Community Health Worker, CalAIM

Description

FLSA Status: Full-time, Non-Exempt

Compensation: $25.00-$31.00 per hour

Post Date: August 26, 2026

Close Date: September 26, 2026

Report to: Project Manager

To apply for this position: Please submit a resume and cover letter. Your resume will not be considered if a cover letter is not included. 

About Community HealthWorks 

Community HealthWorks (CoHeWo) advances health equity by helping individuals and families access the health coverage, care, housing support, and community services they need to thrive. We work at the intersection of healthcare and community support, partnering with managed care plans, health systems, community-based organizations, and government agencies to remove barriers to care. 

Community Health Workers are central to this work. They serve as trusted connectors who help people understand complex systems, identify their own goals, and take practical next steps toward greater health and stability. 

Position Summary 

The Community Health Worker, CalAIM works primarily in the community with Medi-Cal members who may be experiencing homelessness, multiple chronic health conditions, behavioral health needs, substance use, or other barriers to care. 

Through California’s CalAIM initiative, the CHW provides Enhanced Care Management, coordinated support for complex health and social needs, and Community Supports, including housing-focused services that help eligible members work toward stability. The CHW carries an active caseload and works closely with health plans, providers, housing and benefits systems, community partners, and other CoHeWo teams. This is a non-clinical, non-supervisory role. 

What This Work Looks Like 

This is a relationship-based, field-focused position. Approximately 60% of the work takes place in the community and 40% involves documentation, phone outreach, service coordination, team meetings, and follow-up. Work may occur in shelters, encampments, homes, clinics, hospitals, government offices, housing locations, and partner sites. 

Plans may change during the day based on a member’s circumstances. The work requires flexibility, clear communication, sound judgment, and the ability to work independently while remaining connected and accountable to the team. 

A Day in the Life 

You may begin your day by reviewing your caseload, responding to messages, and coordinating with teammates or a health plan. You might then meet a member at a shelter, encampment, clinic, government office, or prospective housing location to complete an assessment, prepare for an appointment, replace an identification document, apply for benefits, or work through a setback in a care or housing plan. 

Later, you may accompany a member to an important appointment, coordinate with a provider or partner, connect someone with an essential resource, and document the services provided. No two days will look exactly the same, but timely follow-through and accurate documentation are always part of the work. 

What You’ll Do 

Member engagement and direct support 

• Conduct in-person and telephone outreach to Medi-Cal members identified for Enhanced Care Management or Community Supports. 
• Build respectful, trusting relationships and help members identify their goals, understand their options, and take practical next steps. 
• Meet members in community settings and accompany them to medical, housing, benefits, and other important appointments when appropriate. 
• Connect members with essential resources such as food, clothing, water, shelter, transportation, and community-based services. 
• Provide support during urgent or emotionally difficult situations, follow organizational safety and escalation practices, and recognize the limits of CoHeWo’s non-emergency role. 

Healthcare, benefits, and housing coordination 

• Complete required health, housing, and social-needs assessments and develop service plans with members. 
• Help members obtain or maintain health coverage, establish primary care, follow up on healthcare needs, and communicate with health plans and providers. 
• Support housing navigation, including housing-readiness documents, referrals, applications, prospective housing opportunities, and move-in coordination. 
• Help members obtain identification, Social Security cards, income verification, and other documents needed to access services or housing. 
• Connect eligible members with behavioral health, substance-use, County Mental Health, System of Care, and other appropriate services. 
• Coordinate with CoHeWo teams and external partners to reduce gaps and duplication in services. 

Documentation, communication, and teamwork 

• Maintain timely, complete, and accurate member records, service notes, assessments, activity logs, mileage logs, referrals, and required reports. 
• Use assigned electronic systems and standard office technology to track services, follow-up needs, and outcomes. 
• Protect member privacy and comply with HIPAA, confidentiality requirements, and organizational policies. 
• Participate in supervision, team meetings, case conferences, training, and community meetings. 
• Communicate changes, safety concerns, barriers, and situations requiring guidance to the appropriate supervisor or team member. 

