Entry Level Community Health Worker Jobs in California

Statement of Purpose 

Under the direct supervision of the Clinic Manager, the Community Health Worker (CHW) serves as a trusted liaison between patients, families, healthcare providers, and community resources within a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and/or Behavioral Health setting. The CHW supports patient engagement, health education, care coordination, outreach, navigation, and social support services to improve health outcomes and reduce barriers to care. This position works collaboratively with medical, behavioral health, care management, and community-based teams to promote patient-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and equitable healthcare services. 

Major Tasks, Duties and Responsibilities 

• Provide outreach, engagement, education, advocacy, and support services to patients and  community members. 

• Assist patients with navigation of healthcare systems, specialty referrals, social services, insurance programs, and community resources. 

• Support care coordination activities including appointment scheduling, referral follow-up, transportation coordination, and linkage to services. 

• Conduct screenings, intake activities, assessments, and patient interviews as assigned. 

• Provide health education related to preventive care, chronic disease management, behavioral health, maternal-child health, wellness, and healthy lifestyle practices. 

• Assist patients with registration, enrollment, consent forms, applications, and access to healthcare services. 

• Conduct outreach and follow-up regarding appointments, referrals, treatment adherence, preventive services, chronic disease management, and identified care gaps. 

• Document patient encounters, interventions, outreach activities, and referrals accurately within the Electronic Health Record (EHR) and applicable tracking systems. 

• Identify social determinants of health barriers impacting patient outcomes and assist with resource linkage and advocacy. 

• Collaborate with providers, behavioral health staff, care coordinators, case managers, and community partners to support patient care plans. 

• Participate in community outreach events, educational activities, support groups, and health promotion initiatives. 

• Assist with data collection, reporting, quality improvement activities, and program evaluation efforts. 

• Maintain confidentiality and compliance with HIPAA, HRSA, Medi-Cal, OSHA, and organizational policies and procedures. 

• Participate in safety programs to promote patient and staff safety.  

• Maintain professional boundaries and standards of conduct.  

• Treat patients with respect, care, and concern at all times.  

• Maintain health and safety standards within the facility.  

• Recognize personal biases and demonstrate cultural sensitivity when working with diverse populations.  

• Attend meetings, trainings, and participate in committees as assigned. 

• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Community Health Worker Competencies and Performance Expectations 

• Ability to complete the above major tasks, duties, and responsibilities. 

• Ability to demonstrate professional judgment and decision-making.  

• Ability to adhere to professional standards. 

• Demonstrates effective communication, customer service, and relationship-building skills.  

• Demonstrates strong advocacy, outreach, patient engagement, and healthcare navigation skills.  

• Demonstrates the ability to provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and patient-centered services.  

• Demonstrates knowledge of social determinants of health, community resources, and healthcare support programs.  

• Demonstrates strong organizational, documentation, and follow-through skills.  

• Demonstrates the ability to collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary care teams.  

• Demonstrates professionalism, accountability, confidentiality, and problem-solving skills.  

Prerequisite Qualifications 

The following are the qualifications required to perform the essential functions of this position.  Qualifications may be subject to modification based on the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

• High school diploma or equivalent required.  

• Community Health Worker certification or willingness to obtain certification preferred. 

• Experience working in community health, behavioral health, public health, healthcare, social services, outreach, or related field preferred. 

• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred. 

• Experience working in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) or community-based healthcare setting preferred. 

• Knowledge of community resources, Medi-Cal programs, and social service systems preferred. 

• Must have a valid California driver's license, reliable transportation, and liability insurance if driving a personal vehicle on BHS business. 

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and comply with HIPAA regulation 

• Vision, hearing, manual dexterity, and eye-hand coordination must be adequate for the performance of job duties. Able to sit at a desk, use a keyboard, write and physically perform other job duties. Able to move about the facility to observe clients and staff.