Breastfeeding Peer Counselor (BFPC) (VDHPCX10)

Title: Breastfeeding Peer Counselor (BFPC) (VDHPCX10)

State Role Title: Direct Service Associate II

Hiring Range: $15.00 - $16.23

Pay Band: 2

Agency: Virginia Department of Health

Location: ROANOKE HQ

Agency Website: www.vdh.virginia.gov

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

Consider joining the Virginia Department of Health as we foster healthy and resilient communities. This is your opportunity to serve the public in the WIC Program at the Roanoke City/Alleghany Health District.

Breastfeeding Peer Counselors promote breastfeeding among WIC participants, health care workers and the community. They attend local, regional, or state breastfeeding promotion and support training when possible. They operate within the BFPC scope of practice as defined in the WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum. Participates in multidisciplinary team case conferencing to develop and implement WIC participant service plans. May represent Local Agency and WIC on interdisciplinary workgroups, taskforces, or coalitions.

Typical Duties:

1. Provides breastfeeding encouragement, information, and counsel to prenatal and breastfeeding participants.
2. Provides anticipatory education about the normal course of breastfeeding.
3. Conducts support group meeting and assists the nutritionist with individual and other group sessions.
4. Contacts participants at predetermined intervals per WIC policy to provide counsel, encouragement, and information to maintain lactation. Is available to participants outside of usual clinic hours and the WIC clinic environment. Identifies problems or potential problems necessitating referral to the nutritionist, or WIC Designated Breastfeeding Expert (DBE).
5. Recruits participants to attend nutrition education classes by making clinic, telephone, and/or mail contacts.
6. Maintains logs of patient contacts, completes monthly activity reports and other health department forms as required. Utilizes the Crossroads system.
7. May plan and participate in community outreach events for WIC participants, particularly during Breastfeeding Awareness Month. Plans local agency breastfeeding promotion events. Creates and maintain a breastfeeding-friendly environment.
8. Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor

This is a restricted position, which is solely funded by the Federal Breastfeeding grant. The availability of funding is scheduled for review annually. Annual funding cycle October 1 to September 30 of the following year. Continued employment is contingent on the continued availability of funds.

Wage employees are subject to the following conditions of employment:
• Wage employees are paid only for the hours they actually work.
Virginia state law currently requires that agencies not permit wage employees to work in excess of 29 hours per week on average over the course of a year. Wage employees may not work for VDH beyond 1,500 hours during the period of May 1 – April 30 of the following year (the Standard Measurement Period).

This position will be located at: Roanoke City Health Department, 1502 Williamson Rd. NE, Roanoke, VA

May be required to perform other duties as assigned. May be required to assist the agency or state government generally in the event of an emergency declaration by the Governor. May be required by VDH to adjust work hours, location, and job duties and participate in training to meet public health business needs, including emergencies.

If this position is designated as a mobile worker, this includes both working in the field and teleworking at an alternate location when not in the field or during an emergency closing. You may be required to periodically come into your assigned office to attend meetings or training.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is dedicated to protecting and promoting the health of Virginians. The VDH is made up of a statewide Central Office in Richmond and 35 local health districts.

Who We Are: The Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD) are two health districts in the Commonwealth of Virginia under the Virginia Department of Health and employ approximately 140 staff. RCAHD encompasses the cities of Covington, Roanoke, and Salem and the counties of Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig, and Roanoke.

What We Do: RCAHD, which provides services from nine office locations, serves a combined population of over 278,400 people throughout both rural and urban environments and works to promote and encourage healthy behavior, protect the public against environmental hazards, prevent