Health Program Associate (35 Hour)

The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (DPH) is hiring! We are seeking an individual for the Newborn Screening (NBS) Program Follow-up and Tracking unit Health Program Associate position. Within the Department of Public Health, Newborn Screening Program, the Health Program Associate position will enhance the overall receipt, login, tracking and reporting processes and promote the timeliness and accuracy with which the overall NBS process is carried out. This position will also perform in a lead role within the NBS Follow-up and Tracking unit, providing guidance for staff education and daily responsibilities as well as assuming primary responsibility for reporting results to the specialty Treatment Centers, developing stakeholder educational materials and acting as a point person for provider testing questions and clinical concerns.  The highly specialized duties performed at the DPH Laboratory within the Newborn Screening Program are considered essential services within the State of Connecticut.

This position is located in Rocky Hill and requires our employees to report to the physical work site during the pandemic and, possibly, during inclement weather events. Teleworking is not an option for this Health Program Associate position. Regular work hours will be 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM consisting of 35-hour work weeks.

The Connecticut Newborn Screening Program (CT NBS) began bloodspot screening for one disorder, Phenylketonuria (PKU) in 1964. Two additional disorders were added in 1979, followed by an additional sixteen disorders and Hemoglobin (Hb) trait screening through 1983.  With the implementation of Tandem Mass Spectrometry instrumentation in 2004, the number of disorders detectable through newborn screening increased to over fifty (50) by 2010. Between 2016 and 2021 new screening technologies and treatment options led to even more disorders being added, bringing the number of disorders detectible through bloodspot screening to over sixty-five (65). The Connecticut Newborn Screening Program works to ensure that every newborn, who is born or resides in Connecticut, has a valid newborn screening on record and that those infants with abnormal screening results are promptly referred to a specialty treatment center for further evaluation and treatment when needed. These comprehensive efforts help prevent unnecessary disability and premature death.

This position will be for an individual who is capable of performing and fully proficient in all duties of the Health Program Associate Job Specifications.

Under the supervision of the section Supervisor, the responsibilities for this Health Program Associate position include, but are not limited to:

• Schedules, assigns, oversees, and reviews work of junior staff; identifies and/or provides staff training and facilitates staff continuing education
• Reports complex out-of-range newborn screening results to specialty Treatment Centers; reports second tier testing results; reports of out-of-range newborn screening results to hospital-based and community health care providers
• Develops stakeholder educational and informational materials; develops or makes recommendations on development of policies and standards for the unit.
• Provides guidance to staff for results reporting questions; responds to providers who may have clinical concerns or questions
• Ensures specimen and patient information match in both the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and NBS Follow Up/Tracking (NBST) databases; runs Laboratory LIMS and NBST database daily reports and workflows; contributes and monitors information uploaded to the CT NBS Program web pages
• Reports hemoglobin trait results and responds to providers with questions associated with hemoglobin trait results

The Mission of the Department of Public Health (DPH) is to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy, preventing disease, injury, and disability, and promoting the equal enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, which is a human right and a priority of the state.

DPH accomplishes this through the implementation of its Strategic Plan which outlines the actions that DPH is taking to accomplish its Mission.

We offer a competitive benefits package, excellent health care, generous leave policies, retirement plan, and more!  We also encourage a healthy work-life balance to all employees.

Are you interested in joining our team as a Health Program Associate? We encourage you to apply today!

*This salary range may increase effective July 1, 2022.

The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.  

Due to the volume of applications anticipated, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be provided through your JobAps portal account. 

Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience most closely meet the preferred requirements of the position. At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include:  a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position.

In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.  

Please Note: You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam. 

Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 

The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class. 

All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception.  Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.

This position may be subject to Federal requirements for COVID 19 Vaccination Immunization. 

Should you have questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Chelsea Moore at Chelsea.Moore@ct.gov.

In a state health program or project, this class is accountable for performing high level work in the implementation and coordination of the non-clinical aspects of health care programs or projects.

The specific duties and responsibilities of this generic class vary widely depending on the nature of the program and the current stage in its life cycle. Typical examples of duties include the following: serves as regional coordinator for a statewide health program or project with responsibility for developing and maintaining appropriate programs, projects and liaisons in their assigned regions; participates in planning, organization and implementation of a statewide health program by having responsibility for major components of program such as staffing, work assignment and distribution decisions; initiates and oversees public relations efforts; establishes and maintains relationships involved in program within agency and with other state, community or public agencies; assists division head in expediting program; prepares comprehensive reports on planning and progress of program; develops objectives so program functions within cost estimates; analyzes, evaluates and interprets data; advises and participates in formulation of task forces within or outside agency and coordinates activities so program is successfully accomplished; works with federal, state and community agencies on new, proposed or revised programs to clarify or develop objectives, determine method of integrating programs in agency operations and establish cost estimates; provides technical assistance to community agencies; assists in drafting of legislation and regulations; gathers fiscal and programmatic data on programs and participates in planning budget and programmatic aspects of program; may also be assigned to conduct health planning, program monitoring and grants management for particular programs; may be involved in approval of grants or projects; may speak publicly about program issues and develop information for public distribution; performs related duties as required.

Considerable knowledge of purposes, plans, objectives and programs of public health agencies including changing patterns of preventive medicine and environmental health; considerable knowledge of relationships between risk factors and evidence of health problems; considerable knowledge of changing aspects of social-medical philosophies; knowledge of research and evaluation design methodologies; knowledge of state and community organizations and programs involved in field of public health and medical care; considerable oral and written communication skills; interpersonal skills; considerable ability to plan, organize and direct a complex technical program; ability to analyze, evaluate and interpret data; ability to lead and train staff.

Seven (7) years of professional experience in a health organization.

One (1) year of the General Experience must have been in health care program administration, a health systems agency or other health care organization in at least one of the following areas:

1. grant writing or monitoring;
2. formal program planning, development, management or evaluation;
3. or program consultation.

For State Employees this is interpreted at the level of Health Program Assistant 2.

Note: A health care organization is defined as a large multi-dimensional agency with responsibility for developing health programs.

1. College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
2. A Master's degree in health education, hospital administration, public administration, public health or other closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.
3. For State Employees one (1) year as a Health Program Assistant 2 may substitute for the General and Special Experience.

• Experience working in a leadership role in the area of Newborn Screening, Public Health or Maternal Child Health requiring a knowledge of relevant disease processes and medical terminology
• Experience in the development of health communications including the preparation of educational and informational materials to be directed to various stakeholders
• Experience preparing staffing schedules, assigning duties, overseeing, and reviewing work of junior staff as part of a multidisciplinary team within a Newborn Screening Program, Public Health, or Health Care system environment
• Experience identifying and/or providing training and continuing education to professional staff to meet requirements for the reporting of clinical testing results within a Newborn Screening Program, Public Health, or Health Care System
• Experience working with various digital platforms such as health care documentation systems, electronic databases, website development platforms and digital learning platforms
• Experience with data and trend analysis, presentation of data and results, review, recording and approval of results records within a Newborn Screening Program or Health Care System using a variety of platforms such as a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), an electronic medical record database, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint
• Experience overseeing, preparing, and monitoring the fiscal and programmatic performance of grants using agency regulations and guidelines

Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.