Community Health Worker - CAC

Position Summary

The Community Health Worker - CAC (CHW-CAC) provides fair, accurate, and impartial information and provides enrollment assistance activities for eligible health center patients and service area residents into affordable health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplaces, Medicaid, or Medicare, in accordance with the Heartland Health Services’ (HHS) mission, strategic goals, federal and state laws and regulations, performance and outcome objectives, and accreditation standards.

Essential Functions

• Demonstrate and maintain expertise in eligibility and enrollment rules and procedures, the range of qualified health plan options, and insurance affordability programs to address the needs of the hard to reach, homeless, uninsured, and underinsured populations.
• Conduct outreach through case finding/recruitment of individuals, families, and community partners through events, follow-up services, and community groups.
• Conduct health promotion and disease prevention education of participants and community (e.g., enrollment assistance to provide health education and confirm patients understand how to access care and use their coverage).
• Document all consumer, patients, and community encounters in EPiC and maintain confidentiality and accurate reporting.
• Travels to designated counties, various locations to perform outreach as required

Job Qualifications

• COVID-19 Vaccination REQUIRED
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Bi-lingual in Spanish and English preferred, but not required.
• Community Health Worker (CHW) certification/Navigator Certification, required or obtainable within 6 months of employment.
• SHIP certification, required or obtainable within 6 months of employment.
• Certified Application Counselor license required or obtainable within 6 months of employment.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in healthcare coverage and community resources.

• Ability to effectively communicate within and across departments and community at large.

• Ability to comply with applicable federal and state training requirements.

• Own vehicle, valid driver’s license and auto insurance.

Benefits Offered:

• 9 Paid Holidays (separate from PTO)
• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Generous PTO
• 401K match
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Pet Insurance

Heartland Health Services is an example of how a community addresses its share of a nation-wide problem: a growing segment of the population, spanning all ages, lacks access to health care. The working poor, unemployed, and children are among those affected. When faced with a need for care many do without because they have no insurance, little or no money, and are ineligible for government assistance programs.

The physicians of Peoria Medical Society viewed this problem with increasing concern and appointed a task force to study the issue. It was found that many people in the community shared these concerns and were willing to work towards a solution.

After months of study, the medical, business, and religious communities of Peoria worked together to develop Heartland Health Services located at 600 NE Monroe Street, Peoria, IL.

The clinic began offering medical services on December 10, 1991. The clinic was primarily staffed by volunteers with only one paid employee. The primary care physicians who worked in the clinic, the specialists to whom they referred, the nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and clerical personnel were all donating their time and services. Most of the supplies and equipment used in the clinic were donated. Peoria’s three hospitals provided diagnostic testing and inpatient services at no charge to the patient on a monthly rotation.

Heartland Health Services (HHS) was designated as a federally qualified health center (FQHC) on February 1, 2004. Its targeted population includes the largest concentration of low-income adults and children and the greatest percentage of minorities, uninsured, underinsured, medically indigent and homeless within the city of Peoria and the larger Tri-county region. Heartland’s receives support of the local healthcare systems, the medical schools, community partners and the local businesses.

Heartland employs approximately 195 employees to provide primary medical care to nearly 22,403 unduplicated patients annually. The community health center’s main site is located at 1701 W. Garden, in the south end of Peoria. Downtown bisects Peoria’s high-poverty and high-minority population, which are concentrated in the north and south valleys and increasing in the East Bluff with the same population pools. Heartland added a second primary site located at 711 W. John Gwynn Jr. Ave. was established in  May 2006. An additional community health center site was added in August 2007 to the East Bluff,  located at 2321 N. Wisconsin Avenue.

This site was expanded in June 2009 to provide additional medical exam rooms. During calendar year 2013, 34,451 visits were provided to 11,645 unduplicated patients. As of February 3, OSF Sisters Clinic became a part of Heartland Health Services. By working together, the two clinics – supported by UICOMP physician residency program, can do more for the medically under-served in the Peoria area for those seeking primary health care services.

This partnership eliminated duplication of efforts and allowed all three organizations to continue to provide efficient and effective Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care services. The addition of the Armstrong location added over 80 staff members seeing over 8,799 patients per year.