BRHS Health & Wellness Coordinator

KEY FUNCTION:

Under the direction of the Head Start Executive Director and in cooperation with program management, the EHS/PHS Health and Wellness Coordinator is responsible for oversight of management, organization, and administration of the program’s health services including medical, dental, mental health, and nutrition.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE (but are not limited to):

ADMINISTRATIVE AND MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure management of the delivery of high quality health, oral health, mental health, and nutrition services that are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate, and support each child’s growth and school readiness.
• Ensure establishment, and attendance at the Health Services Advisory Committee meetings. Include Head Start parents, professionals and other volunteers from the community.
• Ensure health/wellness/safety contracts and agreements are developed and maintained.
• Planning, development, and implementation of operational procedures for the area of health and wellness.
• Ensure the Health and Wellness team is represented with appropriate staff at all internal and external staffing.
• Communicate with the health staff to provide regular leadership, feedback, and evaluations. Collaboratively create a system for ongoing communication, program improvement, staff training, and development.

COLLABORATION WITH PARENTS

• Ensure collaboration with parents as partners in the health and well-being of their children. Ensure linguistically and culturally appropriate communication with parents about their child’s health and developmental needs in a timely and effective manner.
• Ensure advance authorization from parents or person with legal authority, for all health and development procedures administered through the program, including; health emergencies requiring rapid response.

RECORD KEEPING AND REPORTING

• Provide support to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for the grantee.
• Ensure full implementation of all Head Start Performance Standards, policies and procedures, immunizations and licensing requirements.
• Ensure staff meet 30/45 and 90 day deadlines. Including; ongoing sources of health care, health home, health insurance coverage. This includes: up to date health status within 90 days, vision and hearing screenings obtained within 45 days, identification of nutritional health needs and dietary requirements, preventative oral health care treatment and follow up.
• Ensure health staff track referrals and updates through extended follow up care.

MENTAL HEALTH

• Ensure staff coordinates mental health service delivery to Head Start/Early Head Start enrolled children and families. This includes; coordination of individualized mental health plans, ensuring linkage of children/families to mental health providers. Ensure collaboration with mental health providers and professionals.

TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

• Provide training and supervision to parents and staff in health, nutrition, mental health, prenatal care, childbirth, breastfeeding, pregnancy, and infancy health issues.
• Ensure establishment and staff training on systems of health and safety practices that ensure children are kept safe at all times, and release of children to authorized adults. Ensure education of staff on Caring for our Children Basics.
• Ensure development and implementation of systems providing ongoing training, oversight, correction and continuous improvement.
• Ensure establishment and training for all staff on; toileting, hand washing and diapering procedures, safe food preparation, proper handling of blood and body fluids.
• Ensure all staff with regular child contact have initial training within 3 months of hire and ongoing training in health and safety requirements to ensure the safety of children in their care. This includes training in; infectious diseases, SIDS, administration of medication with parental consent, prevention and emergency response due to food allergies, facility safety and protection from hazards, traffic safety, prevention of shaken baby syndrome, child maltreatment, emergency preparedness and response, handling hazardous materials, transporting children, first aid and CPR, child abuse and neglect prevention and reporting.
• Ensure training for staff without regular child contact, within 3 months of hire including; federal and state health and safety requirements applicable to their work, program emergency and disaster preparedness.

FACILITIES

• Ensure all facilities where children are served meet licensing requirements. Ensure facilities are designed to prevent child injury.
• Work in cooperation with other staff to ensure facilities are kept safe through preventative maintenance.

BACKGROUND CHECKS

• Work in cooperation with other staff responsible to ensure all staff and volunteers have the proper background checks.

COORDINATION RESPONSIBILITIES

• Attend Coordinators meetings, team meetings, and trainings as necessary. Ensure health team receives and disseminates program information.
• Create, maintain, and update collaborative agreements with other community agencies serving Head Start and Early Head Start families.
• Other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISION

• Ensure personnel administration of staff according to the current organizational chart, job responsibilities, and staffing needs. Ensure dissemination of all resources, training, and human resource management to health and wellness staff.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• After November 7, 2016, must have, a BS Degree in one or more of the disciplines of responsibility and oversight including: Community Health, Health Education, or Public Health, Health Administration/Management, Maternal or Child Health, Nursing, or Nutrition.
• Minimum five (5) years’ experience, working for a Head Start or Early Head Start program.
• Knowledge and/or experience concerning child health and safety practices, and Head Start Performance Standards.
• Experience in human service setting, including experience working with children and their families.
• Working knowledge of community resources and providers.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication skills, and both written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be able to pass a background check.