Description

Vacancy Announcement

Job title:

MH-Mental Health Community Health Worker X 3

Work Location:

Koidu, Kono, Sierra Leone

Department:

Clinical

Reports to:

Mental Health Program Manager

Requisition No:

4021

Line Management

No

Application Status

External Advert

Organisation Profile

Partners In Health (PIH) is an international health organization relentlessly committed to improving the health of the poor and marginalized. PIH partners with local governments to build local capacity and works closely with impoverished communities to deliver high-quality health care, address the root causes of illness, train providers, advance research, and advocate for global policy change. Our delivered services in the field are based in our partnership with the Governments and Ministries of Health and the support to education, training and mentorship to Health care workers and students is one of our pillars for the Health care system strengthening.

PIH currently has implementation programs in Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Peru, Mexico, Russia, Sierra Leone and Navajo Nation. Through our partnership with Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, we support a wide range of programs in dozens of other countries around the world.

Our Work In Sierra Leone:

Partners In Health (PIH) began supporting the government of Sierra Leone in response to the Ebola epidemic in October 2014. Recognizing the large need for continued investments in the health system after Ebola, PIH is committed to long-term health system strengthening in support of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS), guided by the same principles as our emergency response and our work around the world: public sector accompaniment, integrated and comprehensive services, social justice, nimbleness and flexibility, partnership, community ownership, and evidence-based interventions. In the aftermath of the epidemic, PIH is committed to supporting the delivery of comprehensive health services in Sierra Leone, from the community level to the health center and to referral hospitals.

Position Overview

The mental Health Community Health Worker provides facility and home based care, they have a big role to play in supporting patients and communities, including: educating patients and community members, providing psychological and social support, serving as the link between the clinic and the community, and performing home and street visits. He/she works as part of a large clinical team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and social workers. A CHW should seek information from other team members when necessary. He/she notices the needs of his/her patients, patients’ families, and other community members and makes referrals to appropriate clinic staff when necessary. It is important to record information accurately on the CHW’s Form

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Community Health Workers services

• Provide patients and the community with accurate information MH disorders and work with patients to help them live healthy by counseling them, answering their questions about their disease, bringing them to the hospital for care and for medicine, helping them take their medicine, teaching them how to prevent further spread of the disease and being a reliable friend through the course of their illness.
• Be empathetic toward patients and their families. Be caring, non-judgmental, and respectful, and avoid letting personal attitudes and believes interfere with the care of patients.
• Correct misunderstandings about MH disorders and work to reduce stigma and discrimination against sick people.
• Record patient information using forms and submit forms to your supervisor.
• Precisely and accurately record all information requested by the MH program supervisor for the weekly update report.
• Attend all meetings and trainings called by your supervisor coordinator and program manager unless given direct permission to miss a meeting.
• Conduct yourself professionally and appropriately with clinic staff and patients.
• Maintain patient confidentiality and never release patient information to another individual under any circumstances.
• Report any major issues or concerns about a patient's health or about your work to your supervisor.
• Welcome and implement feedback from your supervisor and coordinator to improve the quality of your work
• Obey the policies and protocols set forth by Partners in Health

  Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

  At Partners In Health, we are committed to ensuring that those who benefit from our work- including our patients, families and community members – as well as our staff are treated with dignity and respect and protected from sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment. A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Partners In Health’s PSEAH policy. Partner In Health will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

  Education and Work Experience Requirements

  • Preferably must have completed BECE or high school certificate (WASSCE).
    • Commitment to social justice and human right.
    • Should be an exemplary, honest, trustworthy, and respectful.
    • Must be able to read and write in English as well as add and subtract using basic math’s.
    • Should be willing, able, and motivated to serve his/her community and dedicated to caring and supporting Mental ill patients, family members and the community at large.
    • Must be a permanent resident of the community and willing to work in it.
    • Should be able to perform specified CHW tasks as outlined in the scope of work
    • Should be interested in community health and development
    • Should be a good mobilizer and communicator
    • Should be involved in community projects in the past
    • Must be at least 18 years’ old
    • Must be residing in the community in which they are serving

      Social Justice

      We are a global health and social justice organization that responds to the moral imperative to provide high-quality health care globally to those who need it most. We strive to ease suffering by placing patients at the center of all care, bringing the benefits of modern medicine to all.

      Method of application

      Interested candidates are required to apply through our website: www.pih.org/employment. In your application, please ensure to include names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers of three (3) referees not later than 5:00pm GMT (Midnight) on Thursday 30th November 2023