Public Health & Food Access Specialist

The Public Health & Food Access Specialist roles & responsibilities are designed to provide professional level work that will involve assisting with the strategic design, implementation, and evaluation of health outcomes, nutrition education, and food equity efforts with our new Food Dignity at New Roots Program and other community organizations as we grow. This position will assist with identifying and working with community-based organizations and leaders and engage with various organizations to focus on addressing COVID-19 public health disparities among populations at high-risk and underserved, including racial and ethnic minority populations, and rural communities. The role will expand our current work as a Food as Medicine Program with Geisinger.  

• ·Supporting the evaluation and expansion of the public health and nutrition capacity, with a focus on understanding and addressing health disparities among populations at high-risk and underserved.
• ·Leading outreach to high-risk and marginalized communities to better understand needs, facilitate information sharing, and improve health outcomes through healthy food access.
• ·Works with other Food Dignity engagement team members and engages regularly with trusted community voices, providing equitable and accessible information on public health and nutritional services to support high-risk and underserved.
• ·Develops health disparity, nutrition and food access education materials, outreach and dissemination strategy, with a focus on high-risk and underserved.
• ·Facilitate meetings and discussions with diverse groups of community stakeholders and other service providers.
• ·Supervises duties for volunteers and student interns identified to help with the Food Dignity Project at both locations.
• ·Develops electronic data entry and tracking system for Food Dignity data including screening, return schedule, and assessments at both locations.
• ·Works with Program Director to develop and manage a program evaluation framework to identify best practices and monitor key program metrics for reporting and analysis at both locations
• Manages client flow through the Food Dignity Project at both locations, including but not limited to reconciliation of food insecure patient records, maintaining class censuses and creating processes for the program

• ·Ability to plan, coordinate, and track multiple ongoing projects; establish and maintain effective working relationships with others; communicate very effectively both orally and in writing; interpret, analyze, and resolve administrative matters in accordance with agency policy; exercise good judgment in analyzing situations and making decisions; and review and analyze financial data. Ability to actively support diversity, equity, and cultural competency efforts within stated job responsibilities and work effectively across diverse cultures and constituencies.
• · Demonstrate very strong skills in organization and documentation, problem solving, and computer skills including command of Word, Excel, HMIS, and any other database software(s) used to track work outputs.  Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work in a variety of settings with culturally-diverse persons and communities, with the ability to be culturally sensitive and appropriate.
• Working with and supporting diverse populations, including minority communities and underrepresented groups
• Experience with Microsoft 365 for business, Canva, and project management tools.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

Work is typically performed in an office setting with a climate-controlled setting and also outside with exposure to all weather climates in Northeastern Pennsylvania. While performing the duties of the job, employees are required to talk, stand, sit, walk, stoop, lift, bend, push and reach with their hands and arms.  This position requires a long period of physical activity. Travel will be included for pop up produce stands and focus group.