Position Summary:
The Navigator plays a vital role in the Better Birth Outcomes – Navigation (BBO-N) program, which supports pregnant and postpartum individuals and their infants (dyads) in accessing the medical, social, and community-based services they need to thrive. The Navigator works directly with families through in-person engagement to identify barriers, provide tailored resource navigation, and promote maternal and infant health and well-being. The primary goal of this position is to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality with a strong emphasis on addressing racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes.
Key Responsibilities:
- Conduct in-person visits with pregnant and parenting individuals to assess needs and build trusting, respectful relationships.
- Provide individualized, 1:1 navigation services to help clients connect with a variety of medical homes, social services, and community supports, including those offered through Illinois Managed Care Organizations (MCOs).
- Support clients in accessing MCO value-added services such as care coordination, transportation, maternal/infant supplies, case management, and more.
- Collaborate with families to identify and mitigate barriers to care, including transportation, childcare, housing, food access, and other social determinants of health.
- Facilitate shared decision-making and respect client autonomy in setting and working toward personal and family health goals.
- Provide trauma-informed and culturally responsive support tailored to the needs of each family.
- Educate clients about the importance of establishing and maintaining a medical home and preventive healthcare services.
- Offer prenatal education and support families before and after Family Connects visits; provide information and facilitate handoff to the Family Connects program when applicable.
- Promote and support:
- Identification and treatment of maternal mental health and substance use concerns
- Management of chronic medical conditions during and after pregnancy
- Safe infant sleep practices
- Adequate maternal and infant nutrition
- Growth and development milestones for infants
- Conduct community outreach and engagement activities to promote program awareness and recruit new participants, including attending community events, distributing materials, and building partnerships with local service providers.
- Maintain accurate and timely documentation in accordance with program guidelines and reporting requirements.
- Meet program performance standards and participate in required training, supervision, and evaluation activities.
- Follow all guidelines and protocols as outlined in the BBO-N Policy & Procedure Manual.
