Patient and Community Navigator

Job description

JOB SUMMARY Under the direct supervision of the Patient Navigation Manager, and in close collaboration with the Patient Access Center, Medical Services Department, Operations, and the External Affairs Department, the Patient and Community Navigator (PCN) is responsible for providing proactive, equity-centered navigation services that bridge clinical care and community-identified needs. The PCN works to reduce racial, geographic, and structural barriers to sexual and reproductive health care by supporting patients who are due or overdue for care, addressing unmet social needs, and strengthening trust between Planned Parenthood of Delaware (PPDE) and the communities it serves. This role combines patient navigation, barrier resolution, proactive outreach, and community engagement, including convening and facilitating county-level community advisory groups. The PCN supports completion of preventive and essential services, including STI testing, contraception care, cancer screenings, HIV services, and related follow-up, while ensuring culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and nonjudgmental care coordination in alignment with PPDE’s mission and values. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 1. All duties and responsibilities are performed in a professional and customer service-oriented manner in compliance with PPDE’s Medical Standards and Guidelines, PPDE policies and procedures, and State and Federal regulatory requirements. 2. Conduct proactive outreach to patients who are due or overdue for services (e.g., STI testing, contraception renewals, cancer screenings), including patients lost to follow-up, using phone, text, and electronic communication platforms. 3. Organize and manage appointments to ensure patients receive services in a timely manner and at locations that align with clinical needs and patient preferences. 4. Schedule appointments according to PPDE protocols and demonstrate knowledge of PPDE services to support basic assessment and appropriate visit scheduling. 5. Identify, document, and actively resolve barriers to care, including transportation, financial concerns, language access, childcare needs, technology access, and other social determinants of health. 6. Coordinate transportation and logistical support by working with internal teams, external vendors, and community-based organizations to facilitate access to care. 7. Educate patients on care processes, preventive health recommendations, and follow-up expectations to improve care completion and patient confidence. 8. Facilitate communication between patients, support persons, healthcare providers, and internal teams to promote continuity of care and patient satisfaction. 9. Maintain strict confidentiality and demonstrate sensitivity and a nonjudgmental approach when addressing sexuality, reproductive health, mental health, and other sensitive topics. 10. Provide accurate financial counseling, including education on estimated costs of care and linkage to financial assistance or external resources as indicated. 11. Work collaboratively with the Medical Services team to identify complex psychosocial needs and ensure warm handoffs to appropriate support services. 12. Facilitate pre- and post-care follow-up, ensuring continuity of care and linkage to internal and external community resources. 13. Convene and co-facilitate county-level community advisory groups to surface community-identified needs, strengthen trust, and inform culturally responsive outreach, messaging, and service delivery. 14. Build and maintain relationships with community-based organizations, particularly Black-led and identity-affirming partners, to strengthen referral pathways and bidirectional communication. 15. Collect, track, and maintain accurate documentation of all patient interactions, outreach efforts, barriers identified and resolved, referrals, and follow-up activities in accordance with PPDE standards. 16. Participate in quality improvement activities to reduce no-show rates, improve care completion, and enhance patient experience. 17. Collect, track, and report required program data, including navigation metrics and equity indicators, as directed by the supervisor. 18. Work as part of a cross-functional team to meet established productivity, quality, and customer service standards. 19. Assist in identifying trends and gaps in access to care and make recommendations to improve workflows, patient experience, and equity outcomes. 20. Participate in required training sessions, including trauma-informed care, equity-centered navigation, and computer-assisted learning. 21. Demonstrate commitment to PPDE’s mission, Workplace Values, and Service Standards, with a clear focus on advancing health equity. 22. Perform additional duties as assigned. QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation(s) may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE 1. High School diploma or equivalency required; associate degree in social services, Public Health, Human Services, Community Health, or a related field preferred. 2. Minimum of one year of experience in patient navigation, care coordination, community health work, medical administration, or a related customer-facing role; experience serving historically marginalized communities strongly preferred. 3. Demonstrated experience working with electronic health records or practice management systems; Epic experience preferred. 4. Experience with clinical appointment scheduling and patient outreach required.