Risk Reduction Specialist, HIV

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Risk Reduction Specialist, HIV

Salary

Depends on Qualifications

Location

Houston, TX

Job Type

Grant-funded Full-time

Job Number

14042

Department

Public Health Services

Division

Community Health & Wellness

Opening Date

02/12/2025

Closing Date

4/30/2025 11:59 PM Central

Position Description




Harris County Public Health has earned the 2023 Best Place for Working Parents Business Designation.

 

About Harris County Public Health:

Harris County Public Health (HCPH) includes a network of more than 700 public health professionals working together to improve health outcomes for the third most populous county in the United States. HCPH provides a multitude of services such as medical and dental services, community programming, and health education for the approximately 2.3 million people in unincorporated Harris County. Through its core values of innovation, engagement, and health equity, HCPH strives to bring meaningful solutions to public health issues while keeping Harris County healthy and vibrant.

 

Position Overview:

The Risk Reduction Specialist delivers safe and compassionate care as a vital member of the HIV Prevention team, providing patient-centered care and ensuring patient safety. This role serves patients seeking services from the HIV Prevention Program and working with internal and external partners to create and maintain efficient, patient-centered daily mobile testing operations while providing comprehensive care to all Harris County Public Health patients. The Risk Reduction Specialist Operates and adheres to the federal, state, and local laws and regulations, as well as the policies, procedures, and guidelines of Harris County Public Health (HCPH). This position ensures outreach activities are comprehensive, timely, and coordinated effectively.

 

Duties & Responsibilities:

  • Provide HIV and Syphilis testing via rapid and venipuncture methods, and perform appropriate pre-test and post-test counseling as needed.

  • Creates innovative approaches to mobile outreach and HIV prevention services to communities within Houston Harris County, Texas that are most vulnerable of HIV and Syphilis.

  • Recruits clients to PrEP, HIV Rapid Start, condom distribution, Behavioral Health services, and makes referrals as necessary for other social determinants of health.

  • Engage clients in consumer experience surveys as necessary and participate in the routine analysis of program activities and outcomes.

  • Provide case management, referral and targeted testing activities, marketing of testing activities, and other relevant projects and activities

  • Document field activities in EMR system (EPIC), inventory logs, audit forms, and DSHS on-line reporting system.

  • Notifies Services Linkage Worker of preliminary positive results within 24 hours or less to initiate follow up and Rapid Start.



Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer
If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email ADACoordinator@bmd.hctx.net.

This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.

Requirements

Education:

  • High School Diploma or GED

Experience:

  • Two (2) years of experience in a public health outreach setting

Licensure:

  • Must have a valid Driver’s License (TX upon hire)

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

  • Proficient in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

  • Excellent communication skills (verbal & written).

  • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and foster teamwork in a diverse environment.

  • Ability to maintain confidentiality when dealing with sensitive information.

  • Ability to work well with teammates.

  • Communicates clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing.

  • Ability to gather data, compile information, and prepare reports.

Core Competencies:

Organizational Leadership

  • Understands the organizational mission

  • Understands ethics and public good; is concerned with public trust

  • Demonstrates respect for the opinions and beliefs of others

Collaboration

  • Contributes to an inclusive workplace where equity, diversity, inclusion, and individual differences are valued and leveraged to achieve the vision and mission

  • Demonstrates a sense of responsibility for the success of the group

  • Collaborates with others to improve quality and address needs

Innovation

  • Ability to adapt to change

Interpersonal Abilities/Personal Characteristics

  • Treats others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect

  • Behaves in an honest, fair, and ethical manner

  • Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses

  • Uses sound judgment

  • Self-motivated

  • Organizes and maintains work environment to allow for maximum productivity

Communication

  • Communicates clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing


NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.

General Information

Position Type, and Typical Hours of Work:

  • Full Time | Regular

  • Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. with occasional weekends and non-traditional working hours.

  • Must be willing to flex work hours when required, including weekends.

  • Able to travel within Harris County daily to provide preventative health services.

Work Environment:

This job operates in a clinic and community setting (mobile clinic unit, residential homes, bars, clubs). This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

 

Physical Demands:

This role requires the ability to lift, carry, push, pull up to twenty (20) pounds and bending & standing for periods at a time.

 

Work Location:

  • 5815 Antoine Dr, Houston, TX 77091


Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.

Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

BENEFITS
Harris County offers a competitive benefits program, including comprehensive group health and related benefits plan as well as defined benefit retirement plan.
 
The following list of benefits is offered only to employees in regular (full-time) positions:
  • Medical Coverage
  • Dental Coverage
  • Vision Coverage
  • Wellness Plan
  • Life Insurance 
  • Long-term disability
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Ten (10) days of vacation each year for the first five (5) years of service
    • Accrual rates increase based on years of service
  • Eleven (11) County-observed holidays and one (1) floating holiday
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan
  • Healthcare Reimbursement Account
  • 457 Deferred Compensation Plan
The following benefits are also available to regular (full-time) employment and may be available to part-time employees:
  • Retirement Pension (TCDRS)
  • Flexible schedule (varies by department)
  • Transportation Assistance (Metro RideSponsor Program)

In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, Group Health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.
 
For plan details, visit the Harris County benefits website:

01
Do you have a high school diploma or GED? Please include all qualifying information in the Education section of your application.
  • Yes
  • No
02
Which of the following best measures your experience worked within a public health outreach setting?
  • Less than two years
  • Between two and three years
  • Three or more years
  • I do not have this experience
03
Please provide the dates of employment during which you obtained experience working in a public health setting. Provide the month and year that began and ended the experience. Example: "January 2020 - December 2023" If this experience is not clearly documented in the Work Experience section, your application will be disqualified. If you do not have this experience, type "N/A" in the space provided.
04
Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions: Advanced: A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Intermediate: A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Basic: A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it. Entry Level: A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.
  • Advanced
  • Intermediate
  • Basic
  • Entry Level
  • Not proficient
05
This position requires possession of a valid Texas-issued driver's license and liability insurance upon the start date. Do you currently have a valid Texas Driver's License? Please be sure to include all related details in the Certificates and Licenses section of your application.
  • Yes
  • No, but eligible to obtain by start date
  • No, not eligible to obtain licensure

Required Question

Employer
Harris County
Address
1111 Fannin St
Ste. 600
Houston, Texas, 77002
Phone
713-274-5445