Community Health Representative

Community health representatives work with health-care teams to improve and maintain the spiritual, physical, intellectual, social and emotional well-being of individuals, families and their communities. Their key responsibilities include:

• client care and screening
• health promotion, health protection and injury and disease prevention
• environmental health protection
• community advocacy and cultural liaison
• program planning and facilitation of health education programs
• patient navigation.

Client care and screening includes:

• conducting home visits to build relationships with community members and provide information and support
• monitoring clients, families and community health concerns
• recording client health histories and monitoring vital signs (for example, blood pressure, glucometer readings) as necessary
• participating in baby and school screening activities, such as taking measurements of height and weight
• completing client assessments to better understand the client’s health concerns, social support networks and barriers to accessing health care
• referring clients to other health professionals as necessary.

Health promotion, health protection and injury and disease prevention includes:

• helping to organize health education workshops
• designing or helping to create culturally appropriate education resources
• planning and implementing health activities in schools, such as fire safety, personal hygiene and school bus safety
• assisting with health promotion and injury prevention services, such as prenatal classes, Elders' luncheons or health fairs.

Environmental health protection includes:

• working with the health team to prevent and control the spread of communicable diseases, for example, by helping to promote immunization and manage outbreaks
• participating in the investigation of communicable disease outbreaks and providing information, screening and followup
• working with Health Canada representatives in managing and reporting environmental health issues affecting the community, including food handling, water quality and waste disposal
• participating in housing inspections, emergency preparedness and disaster planning, and planning and monitoring of special events (for example, pow wows, rodeos) for health-related issues.

Community advocacy and cultural liaison includes:

• referring clients and families to appropriate resources and services, and helping them overcome any access barriers
• recommending improvements regarding the delivery of health care
• acting as a liaison and collaborating with community leaders, agencies and service providers
• translating or describing routine medical processes and procedures for clients, or interpreting cultural practices or beliefs for health-care professionals.

Program planning and facilitation of health education programs includes:

• conducting community needs assessments
• helping in the development and implementation of community health work plans
• assisting with the co-ordination or facilitation of community health initiatives.

Patient navigation includes:

• guiding clients through the health-care system
• helping clients access the appropriate level of care and achieve or maintain a state of optimal heath.

Community health representatives are also responsible for documenting their work. For example, they record observations in client health records, complete water bacterial reports, prepare monthly reports and participate in developing community health work plans.

In isolated communities, community health representatives provide first aid and work closely with health-care professionals during emergency situations.

In urban settings, community health representatives generally do not provide services that are already provided by other health-care professionals, such as assessing or screening clients or, monitoring water safety.

Community health representatives’ work hours may vary. For example, they may work standard office hours or may work evenings and weekends to support community programming. Some travel may also be required.

When travelling, community health representatives may be exposed to poor weather conditions. The work may be stressful, as they may face significant community issues and hardships, time pressures, shifting priorities and concurrent or conflicting demands from clients, families and communities as well as other agencies and management.

Community health representatives need the following characteristics:

• dependability, reliability and punctuality
• good oral and written communication skills
• good physical and mental health
• emotional maturity
• an interest in community work, particularly the preventative and educational aspects of health care
• the ability to relate well to people of all ages, individually and in groups
• a high level of comfort with coaching and teaching
• good problem solving skills
• the ability to work with little supervision and as part of a team
• the ability to keep client information confidential.

They should enjoy helping people in the community, gathering information and maintaining records, and implementing health programs.

Above-average occupational growth is expected in Alberta for 2016 to 2020. Job openings are a result of employment turnover and newly created positions.

Most community health representatives work in First Nations communities and Métis settlements. In urban centres, they may work at community agencies or within Alberta Health Services health facilities.

With additional education, community health representatives may move into related occupations such as social worker, licensed practical nurse or addictions counsellor. For more information about these occupations, see the Related Occupations section of this profile.

Community health representatives are part of the larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 4212: Social and community service workers. In Alberta, 76% of people employed in this occupational group work in the following industries:

• Health Care and Social Assistance (PDF)
• Public Administration (PDF)

The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the industries listed above)
• location in Alberta
• employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
• size of the occupation.

Over 12,200 Albertans are employed in the Community and social service workers occupational group. This group is expected to have an above-average annual growth of 2.9% from 2016 to 2020. As a result, 354 new positions are forecast to be created each year, in addition to job openings created by employment turnover. Note: As community health representatives form only a part of this larger occupational group, only some of these newly created positions will be for community health representatives.

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.

Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) website: www.hsaa.ca

For more information on career planning, education and jobs, visit the Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) website, call the Alberta Career Information Hotline toll-free at 1-800-661-3753 or 780-422-4266 in Edmonton, or visit an Alberta Works Centre near you.