Rural Community Policy and Prevention Specialist

The Rural Community Policy and Prevention Specialist is part of the Community and Behavioral Health (CBH) Unit within Adams County Health Department’s  (ACHD) Strategic Health Initiatives Division (SHI). The Rural Community Policy and Prevention Specialist is instrumental to creating healthy communities in rural Adams County through facilitating work related to establishing community partnerships with various partners and ensuring rural voices are incorporated into the chronic disease prevention work of ACHD. This position contributes to tobacco and nicotine grant-funded prevention, policy, and systems change work that addresses the social determinants of health impacting Adams County. This role leads and participates in community coalition and collective impact work, youth engagement, and program development and implementation with a focus on rural Adams County. This position completes all grant monitoring and reporting using a critical eye and attention to detail.Partner Engagement and Community Outreach (65%): Lead and execute evidence-informed, culturally and geographically relevant shared risk and protective factor health strategies that support tobacco and nicotine prevention and cessation activities.

• Works closely with rural community partners to engage youth, young adults, and community members in creating and distributing resources, education, and programs to support their mental well-being and help them remain tobacco-free.
• Maintains active working knowledge of the social determinants of health, principles and practices of community outreach, the principles of population-based health promotion and disease prevention; principles and practices of youth and rural engagement, coalition building, and developing community partnerships and policies in rural communities.
• Supports a wide range of perspectives, builds, and maintains relationships with community and business leaders as well as partner organizations to understand community assets and priorities, creates connections across organizations, and ensures achievement of program objectives.
• Supports community coalition(s) based on community need (i.e., facilitation, coordination, participation, training, transferring skills to community partners) with a focus on rural communities.
• Helps to facilitate the process around policy shifts affecting rural Adams County including coalition building, policy development, community engagement, coalition building, implementation, and monitoring.
• Completes all grant-related progress reports and documentation and actively participates in all grantee meetings and trainings.
• Develops and conducts ongoing quality improvement that support the implementation of grant-funded prevention, policy and systems change work.
• Communicates effectively, both verbally and in writing, to inform, educate and advise the community, elected officials, government officials and internal partners, including presenting data to inform local policy initiatives considered by City Councils, Mayors, County Commissioners, and other community partners.

Capacity Building and Training (25%): Deliver and support a variety of trainings collaboratively with the CBH Unit through a train-the-trainer model.

• Collaborates internally and externally, with multiple partners, to provide interested/affected groups with education on evidence-based strategies and best-practices in program, policy, systems, and/or environmental changes for population health.
• Identifies community partners and/or organizations that could benefit from both internal and external training opportunities.
• Ensures that community voices, decision-making processes, and policy approaches involve the impacted community.
• Contributes to the development of educational models and materials to promote policy, system and environmental changes.
• Supports colleagues to convene different groups (including youth and adult community groups, organizational leaders, and elected officials) with identifying and addressing tobacco priorities. 
• Demonstrates leadership abilities, including educating, mentoring, training, and developing colleagues and community partners in program related areas.

Other Duties (10%)

• Participates in program development, grant writing, and grant implementation, as appropriate, to advance the work in the community. 
• Prepares written materials and presents program updates for the public, other government agencies and elected officials.
• Performs both internal and external work in a way that represents and is effective within the various communities we serve.
• Regularly assesses work and supports changes to remove systemic barriers, build systems that address unfair differences, and integrate fairness into all areas of work.  
• Creates and maintains partnerships and processes that support, integrate, and celebrate unique and fair engagement into all aspects of Adams County Health Department work.
• Performs other duties as assigned and required.
• Responds, as required, to support public health emergencies, incidents, and events.
• Participates in all exercises and drills on emergency preparedness, as required.
• Completes emergency preparedness and response trainings as appropriate for this level of employee within the health department.
• Maintains sensitive & confidential client information according to the HIPAA policy and Title X confidentiality requirements.

• Knowledge of the socioecological model of behavior change and how environmental, social and policy influences on health align to create change.
• Knowledge of the social determinants of health, their impact upon health, and strategies to address them within community settings.
• Knowledge of techniques and best practices related to engaging and mobilizing rural communities, culturally relevant messaging, community engagement, coalition building and developing community partnerships.
• Skills to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other ACHD employees, representatives of other agencies/organizations, and members of the community.
• Knowledge of Community needs assessment, program development, and evaluation techniques.
• Ability to present information in a variety of settings with different stakeholders within the community both internal and external to the organization.
• Knowledge of Microsoft operating system computer, Internet and spreadsheet functions and resources.
  

Experience: Minimum two years' professional experience. 

Education & Training: 

• Requires a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in public or environmental health, health communication, public policy, sociology, or a related field. 
• A Masters Degree may substitute for required experience on a year for year basis. 
• Master’s degree preferred.
  
  

License or Certificates: Possession of, or the ability to obtain a valid Colorado Driver's License and insurance within 30 days of employment. 

Background Check: Must pass a criminal background check and an MVR.  

More Qualifications for Success: 

• This position will require some travel between locations. Candidates should have the ability and means to travel as needed for the position.
• Bilingual candidates are preferred and may receive an additional incentive based on usage. A proficiency assessment is required for the incentive. 

Working Conditions and Physical Abilities:

• Flexibility in work hours may be required to accommodate community events, meeting, and outreach activities.
• Travel within the community and participation in evening, weekend and on-call duties may be required. 
• This role remains in a semi-stationary position, which may include sitting or standing for prolonged periods andoccasionallymovingaboutinanofficeenvironmenttoaccomplishtasks.
• This position’s physical demands are assessed to be light work.
• This role constantly communicates with others to exchange information by speaking and typing, and that includes repeating motions that include wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
• This position will be asked to self-assess accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of work assigned.
• This position can expect no adverse environmental conditions as the majority of work is performed in an office building.
• Note there will be frequent participation at both outdoor and indoor community events.