What does a Community Health Navigator do?
Community health navigators are health coordinators that connect people to medical providers and community resources. They help patients in enhancing their mental, physical, and social health as well as assist them in developing a definite care plan. Their duties include assisting in prescribing optimal health care to patients, coordinating patient care from care providers, and negotiating the health care system. Also, they connect patients to community resources such as food, clothing, affordable housing, and transportation.
Community health navigator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real community health navigator resumes:
- Lead process and counseling groups gear toward healing from both PTSD and substance dependence issues.
- Utilize EpicCare EMR software to access patients' medical chart as needed according to HIPAA regulations.
- Exhibit sensitivity and compassion to patients diagnose with breast cancer.
- Update EMR with most recent information.
- Coordinate other agencies across the country that assist veterans.
- Assist to design and implement center-wide mammography tracking process in EMR.
- Advocate for veterans by directing them to agencies and organizations that provide care and benefits for them.
- Schedule appointments for patients to see their PCP for follow up visits after being discharge from the hospital and ER room.
- Maintain patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA regulations
- Facilitate resolution of all concerns with empathy and compassion.
- Prepare detail reports and PowerPoint presentations to visually communicate with target audiences.
- Register patients, ensure health coverage payments, eligibility, insurance authorizations and billing.
- Design and prepare spreadsheets to maintain reporting statistics used in developing appropriate public benefits for patients and participants.
- Staff daily referrals with hospital staff to discuss medical conditions and reviewing medical charts for need Medicaid and disability applications.
- Assist members in finding new PCP.
Community health navigator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Community Health Navigators are proficient in Patients, Social Work, and Mental Health. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Instructional skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Community Health Navigators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 16%
Designed and prepared spreadsheets to maintain reporting statistics used in developing appropriate public benefits for patients and participants.
- Social Work, 10%
Facilitate appointments for consults and support services within established service standards, including social workers, dietitians, physician, etc.
- Mental Health, 7%
Assisted in addressing members' barriers to care and to encourage/foster relationships with their physical and mental health providers.
- Community Health, 7%
Outreached and promoted program services to Spanish speaking community at local health fairs and community health related events
- Customer Service, 5%
Provide continuous excellent customer service to clients to provide answers to questions and assistance with needs.
- Care Coordination, 4%
Develop and implement evolving curriculum and resources to assist new and existing employees in health management and care coordination.
"patients," "social work," and "mental health" are among the most common skills that community health navigators use at work. You can find even more community health navigator responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a community health navigator to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "health education specialists collect and evaluate data to determine the needs of the people they serve." Additionally, a community health navigator resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "attended consecutive trainings and seminars for updates from state and federal representatives daily case reporting and data collection. "
Instructional skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling community health navigator duties is instructional skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "health education specialists and community health workers lead programs, teach classes, and facilitate discussion with clients and families." According to a community health navigator resume, here's how community health navigators can utilize instructional skills in their job responsibilities: "led individual and group therapy sessions, and one-hour instructional courses on numerous psychology topics. "
Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for community health navigators to perform their duties. For an example of how community health navigator responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "health education specialists and community health workers interact with many people from a variety of backgrounds." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a community health navigator: "resolved interpersonal conflicts with 25 students/week using cognitive behavioral therapy and reality therapy theoretical perspectives. ".
Problem-solving skills. community health navigator responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "health education specialists and community health workers must think creatively about improving the health of the community." This resume example shows what community health navigators do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "attend interagency meetings monthly to develop relationships with other community resources and to bring up client needs and share solutions. "
Communication skills. Lastly, "communication skills" is an important element of what a community health navigator does. Community health navigator responsibilities require this skill because "health education specialists and community health workers must be able to clearly convey information in health-related materials and in written proposals for programs and funding." This resume example highlights how community health navigator duties rely on this skill: "connect patients with resources and support systems * facilitate interaction and communication with health care staff and providers. "
The three companies that hire the most community health navigators are:
- UnitedHealth Group109 community health navigators jobs
- SSea Mar Community Health Centers30 community health navigators jobs
- NNovant Health24 community health navigators jobs
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Community health navigator vs. Assistant director of nutrition and wellness programs
A client care coordinator is a health care professional who arranges and coordinates services for patients, ensuring they receive optimal care. They usually meet with patients to identify their health care needs, develop personalized care plans, monitor the patients' conditions, and document their progress. They also assist patients by answering inquiries, helping them understand their health conditions and treatment procedures, and referring them to other services. Moreover, as a client care coordinator, it is essential to assist care teams, all while implementing facility standards and regulations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between community health navigators and assistant director of nutrition and wellness programs. For instance, community health navigator responsibilities require skills such as "patients," "social work," "community health," and "customer service." Whereas a assistant director of nutrition and wellness programs is skilled in "corporate wellness programs," "health education programs," "weight loss," and "facilitate referrals." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that assistant directors of nutrition and wellness programs earn slightly differ from community health navigators. In particular, assistant directors of nutrition and wellness programs are 3.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a community health navigator. Additionally, they're 4.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Community health navigator vs. Client care coordinator
Community health workers are health care professionals who are responsible for assisting individuals and communities in adopting health behaviors by outreaching health organizations to implement health programs. These health workers are required to provide basic health care services and perform basic diagnostic procedures such as screening of blood pressure, breast cancer, or communicable disease. They must also identify the particular health care needs of individuals in the community and as well as visit their homes to provide support or information. Community health workers must also arrange transportation to clients who have health appointments or referral sites.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, community health navigator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "community health," "care coordination," "health education," and "substance abuse." Meanwhile, a client care coordinator has duties that require skills in areas such as "client care," "home health," "excellent time management," and "senior care." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Client care coordinators earn lower levels of education than community health navigators in general. They're 7.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 4.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Community health navigator vs. Health outreach worker
Navigators are responsible for a ship or aircraft's navigation requiring positional awareness. Their duties include mapping out for the journey, avoiding any hazards during travel, and advising the captain or commander on estimated time en route to the destination. Navigators are involved in maintaining the ship or aircraft's communication, nautical publications and charts, navigational equipment, and meteorological device. In the air force world, modern navigators are tasked with copilot duties and employing weapons systems.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, community health navigators are more likely to have skills like "mental health," "customer service," "health services," and "health outcomes." But a health outreach worker is more likely to have skills like "rehabilitation," "public health," "health insurance," and "healthy behaviors."
Health outreach workers make a very good living in the insurance industry with an average annual salary of $35,581. On the other hand, community health navigators are paid the highest salary in the insurance industry, with average annual pay of $43,322.health outreach workers typically earn similar educational levels compared to community health navigators. Specifically, they're 2.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Community health navigator vs. Navigator
Even though a few skill sets overlap between community health navigators and navigators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a community health navigator might have more use for skills like "community health," "care coordination," "health services," and "health outcomes." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of navigators require skills like "patient care," "rehabilitation," "home health," and "veterans. "
In general, navigators earn the most working in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $41,718. The highest-paying industry for a community health navigator is the insurance industry.In general, navigators hold similar degree levels compared to community health navigators. Navigators are 2.6% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of community health navigator
Updated January 8, 2025