Disease Intervention Specialist

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES:

• Determine the origins and potential spread of reportable STD by interviewing those with disease, their sex partners, or others who may have information and by examining medical records and other pertinent information.
• Locate potentially infected persons through legal methods such as obtaining information from patients, relatives of patients, sex partners, public agencies such as the DMV, correctional facilities, county health departments, schools, and laboratories, and others.
• Contact potentially infected persons to encourage testing and treatment, provide education, and obtain information on other potentially infected persons; emphasize sex partner referral and persist in identifying sex partners; pursue locating and identifying information; apply CDC standards to negotiate an HIV/STD risk reduction plan; establish specific contracts and coach patients.
• Develop and maintain detailed records of activities, events, and information obtained; compute and use interview periods and recognized exposure gaps; determine accurate source and spread relationships; determine investigative priorities; recognize discrepancies in patient responses.
• Solve problems by recognizing verbal and nonverbal problem indicators, verifying the meaning of problem indicators, and confronting problems.
• Communicate by establishing rapport, listening, using open-ended questions, and communicating at the patient's level of understanding; provide factual information; solicit patient feedback.
• Provide educational presentations and consultations to medical providers, substance abuse treatment counselors, community groups, and school staff and students on STDs; make group presentations to schools, community organizations, corrections staff, and others concerning reduction, control, and prevention of STDs.
• Perform investigative and disease intervention activities as requested through the Communicable Disease Program.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

LEVEL AND TYPE OF WORK AND/OR SUPERVISION:

Disease Intervention Specialist

• Entry level
• Technical
• Perform the more routine duties as assigned with increasing independence.
• Decisions made or actions taken require higher-level review and work is checked for progress and reviewed for quality and compliance to policy and procedures.
• Typically, incumbents may use the entry level to obtain the proficiencies to qualify at the next level in the classification series.
• Receive general supervision from manager or staff.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS GUIDELINES:

Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. Requirements are determined at the time of recruitment based on responsibilities of the individual position and business needs of the department.

Disease Intervention Specialist

Training and experience for entry level, technical classifications are typically equivalent to an associate's degree and up to one (1) year of experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position.  (Equivalency 2-3 years of qualifying training and/or experience).

Depending upon assignment, candidates may be required to pass a criminal background check, have a valid driver license, and/or additional training, licenses, or certificates.

REQUIRED TRAINING, LICENSES, AND/OR CERTIFICATES:

• CPR certification is required.
• Ability to obtain certificate of training in Sexually Transmitted Disease Intervention.