Canton Public Health Disease Intervention Specialist

Starting Salary: $50189.00 ($10 - $20/hour in benefits)

Employment at the Canton City Public Health Department comes with a full array of benefits. We offer comprehensive health insurance paid vacations and paid holidays and a retirement plan.

Interested in this position Please submit your application through by clicking the Apply button on the posting. Applicants MUST submit a copy of their valid drrivers license and any other documents pertinent to this position with their application.

This is an openexamination. To be eligible for this position applicants must be a U.S. Citizen or have a permanent residence card. Applicants must be a high school graduate or possess a GED and be at least 18 years of age.

Position Summary:

Under the general supervision of the DIS Supervisor a person in this role performs a broad scope of disease investigation and client interviewing including partner services and case management to those individuals who are infected with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and to other person who are at increased risk for infection with the goal of preventing transmission of these diseases and their complications. The focus is on identifying and locating the sexual contacts of persons infected with HIV and/or syphilis and other persons at risk for behavioral and other factors and then refer them for medical examination and treatment if appropriate. This also includes linking individuals diagnosed with HIV into care.

This role serves a large multi-county region and is responsible for developing and/or maintaining working relationships with all health departments healthcare facilities physicians and other appropriate resources in the region. The employee receives periodic review and appraisal of performance plus functional and administrative supervision. They must exercise independent judgment in the performance of duties. The employee will be responsible for confidential and personal information and must adhere to the confidentiality and privacy policies of the department.

Job duties include:

• Maintains documentation of confidential client medical records for all clients.
• Assesses laboratory results and ensures adequate testing has been performed.
• Works with and around blood borne pathogens and infectious diseases.
• Conducts field visits to homes hospitals jails prisons and other public and private institutions to locate known and suspected cases of Syphilis HIV and other priority STI infections to obtain medical information and records conduct interviews to obtain sexual contacts and administer blood draws (phlebotomy).
• Performs a variety of investigative and staff work including counseling related to the prevention and control of communicable diseases.
• Provides education and assistance to providers medical groups laboratories community groups schools voluntary agencies and other organizations to enlist and maintain their cooperation in a program of communicable disease prevention and control.
• Performs record searches in a variety of electronic medical records and other databases.
• Interviews cases contacts and others in the community concerning personal behaviors and activities which contribute to disease transmission; makes collateral contacts to obtain pertinent information concerning other individuals who may have been exposed or infected; ensures compliance with established State and Federal laws and regulations related to disease control and prevention.
• Acts as patient advocate; counsels clients regarding medical and social services available and intervenes on their behalf for access to services or resolution of conflict.
• Conducts case investigations on infected patients; documents case histories and possible infection sources.
• Answers disease-related questions.
• Keeps current with local national and international disease trends and outbreaks.
• Conducts partner services.
• Produces contact reports and tracing records.
• Contributes to the efficiency and effectiveness of the units service to its customers by offering suggestions and directing or participating as an active member of a work team.
• Counsels and educates patients before testing patients receiving test results and post test results.
• Develops and produces public information materials for intervention activities.
• Collects patient case histories and medical information for pre-clinic evaluations on patients; obtains listings of all sexual partners and performs field investigations to locate listed persons.
• Draws blood samples from children and adults to test for diseases.
• Performs tests at offsite locations; educates the public to provide risk reduction training; gives speeches and informative talks to various small groups.
• Compiles and submits epidemiological data and reports of case activities to supervisor and epidemiologist for morbidity reporting caseload monitoring and data abstraction.
• Facilitates congenital syphilis review board meetings.
• Attends state meetings trainings and informational sessions.
• Participates in staff committees and workgroups.
• Provides support functions in response to public health emergencies as directed by the Health Commissioner.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND CREDENTIALS:
The following must be acquired and maintained prior to initial hire.

• Graduate of an accredited college or University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Social work Psychology Sociology or related field.
• Must have a valid drivers license.

The following must be acquired and maintained. These credentials are not required upon initial hire but must be acquired after hiring and within 6 months. Training will be provided for all of these credentials.

• Attend a phlebotomy school for completion of training.
• Certification in National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command Systems (ICS) levels.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work setting consists of both office and field work in a large multi-county region visiting various homes schools work environments and other unique settings. Field work may include traveling to high crime areas unsafe housing/living conditions or conducting interviews with persons who are scared untrusting of government or healthcare hostile or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. May require more than ordinary concentration and/or dexterity when completing blood draws in the field.

City vehicles can be provided for work activities/work travel with supervisor approval. This position may require some out-of-state travel in-state travel and work during non-traditional hours.

Reasonable accommodations in accordance with ADA Compliance will be made available to those who need it to achieve the above descriptions.

SHOULD TEN OR FEWER QUALIFIED APPLICATIONS BE RECEIVED NAMES WILL BE PLACED ON AN ELIGIBILITY LIST IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR APPLICATION FILING DATE. SHOULD MORE THAN TEN QUALIFIED APPLICANTS REGISTER FOR THIS EXAMINATION THOSE APPLICANTS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE FORMAT LOCATION DATE AND TIME OF THE EXAMINATION.

Per OAC Rule 123: 1-9-01 an applicant who has competed in a civil service examination cannot repeat that examination or take an examination for the same classification withinFOUR MONTHS from the date of original examination unless an alternative form of examination is given or unless other standards are specified in the examination announcement.

RATING
Your name will be placed on a list of eligible candidates upon receiving a passing score. Once the list has been established your name will remain on the list for a period of one (1) year.

*DISCLAIMER*
All applicants should receive an email from confirming that their application was received. If you do not receive a confirmation email please contact Civil Service at to confirm that your application went through. Once Civil Service processes applications you will be emailed again within 5 business days. Should you not receive an email please call our office at .

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO VETERANS
As provided in ORC 124.23C any person who has completed service in the uniformed services who have been honorably discharged from the uniformed services or transferred to the reserve with evidence of satisfactory service and who is an Ohio resident and any member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States including the Ohio National Guard who has completed more than 180 days of active duty service pursuant to an executive order of the President of the United States or an act of Congress of the United States may file with the director a certificate of service or honorable discharge (DD-214 Long version) and upon this filing the person shall receive an additional credit of twenty percent (20%) of the persons total grade given in the examination in which the person receives a passing grade.
A member in good standing of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States including the Ohio National Guard who successfully completes the members initial entry-level training shall receive a credit of fifteen percent (15%) of the persons total grade given in the examination in which the person receives a passing grade.

NOTICE OF BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION
Be advised that candidates may be subjected to a confidential background investigation including but not limited to a criminal record check and driving record check.

ADA COMPLIANCE
Reasonable accommodation in accordance with ADA Compliance will be made available upon request to those qualified applicants in need of it in order to achieve the essential job functions as described above.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for appointment without regard to race religion color national origin sex political affiliation age type of disability or any other non-merit factor.