Job Description

Are you excited about a new opportunity? Do you have a passion for providing high quality medical assistance and patient support? Are you mission-driven to help improve health and eliminate inequities in health outcomes in under-resourced communities in DC? Well, look no further! At Community of Hope, we have worked diligently to improve health and end family homelessness to make Washington, DC, more equitable. We believe everyone in DC should have access to good healthcare, a stable income, and home, and hope! If you are ready to make a positive difference in the community, this position is for you!

At COH, we strive for: Caring for Families. Improving Lives. Leading Change

Our Approach and Values :

We care for families by providing direct services with a focus on prevention, healing, and wellness.

We improve lives by building on families’ strengths , honoring their choices, and taking a whole-family, multi-generational approach.

We lead and advocate for system change to address the effects of historical and current racial inequities on health outcomes and housing opportunities.

We embrace the diversity of our community , welcome all voices and perspectives, and treat everyone with respect, compassion, and integrity.

We strive for excellence in all that we do, implement evidence-based practices, measure our outcomes, and use this knowledge to continuously strengthen our work.

Position Summary: The Nutritionist promotes the integration of nutrition and wellness services into the COH Medical Home Model by fostering food-related community partnerships, providing consultation and education to COH providers and other care team members, and developing nutritional education curriculum and materials. Additionally, they empower COH patients with nutritional information and food-based resources in order to improve health outcomes related to nutrition-sensitive conditions, including obesity, hypertension, and diabetes; evidence-based interventions will be delivered through nutrition-based care plans, one-on-one nutrition counseling sessions, and group nutrition and wellness programming.  

The pay rate for this position ranges between $65,000 - $75,000 annually and the offer amount is determined by the candidate's education, qualifications, and experience. Indeed provides their own estimated salary calculator and is not affiliated with COH's range.  

Highlighted Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Delivers one-on-one nutrition counseling and support to a minimum of 10 patients per day, either in person or over the phone.
• Reviews the quality of current nutrition education delivered in one-on-one and group settings and identifies enhancements to curriculum, associated patient-education materials, and staff knowledge.
• Works with medical, nursing, and health services leadership to develop and deliver new group education approaches based on patient feedback and known gaps in services, such as wellness, weight loss, and walking groups, and grocery store tours.
• Works with behavioral health department to develop and implement interdisciplinary approaches to address the intersection of mental health conditions/exposure to trauma and food-related behaviors.
• Designs culturally appropriate patient education materials and works to promote adoption by the care team. 
• Provides trainings to clinical staff to increase knowledge of current nutrition guidelines, disease-specific dietary recommendations, and culturally competent approaches to working with patients.
• Reviews free or low-cost phone applications that support patients’ self-management goals around nutrition and promotes patient adoption of high-quality tools.
• Works with patients to establish meal plans in accordance with patient preference, cultural background, and health and financial capabilities; evaluates the health and diet needs of patients and make clinical recommendations.
• Develops and implements patient-specific care plans around obesity and nutrition-sensitive conditions, including hypertension, prediabetes, diabetes, and high cholesterol. 
• Works with patients to define SMART goals around weight loss, nutrition, and healthy behaviors more generally.
• Conducts appropriate telephonic and in-person follow-up for established care plans and supports patients as they work to achieve their SMART goals.
• Makes appropriate referrals to nursing staff, behavioral health providers, and other members of the care team, and ensures that interventions for risking-risk and high-risk patients are coordinated and patient-centered.
• Coordinates and communicates with care team members, including care coordinators and primary care providers, to gather relevant input, communicate patients’ goals and preferences, and ensure the care team is working in a coordinated fashion to support patients’ goals.
• Enters all patient visit information into the electronic medical record at time of visit, according to programmatic requirements.
• Identifies gaps in services to address social determinants of health based on outcomes and patient feedback. Assists in developing plans, community resources, and other partnerships to meet identified needs, particularly around food insecurity. 
• Maintains target productivity standards.
• Serves as a liaison to external partners in the food and nutrition space and works to promote partnerships that enhance access to healthy, affordable foods and culturally competent education, including cooking courses and grocery store tours.
• Uses population health data to target outreach to specific patients/sub-populations that could benefit from nutrition-based interventions. 
• Contributes accurate and timely data to support program reporting and quality improvement.
• Works with Women’s Health Services Manager to support high-quality, timely program reporting.
• Provides direct nutritional counseling to patients, following approved guidelines.
• Participates in quality management activities, including peer review which occurs every other month.
• Precepts nutrition students as agreed upon with supervisor.
• Maintains safe, secure, and healthy work environment by following standards, procedures, and legal guidelines.
• Documents all patient encounters, including face-to-face, telephone, and electronic communications, in the medical record in a timely fashion.
• Secures patient information and maintains patient confidence by completing and safeguarding medical records and keeping patient information confidential.

