CHW/Patient Navigator/Phlebotomist

Position Summary

The Phlebotomist and Community Health Worker/Patient Navigator (CHW) is an essential member of the HIV Prevention Team (HIP Lab), serving a diverse patient population, including individuals living with HIV and those at increased risk for HIV, HCV, and other STIs. This role supports patients throughout the continuum of care, from prevention and testing to linkage, treatment support, and long-term engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct outreach in community settings (e.g., residential programs, shelters, local organizations) to build trust, provide education, and expand access to care for populations facing structural barriers, stigma, or limited healthcare access.
• Work with individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, linguistic, gender, and sexual identity backgrounds.
• Identify and recruit patients for services.
• Provide counseling, health education, and harm reduction support.
• Assist with care navigation and addressing barriers such as insurance access, medication affordability, and social determinants of health
• Support medication access, including application and enrollment assistance.
• Link patients to HIV care or prevention services (PrEP, PEP, etc.) and provide ongoing follow-up.
• Perform clinical tasks, including specimen collection (venipuncture, site-specific testing, urine collection, and HIV/STI counseling and testing).
• Accurately document services and contribute to program goals.

All applicants are expected to

• Provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed care grounded in harm reduction principles.
• Demonstrate experience working with LGBTQ+ communities and other underserved or marginalized populations.
• Support patients living with HIV and those seeking prevention services.
• Assist with referrals, care coordination, and follow-up for internal and external services.
• Support medication access, including applications and navigation of insurance or assistance programs.
• Assist the HIV team with patient tracking, reminders, and linkage to care.
• Conduct education for patients, staff, and the broader community.

This role requires flexibility, including evening and weekend hours, to meet the community's needs.

Educational Requirements

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field preferred.

Experience Required

• Minimum of two years of relevant work or internship experience.
• Ability to conduct patient interviews and work collaboratively with healthcare teams and community partners.
• Strong data entry skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook).
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to work independently.

Additional Requirements

• Phlebotomy certification required, or willingness to complete training and certification within six months.
• Bilingual (English and another language relevant to the patient population) required.
• Community Health Worker Core Training must be completed within the first year.
• Experience with harm reduction, community outreach, and working with diverse populations (including LGBTQ+ communities) strongly preferred.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends.

Reporting Relationship

Reports to the Program Director

Monday-Friday; 8:30am -5:00pm