Dental Hygienist

Are you excited about a new and exciting opportunity Do you have a passion for working with families and individuals in need of healthcare housing and community support services Are you interested in working for a missiondriven and innovative organization Well look no further! At Community of Hope we envision Washington DC where everyone is healthy housed and hopeful. If you are ready to make a positive difference in the community this position is for you!

Our mission: To improve health end homelessness and partner with communities to make Washington DC more equitable.

Our Approach and Values:

We celebrate peoples strengths and acknowledge the impact of trauma on peoples lives.

We embrace diversity welcome all voices and treat everyone with respect and compassion.

We lead and advocate for changes to make systems more equitable.

We strive for excellence and value integrity in all that we do.

Position Summary: The Dental Hygienist is accountable directly to the Director Dental. The Dental Hygienist performs clinical oral hygiene procedures as delegated and directed by a dentist in accordance with department protocols accepted professional practice and in compliance with applicable DC law. The Dental Hygienist documents all relevant patient information and service in the dental practice management system. This is a fulltime position.

The salary for this position ranges between $95000 $105000 annually and the offer amount is determined by the candidates education qualifications and experience. Indeed provides their own estimated salary calculator and is not affiliated with COHs range.

Highlighted Duties and Responsibilities:

• Performs patient screening procedures; such as assessment of oral health conditions review of the health history oral cancer screening head and neck inspection dental charting and taking blood pressure and pulse;
• Records patienthygienist transactions as they occur in the patients dental record so that the dental record accurately and completely reflects the nature of the contact the condition of the patient and the care or treatment provided;
• Integrates appropriate patient dental hygiene care with other health care professionals involved in the patients health care management.
• Removes calculus and plaque (hard and soft deposits) from all surfaces of the teeth via use of a cavitron piezo or by hand instrumentation.
• Performs taking and mounting diagnostic dental radiographs (xrays);
• Applies preventive materials to the teeth (e.g. sealants and fluorides);
• Counsels patients about good nutrition and its impact on oral health;
• Participates in the Quality Improvement program of the Dental Department of the center;
• Teaches patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health; (e.g. toothbrushing flossing and nutritional counseling); Incorporates different modalities to educate patients about proper oral care including but not limited to distribution of educational pamphlets playing videos demonstration on dentiform etc.
• Coordinates with Dental Director to maintain and update provider schedules as needed
• Provides coordination with the Dental Office Manager as needed.
• Maintains ongoing training and licensing and other credentials as required by DC and COH;
• Remains compliant with Community of Hope policies and state and federal regulations governing confidential information including HIPAA and HITECH.
• Completes and locks all progress notes within 3 days after patient visit.
• Documents all patient encounters including face to face telephone and electronic communications in the health record of the patient in a timely fashion.
• Respond to all telephone encounters in a timely fashion
• Performs other duties as requested by supervisor

Minimum Qualifications:

• Diploma from an accredited dental hygienist program required;
• Requires an active DC Dental Hygienist license and Local Anesthesia Certification.
• 2 years experience in a dental office practice preferred;
• CPR required;
• Must have the ability to work in a nonprofit environment and a commitment to work with underserved populations.
• Certification in Administration of Local Anesthesia preferred
• Ability to work in a nonprofit environment;
• Must be physically capable of sitting or standing for extended periods of time
• Knowledge of examination diagnostic and treatment procedures
• Complies with all OSHA and Safety guidelines
• Experience with EMR or other IT systems required; experience with Open Dental preferred.
• Proof of vaccination againstCOVID19 is required.COH will consider requests for reasonable accommodations for anyone who cannot be vaccinated for a religious or medical reason subject to applicable law.
• All Health Staff must receive the required vaccinations. This includes annual flu and covid vaccines. Medical or religious exemptions may be requested.

At COH we prioritize the following wellbeing and worklife balancecentered benefits:

• Remote work opportunities are available for many but not all of our roles promoting a culture of worklife balance.
• 8hour workdays which include a paid lunch
• 11.5 paid company holidays 1 personal floating holiday 15 days of paid vacation (increases to 20 after 3 years of service 25 after 10 years of service and 30 after 15 years of service) and 12 days of paid sick leave on an annual basis
• Annual performancebased raises up to 5 of your annual pay
• National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and DC Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (DCHPLRP) participants
• Tuition reimbursement loan repayment for clinicians licensing reimbursement and continuing education unit funds for licensed staff
• Many opportunities for internal promotions and transfers across the agency as we continue to grow; we average 30 promotions each year
• Ongoing internal leadership training for supervisors
• Ongoing wellbeing activities culture compact activities and training and traumainformed care initiatives and training
• Medical/Dental/Vision Plans through CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield
• Life insurance shortterm disability and longterm disability insurance
• 403(b) Retirement Plan
• Flexible Spending Accounts for medical and dependent care reimbursable expenses
• And much more!

About us:

Community of Hope is a missiondriven innovative and rapidly growing nonprofit. For 45 years we have provided healthcare housing and community support services to make Washington DC more equitable. As a Federally Qualified Health Center we provide medical dental emotional wellness and care coordination services for the whole family at three locations in DC.

Community of Hope also strongly emphasizes maternal and child health with midwifery practice and the only freestanding birth center in DC. In 2024 Community of Hope provided about 50000 medical visits 6300 dental visits and 17000 behavioral health visits for about 16000 patients. Community of Hope is also one of the largest providers of homelessness prevention and housing services for 1600 households1384 families and 220 individualsexperiencing homelessness in DC. Community support through Family Success Center our WIC nutrition centers and perinatal care coordination for pregnant people experiencing homelessness reach hundreds more families. We believe that everyone in DC can be healthy housed and hopeful.

We were selected as one of The Washington Post 150 Top Workplaces in 2024 and 6 other times since 2014 based on feedback from our staff.

To request a reasonable accommodation to complete an employment application or for general questions about employment with Community of Hope contact a Recruiting Coordinator. Email: Phone:. Community of Hope is an equal opportunity employer.