This position is in the Adams County Health Department (ACHD) Division of Health Equity and Strategic Initiatives (HESI). The Maternal and Child Health Program within Adams County Health Department focuses on factors demonstrated to improve maternal and child health outcomes by moving upstream and leading change to address the social and environmental factors that impact health equity. These include building a more connected system that prioritizes equitable systems change through policy and evidence-based practice and assuring all children, youth, families, parents and caregivers have equitable access to the services, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive. Strategies include assessing the community landscape to identify assets, gaps and potential partnerships; building upon community strengths to establish bridges between disconnected systems; partnering on community-based economic security initiatives, such as tax assistance; and increasing opportunities for positive social connection, and equitable access to low-cost, high-quality resources and education. This work is done by conducting health promotion and advocacy for the maternal and child health population through collaborative leadership to expand the understanding of Maternal and Child Health to include economic, environmental and policy changes. This position plans and/or implements grant or general funded initiatives and builds relationships with community partners to support population-based prevention strategies and changes to systems and policies rooted in community, government and ACHD. Provides leadership on internal teams and/or community coalitions and boards.

Leadership:

• Seeks knowledge and understanding of patterns and relationships involved in systems contributing to maternal, child, and family health challenges and gaps, and works to identify program, policy, systems and environmental changes to address these needs and reduce health inequities in the maternal and child health population.
• Provides education, both internally and externally, to raise awareness and understanding of the unique needs of the maternal and child health population across the life course, including those for children with special healthcare needs, including economic and social factors and the related systems.
• Serves as Lead on community and ACHD projects by providing oversight of timeliness and progress, and ensuring successful achievement of objectives.

Collaboration and Community Engagement:

• Leads and participates in community coalitions, partnerships and collaborations to support and advance maternal and child health population-level outcomes.
• Identifies, builds and maintains relationships - traditional and innovative - with community and business leaders as well as partner organizations to understand community assets and priorities, create connections across organizations.
• Establishes and implements mechanisms to receive input from community impacted by the Maternal, Child Health Programs, including service providers, to inform programming, systems and policy changes.
• Supports community education efforts including mass media campaigns, social media and community outreach events.
• Provides education and training to key stakeholders on best practices related to maternal and child health to expand the scope of understanding and build partnerships.

Policy and Systems Changes:

• Works with key stakeholders and community-based partners to assist with development of and advocacy for health-related policies and systems changes.
• Supports diverse perspectives in developing, implementing and evaluating policies and programs that affect community health.
• Uses assessment data and evidence-based practice guidelines to make recommendations for strategies to improve the public health policy landscape, considering the varied needs of the maternal and child health population, including culture and health inequities.

General/Administrative:

• Participates in implementation of department’s Public Health Improvement Plan and Strategic Plan as it relates to maternal and child health.
• Participates in program development, grant writing and grant implementation including program work plans and budgets. Participates in timely completion of applicable grant progress reports and other documentation as required.
• Participates in relevant meetings and trainings as required by funders and agency leadership.

Responsibility to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

• Must commit to a learning mindset and continuous improvement regarding the practice of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of work within Adams County and The Department of Public Health including management style, work style, training, and communication.
• Perform both internal and external work in a way that is equitably inclusive and effective within the diverse communities we serve.
• Regularly assess work and supports changes to remove systemic barriers, build systems that address inequities, and integrate Health Equity into all areas of work.
• Create and maintain partnerships and processes that support and integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of Adams County Health Department work.
• Prioritize transparency and supports an open-door culture.
• Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into internal and external goal setting.

Additional duties:

• Performs other duties as assigned and required.
• Respond, as required, to support public health emergencies, incidents, and events.
• Participate in all exercises and drills on emergency preparedness, as required.
• Complete emergency preparedness and response trainings as appropriate for this level of employee within the health department.
• Maintain sensitive & confidential client information according to the HIPAA policy and Title X confidentiality requirements.

The ability to

• Engage public and private organizations and members of the community to achieve shared outcomes.

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with other ACHD employees, representatives of other agencies and organizations, and members of the community.
• Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing to provide evidence-based, data-driven, educational, persuasive presentations and documents for internal and external audiences.
• Utilize appropriate methods for interacting sensitively, effectively, and professionally with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, racial, ethnic, and professional backgrounds, and persons of all ages and lifestyles.
• Lead and assist with program planning, implementation, evaluation, and reporting.
• Maintain productivity standards and practice effective time management and prioritization of tasks, as well as manage resources (time, materials, staff) in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

Knowledge of

• Social determinants of health and shared risk and protective factors associated with maternal and child health.
• Principles of trauma-informed care and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as applicable to work.
• Techniques and best practices related to community engagement, coalition building and developing community partnerships.
• Practical implementation of adult and youth educational methods, as well as social media and other digital communication methods.
• Performance management, quality improvement, needs assessment, program development, and evaluation techniques.
• Federal, state, and local agencies involved in population-based maternal and child health prevent and promotion activities.

Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. Years of experience may substitute for a degree, on a year to year basis. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be as follows:

Education and Training:

• Requires a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in public health, public policy, health promotion, health communication, social work, human development, education, or a related field.
• Requires a minimum of 4 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 2 years and a Master’s degree; or equivalent work experience.
• Related experience includes working with coalitions, policy makers, government agencies, and/or private institutions to measurably improve health and social outcomes by leading successful, sustainable, policy and systems-level changes.
• Master’s degree preferred.

Special Qualifications:

• Must be in possession of a valid driver’s license and access to dependable transportation for business purposes as needed.
• Must be proficient in use of online meeting platforms and Microsoft Office tools including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Background Check: Must pass a criminal background check

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

Work is primarily conducted indoors with occasional time spent in an outside environment. Incumbent will experience routine exposure to hazards of a typical office environment. Requires travel between Adams County offices and to locations in the surrounding community for investigations and meetings. May be required to work outside regular hours to attend meetings or events.

• Occasional moderate lifting and carrying objects up to 15 pounds.
• Occasional use of automobile, usually no more than one hour at a time.
• Requires sufficient hearing and speech ability to communicate verbally in response to inquiries, to conduct needs assessments and evaluations, and to speak to groups of people in presentations.
• Requires sufficient writing ability to fluidly and accurately communicate needs in grants and program development.
• Requires manual dexterity to operate computer equipment.

Adams County provides a comprehensive benefits package to employees that goes above and beyond what is offered at most organizations.

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Benefits You Expect:

• AFLAC Supplemental Medical Insurance
• Basic Term Life & Optional Term Life Insurance
• Deferred Compensation Plan
• Dental/Vision/Medical Plans
• Generous Vacation/Sick leave
• Long-Term Disability
• Retirement Plan
• Short-Term Disability

• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Fitness Center
• Employee Health Clinics
• Flexible Work Schedules
• Recreation Center Discounts
• Remote/Hybrid work options, depending upon position
  • Sheriff's Office positions are not currently eligible for Remote/Hybrid work options
• Training & Tuition Reimbursement Programs
• Wellness programs