Bilingual Public Health Investigator (English/Spanish)

Full Job Description

Reporting to the Health Program Manager, a Public Health Investigator is a member of the Disease Control unit and is responsible for investigating and monitoring communicable diseases reported by healthcare providers through Title 17 of the California Health and Safety Code. The successful candidate must be comfortable interviewing persons with sexually transmitted infections to obtain risk factors, identify partners, and provide prevention education. Additionally, the Public Health Investigator will communicate regularly with community providers, organizations, and persons from various socioeconomic backgrounds. This position participates in data collection during disease outbreaks and works collaboratively with epidemiologist, public health nurses, and other program staff regarding infectious communicable diseases. This position is primarily office-based with regular field work in all weather conditions. Typical duties of this position include:

• Conducting interviews with patients, contacts, and healthcare providers to collect epidemiological data
• Documenting findings accurately in CalREDIE (California Reportable Disease Information Exchange) and other required databases
• Providing culturally sensitive education to patients and families about disease transmission, treatment, and prevention
• Linking patients to appropriate medical care and community resources
• Performing point-of-care testing and observing treatment adherence
• Driving as needed to conduct field investigations, transport patients to medical appointments, and deliver medications
• Consulting with team members to prioritize multiple assignments and respond to urgent cases

In addition to fluent bilingual (English/Spanish) skills, the deal candidates for this position will possess many of the following:

• Experience in communicable disease investigation or public health nursing
• Familiarity with Title 17 reportable diseases and California public health regulations
• Strong analytical and documentation skills for accurate case reporting
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills and excellent interpersonal awareness
• Empathy, patience, and tact when working with individuals in stressful or vulnerable situations
• Cultural awareness with the ability to communicate and work with individuals from a variety of social, cultural, and economic backgrounds
• The ability to work effectively independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• A passion for public health and a commitment to staying current on evolving disease control guidance
• Basic proficiency in CalREDIE and Microsoft Office software

Please note: This bilingual position requires English and Spanish skills at the fluent (reading, writing, and conversational) level. Applicants who wish to be considered for a bilingual position must indicate their level of skill in the required supplemental questionnaire. An examination will be conducted prior to employment in a bilingual position to confirm the level of skill in this area. Bilingual premium pay is $1.50/hour for fluent skill sets.

The Department of Health Services (DHS) DHS is one of the County's largest and most complex departments.

DHS consists of the Administration, Behavioral Health, Public Health, and Homelessness Services Divisions and is driven by its mission to promote, protect, and ensure access to services that support the health, recovery, and well-being of all in Sonoma County.

These ideas are the basis for how DHS operates and delivers services:

• Excellence - Strive to create a culture of learning, innovation, and data-driven practices to guide internal operations, improve performance, and build staff expertise
• Collaboration - Engage and work collaboratively with partners, communities, and staff to maximize its impact across the County
• Equity - Work to reduce disparities and ensure fairness, compassion, and social justice

For more information regarding the department, its programs, services, and partnerships, visit the DHS website.

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities.

You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Bilingual Premium Pay* - An additional $1.50/hour on top of the hourly pay rate for fluent bilingual positions
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits - Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

Additional information can be found in the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

This recruitment is being conducted to fill a fluent bilingual (English/Spanish) Public Health Investigator position in the Department of Health Services. The employment list established from this recruitment may also fill other full-time, part-time, and extra-help bilingual English/Spanish positions that may occur during the active status of the employment list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

Requirements

Education: Academic coursework in the behavioral sciences, health or other fields as related to the knowledge and abilities listed.

Experience: Successful work experience dealing with the general public in an investigative or interviewing capacity as it relates to the knowledge and ability listed.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including necessary special endorsements, as required by the State of California to perform the essential job functions of the position.

The position advertised on this announcement requires possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Qualifications

Some knowledge of: the methods of transmission, diagnosis, development and treatment of venereal diseases and other communicable disease.

Ability to: conduct effective interviews of a highly personal and confidential nature; exercise initiative and tact in tracing contacts and referring for treatment; gain the confidence of a wide variety of individuals without being judgmental of individual behavior; maintain ethical and harmonious working relationships with the public, other Public Health Staff and professional medical staff; prepare reports and maintain records.

Additional Information

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria.

Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications.

Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position.

Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments.

This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process.

Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race.

This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire.

Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination.

Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information

A background investigation is required prior to employment.

Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation.

Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position.

If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter.

You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org. Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail.

All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job announcement must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement.

Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging.

We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve.

The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: DP

HR Technician: PPB