Public Health Advisor

Job Description

ONLY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES IN THE TITLE AND THOSE THAT ARE REACHABLE ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISER CIVIL SERVICE LIST ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY.

Division/Program Summary:
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department)'s Bureau of Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections (BHHS) oversees the City's response to viral hepatitis, HIV, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Across a range of programs and through extensive collaboration with other parts of NYC DOHMH and external stakeholders, BHHS leads testing initiatives; prevention, treatment programming; epidemiology and surveillance; research and evaluation; training and technical assistance; community engagement; social marketing; policy advocacy; and racial equity and social initiatives.

The ACE (Assess. Connect. Engage.) Team within BHHS is staffed with Public Health Advisors (PHA). PHA are responsible for providing partner services to approximately 2000 New Yorkers newly diagnosed each year, including the identification, tracing, notification and HIV-testing of their sex and needle-partners. PHA ensures that all newly HIV-diagnosed persons are linked to HIV clinical care. PHA is responsible for outreach to the approximately 2,000 HIV providers and community-based organizations. PHA undertake the continuous education of providers and community members about HIV-related laws and regulations and build/maintain structure for timely reporting of HIV diagnosis and linkage and services for patients and partners to curb the further spread of HIV. The ACE (Assess. Connect. Engage.) unit is housed in the HIV Epidemiology of the Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, & STIs. The ACE unit staff are responsible for the provision of HIV partner services and linkage to care to HIV-diagnosed persons in New York City (NYC), including the collection, analysis, and dissemination of service data of participating patients. NYC has a large and diverse HIV epidemic, and analyses of partner and linkage to care service data in NYC inform public health policy at the local, state, and national levels.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:
- Interview HIV-diagnosed persons to elicit HIV-exposed partners, locate and notify partners, and provide HIV rapid testing in mobile settings to notified partners.
- Connect persons with a new HIV diagnosis to clinical care.
- Use HIV transmission network data to identify and reach out to not in care persons, including contact tracing.
- Trace and locate HIV-diagnosed persons who are out-of-care and connect them to clinical care.
- Engage HIV-diagnosed persons and their partners with HIV prevention and ancillary services.
- Link HIV-negative partners to PrEP providers for evaluation and counseling.
- Collect data on HIV cases to fulfill surveillance and case investigation data requirements, including record review, patient and provider interviews.
- Serve in an activated role reassigned to emergency response work as needed in an emergency within Surveillance/Epidemiology or Clinical Operations groups.

Why you should work for us:

- Benefits: City employees are entitled to unmatched benefits such as:
o a premium-free health insurance plan that saves employees over $10K annually, per a 2024 assessment.
o additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available based on the position’s associated union/benefit fund.
o a public sector defined benefit pension plan with steady monthly payments in retirement.
o a tax-deferred savings program and
o a robust Worksite Wellness Program that offers resources and opportunities to keep you healthy while serving New Yorkers.
- Work From Home Policy: Depending on your position, you may be able to work up to two days during the week from home.
- Job Security - you could enjoy more job security compared to private sector employment and be able to contribute to making NYC a healthy place to live and work.

Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the U.S., dedicated to protecting and improving the health of NYC. Our mission is to safeguard the health of every resident and cultivate a city where everyone, regardless of age, background, or location, can achieve their optimal health. We provide a wide array of programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and social justice initiatives. As the primary population health strategist and policy authority for NYC, with a rich history of public health initiatives and scientific advancements, from addressing the 1822 yellow fever outbreak to the COVID-19 pandemic, we serve as a global leader in public health innovation and expertise.

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