General Statement
The Community Health Assistant, under direct supervision, serves as a role model, educator, and support person for pregnant women and new mothers. The counselor provides breastfeeding education and support, and acts as a resource to women who plan to breastfeed or are currently breastfeeding. Work involves providing support and encouragement to prenatal and Breastfeeding women participating in WIC; teaching classes on basic breastfeeding; counseling women on basic lactation management; advocating for breastfeeding women in the health care system, community, and workplaces; partnering with health care professionals to promote breastfeeding; participating in the breast pump loan program by assessing client need and loaning breast pumps to women in the WIC Program; and assisting in planning World Breastfeeding Week.
Essential Functions
Provides consultation, education and emotional support to a caseload of prenatal and breastfeeding women and their families.
Assists women and babies in learning techniques of breastfeeding, including positioning and anticipatory guidance to reduce the occurrence of health problems.
Has knowledge of the community and available resources.
Skills for establishing rapport and relating to both the population served and to a variety of service disciplines (physicians, mid-wives, nutritionists, nurses, hospital staff, and lactation consultants).
Discusses appropriateness of using breastfeeding aids (electric and manual breast pumps, etc.).
Provides scheduled and unscheduled phone contact to women with breastfeeding concerns and weekly phone contact to all postpartum breastfeeding women for the first 3 weeks after delivery.
Has knowledge of the WIC Program and other services offered at the Human Services building.
Has knowledge of the social, economic, and environmental conditions of clients to be served.
Provides appropriate counseling when discussing breastfeeding concerns; anticipatory guidance based on assessment; recommendations for referrals to an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), physician, breastfeeding coordinator, or nutritionist, when concerns and problems are identified.
Provides outreach information about the WIC and the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program.
Reviews and discusses appropriateness of educational material for the population group served, and recommends any additional materials that are needed.
Participates in breastfeeding continuing education training to remain current on breastfeeding information.
Participates in breastfeeding promotion and support activities as designated by supervisor.
Attends and participates in staff meetings.
Teaches basic breastfeeding class to prenatal clients.
Assesses breastfeeding mothers and infants in the WIC office, using established protocol, to identify mothers in need of personal attention.
Assesses mother's concerns and problems and is trained to know when referrals are appropriate following protocols targeted for the different stages of breastfeeding.
Assesses client need for a breast pump and loans the pump when warranted.
Assists mothers in implementing special plans for the continuing of breastfeeding in non-routine situations such as minor illnesses; returning to work or school; temporary mother-baby separation; and minor variations in milk supply.
Develops and maintains cooperative and courteous relationships with division employees, staffers and managers in other divisions, representatives from organizations, and the general public so as to maintain good will toward the division and project a good division image.
Documents and maintains records for daily logs of all client contracts and all breastfeeding education activities; all documentation will follow policies and procedures set forth in the North Carolina Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program Manual.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education and Experience
High School Diploma or an acceptable equivalency diploma (GED), and six (6) months of breastfeeding experience.
Licenses or Certifications
Before gaining permanent status, the employee must satisfactorily complete a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Training Course.
Must have a valid driver's license and be able to maintain a safe driving history as defined by the Union County Vehicle Use Policy.
Special Requirements
In order to perform work in this role, within (30) thirty days of employment you must provide immunization records, provide proof of immunity, or receive/start the required vaccination series, as applicable, along with complying with any necessary screenings, as required by the Union County Division of Public Health and its Healthcare Personnel Immunization and Tuberculosis Screening Policy, in accordance with applicable law.
Supplemental Information
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Must be physically able to operate a variety of machinery and equipment including computers, copiers, fax machines, calculators, printers, etc. Must be able to exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. Physical demand requirements are in excess of those for Sedentary Work. Light Work usually requires walking or standing to a significant degree. However, if the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for Sedentary Work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for Light Work.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work is performed in a relatively safe, secure, and stable work environment.
