The Fund for Public Health in New York City (FPHNYC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to the advancement of the health and well-being of all New Yorkers.  To this end, in partnership with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), FPHNYC incubates innovative public health initiatives implemented by DOHMH to advance community health throughout the city. It facilitates partnerships, often new and unconventional, between government and the private sector to develop, test, and launch new initiatives. These collaborations speed the execution of demonstration projects, effect expansion of successful pilot programs, and support rapid implementation to meet the public health needs of individuals, families, and communities across New York City. 

PROGRAM OVERVIEW 

While deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth have decreased overall from 33.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2001 to 18.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015, glaring and unacceptable racial and ethnic inequities in maternal outcomes remain¹. During the period 2011-2015, Black non-Latina (Black) women had an eight times greater risk of pregnancy-related death compared with White non-Latina (White) women and Latinas and other women of color were also at higher risk for maternal death². In response to this crisis, The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) convened New York City’s first-ever Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMRC) in 2018 to conduct a multi-disciplinary review of all pregnancy-associated deaths to mothers who died in NYC using the CDC’s national best practice guidelines used by 31 other states and jurisdictions. The Committee meets monthly for day-long case reviews, typically discussing 5-10 deaths per meeting.

¹ Maternal mortality, or maternal death, is the death of a pregnant person or a death that occurs within one year of the termination of pregnancy.
² It is important to acknowledge that not all pregnant and birthing people identify as women. “Women” and “mothers” are used for the sake of consistency throughout.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Child Health (MIRH) seeks a Project Assistant to provide administrative and operational support to the MMRC project team. This position will report directly to the Deputy Director for the MMRC within the Research and Evaluation Unit. The Project Assistant will perform a variety of tasks to support the facilitation and management of the day-to-day operations of the MMRC and preparation for monthly MMRC meetings, including acquisition of medical records and editing of maternal death case narratives.  It is expected that the position will work 35 hours per week.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide coordination & administrative assistance for monthly MMRC meetings (develop timelines for meetings, draft internal/external agendas, maintain attendance documents, etc.)
• Maintain updated listservs, meeting guidelines & other documents related to MMRC membership and meeting facilitation
• Participate in regular meetings with internal and external teams and follow-up on notes, and action items
• Take meeting notes and synthesize discussions into concise summaries with action items and next steps
• Prepare, coordinate, submit, and track consultant and vendor (facility/food) invoices across multiple funding streams
• Identify data request sources at hospitals/facilities, fax/mail/email medical records requests, follow up, troubleshoot and update tracking sheet accordingly
• Design and maintain tracking and archiving of medical and other records
• Read and revise case narratives for review to ensure formatting is consistent, grammar and spelling is correct, all lay language for medical terms is included, community district profile information, and social media/internet search data
• Assess workflow problems and make recommendations to improve processes and efficiency
• Create project materials, such as slide decks and one-pagers 
• Perform other administrative tasks as needed, such as scheduling meetings, faxing & mailing, reserving equipment/or conference rooms
• Other duties as assigned 

• Experience handling highly sensitive personal health information and maintaining strict confidentiality protocols; Knowledge of HIPAA and confidentiality laws
• Commitment to furthering sexual and reproductive justice and health equity
• Demonstrated strong professional communication skills (phone, email, fax, verbal)
• Demonstrated experience reviewing and editing documents for consistency and grammar
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail 
• Adept at organizing small- and large-scale, high-level meetings 
• Computer skills (Microsoft Office Suite, including MS Word & Excel, Outlook, and WebEx/Teams/Zoom) 
• Comfort with a fast-paced, collaborative, interdisciplinary work environment
• Bachelor’s degree 

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The position will be hired through a staffing agency at a pay rate of $45 per hour (35 hours per week) and will be funded through June of 2023 with the potential for position extension, contingent on funding renewal.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• All staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have been granted a medical or religious reasonable accommodation. This requirement must be met by your start date. 
• This position will be based at the NYC DOHMH offices in Long Island City, NY. The office is located at 42-09 28th Street, Long Island City, NY.
• There is a potential for this position to transition to DOHMH, for which eligibility requirements include NYC residency

TO APPLY

To apply, send Resume, with Cover Letter, including how your experience relates to this position. We ask that you do not contact our staff directly and no phone inquiries please. Applicants who best match the position needs will be contacted.

The Fund for Public Health in New York City is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages a diverse pool of candidates to apply.