Multnomah County Food Coordinator VISTA
Program Description:
This position joins the Oregon Health Authority’s statewide VISTA team. In addition to activities at your individual site, each member receives additional orientation, training throughout the year, team retreats and meetings, and the support of the team leaders and project director based at the state public health agency. For more information about the Oregon Health Authority VISTA Partnership Program, please visit: http://healthoregon.org/vista. Selections are made on a rolling basis and early applications are strongly encouraged. Situated in vibrant Portland, Oregon, Multnomah County has a regional population of over 2 million with easy access to nature within the Portland City limits and to beaches and mountains barely an hour away by car. The area is served by safe, reliable public transportation and is entertained by nearly continuous arts, music, and cultural events. Multnomah County provides low-cost family health care at seven locations under the umbrella of our Community Health Center. We provide care to all Multnomah County residents, including those who are low-income and uninsured. In our county, poverty is prevalent among populations which experience healthcare inequities and health disparities (e.g., racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, and people for whom English is a second or other language). Over 70% of the patients at the Multnomah County Community Health Center make less than the federal poverty limit and over 40% prefer to be served in a language other than English. The OHA VISTA Partnership Project is committed to building a diverse workforce. We strongly encourage candidates from communities of color, disability, LGBTQIA, and linguistically diverse populations to consider application to our positions. With the innovative public health work happening in Oregon, Portland is a wonderful place to explore a future in public health.
Member Duties:
The AmeriCorps member will support the Multnomah County Health Center’s work with CSA Partnerships for Health (CSAP4H), which is an innovative food access program that works to reduce disease by turning community health centers into vibrant neighborhood spaces that distribute food from local farms. They will also provide data to expand insurance coverage and support client education by learning how to extract data from health center medical records; create data collection automations; have a Community Health Worker (CHW) mentor; develop and streamline CHW program; collect and disseminate data through surveys and data analysis; and possibly have opportunities to co-author material for publication in academic journals or conferences. Desired qualifications:
- Working with people who experience health disparities
- Excellent problem-solving skills
- Ability to build relationships and communicate in new environments
- Interest in food justice and creative health interventions
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Questions about the application process? Curious about the day-to-day work of our members? Need clarification about the benefits of serving with AmeriCorps?
Join us every Friday at our virtual Recruitment Office Hours to find out more about the OHA VISTA AmeriCorps Partnership Project!
OHA VISTA Recruitment Office Hours
Fridays, January 29th – March 5th | 10-10:45 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST)
Virtual via Zoom | Password: OHA.VISTA
This is an informal setting where you can chat with the OHA VISTA leadership team and ask questions about our AmeriCorps program and the application process. There is no need to register in advance—just click on the link above and stay for as long or short a time as you wish.