency, you may be assigned duties and responsibilities that are outside your regular job description. This may involve responding at any time and reporting to a location other than the department with different working conditions and physical requirements. You are expected to participate in emergency preparedness activities including our emergency notification system, WA SECURES. Drills and real-world events may take place at any time.

For a full description of the classification specification click here.

What you bring to the table

Intermediate knowledge of standard Microsoft Office programs, databases, virtual meeting software
Skilled in marketing principles and presentation techniques for culturally diverse audiences.
Attention to detail, accuracy, and proof-reading skills.
Strong organizational skills
Skilled in maintaining sensitive and confidential data and using discretion when sharing information.
Skilled in communication:
- Listens to others and communicates in an effective manner.
- Asks questions in ways that enhance the clarity, quality, and reliability of information.
- Understands and learns from what others say, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
- Grasps the meaning of written information and applies it to work situations.
- Conveys ideas and facts using language the audience will best understand, taking into consideration the audience and nature of the information.
- Writes in a clear, concise, and organized manner for the intended audience.

Foundational Competencies

Knowing and managing oneself: Understands that all equity, trauma-informed, and restorative practices start with oneself. Exercises a high degree of self-reflection, personal accountability, resilience, flexibility, and adaptability. Is willing to learn, apply, and model agency values and ethical standards.
Restorative practices and conflict resolution: Articulates through words and actions authentic commitment to create an environment in which all people are treated with dignity and respect and afforded equal opportunities and impartial treatment. Centers work inequity and trauma informed and restorative practices to achieve and maintain collaboration and teamwork and to effectively work with historically underrepresented and/or underserved populations to advance community health. Utilizes restorative practices to address harm and promote healing to strengthen relationships between individuals and social connections within communities.
Collaboration and engagement: Provides balanced and objective information to help teammates, partners, and the public understand problems, alternatives, opportunities, and solutions. Works directly with partners within the Department, in the community, and members of the public affected by the work to obtain feedback and understand diverse points of view, concerns, and aspirations. Identifies preferred solutions together, incorporating advice and recommendations to the maximum extent possible.
Evidence informed practices and decision-making: Applies evidence informed practices and methodologies to achieve the greatest impact in delivery of services to internal and external customers and partners. Incorporates the social determinants of health into public health work. Integrates research and evidence into the decision-making process. Seeks to systematically identify and eliminate inequities resulting in differences in health and in overall living conditions. Utilizes evidence informed practices to increase equity in systems and policy. Creates a robust culture of assessment and evaluation and continuous process improvement.
Cross cultural communication and engagement: Understands that cultural awareness, appreciation, and humility can only occur when you practice curiosity and open-mindedness. Operates with a high level of humility and cultural agility to achieve effective intercultural communication, engagement, and collaboration in the workplace and in the community. Is open to feedback and continuously self-reflects on one’s own actions and responses. Centers personal accountability on the Department’s mission, values, and ethical standards.

Who should apply

The items below are the requirements for the job and are relevant to this position. The organization values work experience, lived experience, and education and realizes that people take different paths to acquire knowledge.

Associate’s degree.
1 year of experience in a community health, medical office, or community-based organization.

We will consider any equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the necessary qualifications to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Professional Certifications, Licensure, and Other Requirements
We require or prefer the below for this classification.

Valid driver’s license and acceptable driver’s abstract required prior to employment.
Certified Peer Support (ability to become certified within the first 8 months).
WA Healthplanfinder Navigator Certification (or ability to become certified within first 8 months).

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

Work Environment

Work is performed in a variety of settings: in an office, out in the community, nursing facilities, cultural centers, homeless encampments, roadsides, wooded trails, etc. Exposure to hazards is limited to those commonly found in office environments and in the community.
Work may be performed outdoors in a variety of weather conditions, including heat, humidity, snow, and rain, leading to exposure to hazards related to heat or cold exposure.
The potential for dealing with dissatisfied, inebriated and/or emotional, or angry customers exists requiring skills in conflict resolution.

Physical and Cognitive Demands

Regularly required to sit or stand continuously.
Regularly communicate clearly in-person, over the phone, and via written communication, including communicating with dissatisfied or angry individuals.
Capable of reading physical and electronic documents and working for prolonged periods on a computer monitor.
Fine motor skills sufficient to grip and manipulate paper and operate a telephone, computer mouse and keyboard, and complete a trigger pull motion.
Reaching and gross manipulation capabilities sufficient to pick up and use standard office supplies.
1-3 times per month, reaching overhead for tent setup and frequently stooping.
Frequently required to perform work outdoors in a variety of weather conditions, including heat, rain, and cold.
May require walking/traversing up to 1/2 mile (ie: from parking to the booth) at community events while transporting supplies.
This position may require lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, or moving objects up to 50 pounds.
Frequently operate a motor vehicle locally in any lighting conditions and various weather conditions, including rain.
Maintain concentration and attention for extended periods of time.
Regularly maintain situational awareness of surroundings to identify and address potential safety issues.
Regularly work effectively in the presence of visual, auditory, or other distractions.
Work effectively when exposed to workplace stressors, such as emotional and/or confrontational individuals.
Learn, recall, and apply specialized information.

Tools and Equipment

Duties require the use of standard office furniture and equipment (e.g., desk, filing cabinet, computer, printer, telephone, copy machine, etc.)
Driving Large vehicles (including a cargo van and an RV) transporting staff and volunteers to include.
Some positions may require the use of specialty equipment (e.g. XRF tools, large printers, etc.)
Hand trucks

Travel

Travel is required (80% of the time), and is typically local or regional, to meet with clients, conduct business, or attend training.

Click Here for more details on reasonable accommodations, safety, risk management and more.

Job Summary

What you bring to the table

Who should apply

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

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