What Success Looks Like 

Successful CHWs do not solve every problem for a member. They consistently help people understand their options, move toward self-identified goals, and remain connected to available support. Success in this role includes: 

• Building trust while respecting each member’s autonomy, privacy, and choices. 
• Following through on commitments and communicating when circumstances change. 
• Completing accurate documentation and required follow-up within established timelines. 
• Using sound judgment, professional boundaries, and organizational safety practices. 
• Working collaboratively and knowing when to ask for consultation or support. 
• Responding to setbacks with patience, curiosity, and a focus on practical next steps. 

What Can Be Challenging About This Work 

The people we serve may be navigating homelessness, serious health conditions, behavioral health needs, substance use, involvement with the justice system, or the effects of trauma. You may support someone through an urgent situation, witness difficult living conditions, experience setbacks after significant effort, or encounter circumstances that cannot be resolved immediately. Progress is rarely linear, and members may make choices that differ from what you would choose for them. 

This work requires patience, emotional presence, adaptability, and professional boundaries. It also requires recognizing your own response to difficult circumstances, using supervision appropriately, and remaining effective without taking sole responsibility for another person’s outcome. 

How CoHeWo Supports You 

Employees are expected to ask for support and are not expected to navigate complex situations alone. Support for this role includes: 

• Structured onboarding, field shadowing, and reverse shadowing before independent work. 
• Regular supervision, case consultation, and team-based problem solving. 
• Training in core practices, professional boundaries, field safety, and required program systems. 
• Clear escalation pathways and guidance about the limits of the role. 
• Access to employee wellbeing and mental health resources available through CoHeWo’s benefits programs. 

Requirements

What We’re Looking For 

Required 

• High school diploma or GED. 
• Ability to build respectful relationships with people from varied backgrounds and life circumstances. 
• Clear communication, organization, confidentiality, and consistent follow-through. 
• Comfort learning and using electronic documentation systems, email, and Microsoft Office tools. 
• Ability to work independently in community settings while remaining accountable and connected to a team. 

Relevant experience that may help you succeed 

Relevant experience may come from paid work, volunteering, education, caregiving, community involvement, or lived experience that you choose to share. Applicants do not need to meet every preferred qualification to be considered. Helpful experience may include: 

• Community health, outreach, peer support, case management, health navigation, housing services, behavioral health, substance-use services, or work alongside people experiencing homelessness. 
• Knowledge of Medi-Cal, CalAIM, Sacramento’s housing and benefits systems, or local health and social-service resources. 
• Community Health Worker, peer-support, substance-use, behavioral-health, or health-coverage enrollment training or certification. 
• Postsecondary education in social work, behavioral health, public health, or a related field. 

Requirements 

• Valid California Class C driver’s license, current auto insurance, reliable transportation, and ability to travel throughout Sacramento County and surrounding areas. 
• Completion of a criminal background check. Findings will be reviewed in relation to the position and in accordance with organizational policy and applicable law. 
• Compliance with health-screening, certification, safety, and partner-site requirements applicable to the assignment. 
• Maintenance of required training, certifications, and renewals associated with the role. 

Work Environment & Schedule 

This is a full-time, non-exempt position, typically Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required based on member or program needs. Work schedules are subject to change. Approved overtime will be compensated in accordance with applicable law and organizational policy. 

Community-based work may involve variable weather, uneven terrain, noise, interruptions, animals, limited sanitation, or other environmental conditions. Employees are expected to assess conditions, follow field-safety practices, and consult a supervisor when circumstances exceed the role’s scope or can no longer be approached safely. 

Physical & Emotional Demands 

The employee must be able to frequently sit, stand, walk, speak, listen, use a computer, write, and operate standard office equipment. Fieldwork may include walking on uneven terrain. The employee may occasionally bend, stoop, kneel, reach, climb or balance, and lift or move approximately 10–15 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. 

The role includes regular interaction with people experiencing emotionally sensitive, urgent, or unpredictable circumstances. The employee must be able to communicate effectively, use sound judgment, maintain appropriate professional boundaries, follow safety and escalation procedures, and seek supervision or support when needed. 

How to Apply 

To apply, please submit: 

1. A resume describing your relevant experience and skills.  
2. A brief cover letter explaining your interest in Community HealthWorks, what draws you to this position, and how your experience, skills, or perspective would help you contribute in the role.  

We appreciate your interest in joining Community HealthWorks.