Immigrant Health Navigator

The Immigrant Health Navigator will serve in the Immigrant Health and Wellness Program (IHWP) at HIAS Pennsylvania. IHWP provides long-term intensive case management to medically and socially vulnerable refugees and immigrants, hosts wellness-based group programming, and provides medical case management to newly arrived refugees being served through the Reception and Placement program.

In their role, the Immigrant Health Navigator will support newly arrived refugees coming from countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, Burma, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and others, in learning about and navigating the U.S. healthcare system. They will ensure access to healthcare and will offer support to vulnerable individuals who are at greater risk of losing access to insurance benefits, preventative care, and specialized medical care. The Immigrant Health Navigator will also gather feedback from previous clients in order to improve services to active clients. 

• Providing individualized, tailored care to a specific patient population
• Following up and assisting patients with social service and health care navigation
• Coordinating with other staff to connect patients with resources
• Facilitating, overseeing, and coordinating health classes
• Providing one-on-one instruction as well as group tutoring
• Navigating patients to other social services
• Access to and awareness of resources for patients coordinating with other programs to expand partnerships
• Building relationships with community experts and internal professionals
• Conduct classes and one-on-one education

• Providing medical accompaniment and advocacy

• Organized; sound organizational skills
• Detail-oriented
• Comfortable speaking with patient/client populations, individually or in groups
• Interested in health and wellness promotion
• Experience in healthcare and/or social service field
• Experience interacting with patient/client populations
• Education in Social Work, Public health, and/or Psychology
• Team-oriented
• Customer-oriented
• Positive attitude 
• Patient and calm
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Proficient computer and data entry skills (e.g., Microsoft suite)
• Familiarity with patient/client populations
• Speaks language(s) spoken by patient/client populations
• Instills trust easily
• Creative problem solving
• Open-minded
• Non-judmental
• Kind and friendly

• Skill with Microsoft Office or other software for a variety of data processing operations involving a range of problem solving, record keeping, correspondence, and service tracking options

• Member uses initiative to carry out recurring assignments
• The supervisor assigns service activities in terms of project objectives and basic priorities and is available for consultation in resolving controversial issues.

• The Member independently plans and carries out the projects and selects the approaches and methods to be used in solving problems.
• Review will be done in partnership with supervisor and team members with regular consultations

• Guidelines are generally applicable, but the Member independently makes adaptations in dealing with problems and unusual situations.
• Support is regularly available in addressing questions/ concerns about guidelines and procedures

• There will be a lot of flexibility and variety within the service tasks. Some are more clear cut than others. This position will require member to develop some new techniques and methods to complete assignments
• In making decisions, the Member is often required to depart from past approaches and to extend traditional techniques.

Language proficiency (preferred, but not required). Preferred languages include:

• Arabic
• Spanish
• Burmese
• Ukrainian
• Russian
• Dari
• Swahili

Must be able to speak the language with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical, social, and professional topics.

Able to read standard newspaper items addressed to the general reader, routine correspondence, reports, and technical materials in the individual’s special field.