Minimum Qualifications :

• Must hold current license as a dietitian or nutritionist in the District of Columbia.
• Master’s Degree in Nutrition or closely related field strongly preferred.
• Experience providing culturally competent, patient-centered education in a low-income setting highly required.
• Ability to multi-task and problem solve required.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, team-based setting required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, and Excel required.
• Ability to meet patients outside of traditional office setting, including grocery stores, required.
• Ability to work flexible hours (i.e. evenings, weekends) to provide increased access to patients required.
• Ability to travel to other sites for the purposes of training, meetings, and providing cross-coverage required.
• Experience in community health center setting preferred.
• Proof of required vaccinations is required. This includes, but may not be limited to, Flu and Covid. COH will consider requests for reasonable accommodations for anyone who cannot be vaccinated for a religious or medical reason, subject to applicable law.
• All Health Staff must receive the required vaccinations. This includes annual flu and covid vaccines. Medical or religious exemptions may be requested.

At COH, we understand the toll that the Covid-19 pandemic has taken on the workforce, which is why we prioritize the following well-being and work-life balance-centered benefits:

• 8-hour workdays, which include a paid lunch
• 11.5 paid company holidays, 1 personal floating holiday, 15 days of paid vacation (increases to 20 after 3 years of service), and 12 days of paid sick leave on an annual basis
• Annual performance-based raises, up to 5% of your annual pay
• National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and DC Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (DCHPLRP) participants
• Tuition reimbursement, loan repayment for clinicians, licensing reimbursement, and continuing education unit funds for licensed staff
• Many opportunities for internal promotions and transfers across the agency as we continue to grow; we average 30+ promotions each year
• Ongoing internal leadership training for supervisors
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion training and initiatives for all staff
• Ongoing well-being activities, culture compact activities, and trauma-informed care initiatives
• Medical/Dental/Vision Plans through CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield
• Life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance
• 403(b) Retirement Plan
• Flexible Spending Accounts for medical and dependent care reimbursable expenses
• And much more.

About Us :

Community of Hope is a mission-driven, innovative, and rapidly growing nonprofit. For over 40 years, we have provided healthcare, housing, and supportive services for under-resourced, underserved and people experiencing homelessness in Washington, DC. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, we provide medical, dental, emotional wellness, and care coordination services for the whole family at three locations in DC. Community of Hope also strongly emphasizes maternal and child health, with midwifery practice and the only free-standing birth center in DC. In 2020, Community of Hope provided about 28,400 medical visits, 7,000 dental visits, and 10,000 behavioral health visits for about 11,000 patients. Community of Hope provides community walk-in COVID testing and COVID vaccines. Community of Hope is also one of the largest providers in DC of housing and support services for families and individuals experiencing homelessness. Through providing these programs, we live out our mission to improve health and end family and individual homelessness to make Washington, DC, more equitable.

Community of Hope cares for families and individuals by providing direct services focusing on prevention, healing, and wellness. We improve lives by building on families' and individuals' strengths, honoring their choices, and taking a whole-family, multi-generational approach. We lead and advocate for system change to address the effects of historical and current racial inequities on health outcomes and housing opportunities. We embrace the diversity of our community, welcome all voices and perspectives, and treat everyone with respect, compassion, and integrity. We strive for excellence in everything we do, implement evidence-based practices, measure our outcomes, and use this knowledge to strengthen our work continuously. We were selected as one of The Washington Post 150 Top Workplaces in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, AND 2024 based on feedback from our staff.

To request a reasonable accommodation to complete an employment application or for general questions about employment with Community of Hope, contact a Recruiting Coordinator. Email: hr@cohdc.org Phone: 202-407-7747. Community of Hope is an equal opportunity employer.

Community of Hope is a mission-driven, innovative, and rapidly growing nonprofit. For nearly 40 years, we have provided healthcare, housing, and supportive services for low-income, underserved, and homeless people in Washington DC. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, we provide medical, dental, behavioral health, and care coordination services for the whole family at three locations in DC. Community of Hope also has a strong emphasis on maternal and child health, with a midwifery practice and the only free-standing birth center in DC. In 2020, Community of Hope provided about 28,400 medical visits, 7,000 dental visits, and 10,000 behavioral health visits for about 11,000 patients. Community of Hope is also providing community walk-in COVID testing and COVID vaccines. Community of Hope is also one of the largest providers in DC of housing and support services for families experiencing homelessness.  Through providing these programs, we live out our mission to improve health and end family homelessness to make Washington, DC more equitable.

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