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

Division/Program Summary:
The Division of Family and Child Health, Office of School Health (OSH) Vision Program provides mandated vision screening services to Pre-K, kindergarten and first grade students throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The Vision Program is partnered with Warby Parker, a manufacturer and retailer of prescription eyeglasses. Warby Parker provides free eyeglass to students who fails the vision screenings.

Position Summary:
The Public Health Adviser plays an integral role in providing preventative health services for students in NYC schools. Reporting to the Follow-Up Unit Supervisor, the Public Health Adviser will reach out to parents, vision professionals, and schools on issues related to the student’s vision.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:
- Responsible for notifying parents of student’s vision abnormality identified during a vision screening.
- Assist parents who have not followed up with a doctor due to financial/insurance problems by providing referrals for low or no cost professional eyecare services.

- Conduct necessary outreach to community providers to confirm prescriptions and diagnosis and/or obtain return visits for amblyopic children.
- Obtain updated contact information from schools for students who fail vision screenings.

- Complete referral forms in a legible manner and ensures letters to the parents are attached to the forms.
- Educating parents about student’s vision impairment and the need to use prescribed glasses if required.

- Enter data accurately and in a timely manner into Automated Student Health Record (ASHR).
- Maintains a record of children in OSH's ASHR database whose parents could not be reached by phone.

- Provides parents with names of medical providers in their area.
- Arrange meetings with school staff to explain functions of OSH’s Vision Follow-Up Unit.

- Responsible for updating Vision Resource List annually.

*City Wide travel and flexibility with location of assignment may be required based on programmatic needs.


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.

Come join us and help to continue our efforts in making a difference in the lives of all New Yorkers!

Commitment to Equity:

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.

The NYC Health Department is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation to all individuals. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact Sye-Eun Ahn, Director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, at sahn1@health.nyc.gov or 347-396-6549.

PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISER (SCHOOL - 51195

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, including or supplemented by twelve semester credits in health education or in health, social or biological sciences; or

2. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, and six months of full-time satisfactory experience in a health promotion or disease intervention/prevention program, performing one or more of the following: interviewing, conducting field investigations, assessing health risks,
making referrals, or collecting and analyzing epidemiological data; or

3. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and four years of full-time satisfactory experience as described in “2” above; or

4. Education and/or experience equivalent to “1,” “2” or “3” above. Undergraduate college credit can be substituted for experience on the basis of 30 semester credits from an accredited college for one year of full-time experience. However, all candidates must have a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent, and either twelve semester credits as described in “1” above or six months of experience as described in “2” above.

Additional Requirements
A. To be assigned to Assignment Level II, candidates must have, in addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements listed above, at least one year of experience as a Public Health Adviser (School Health), Assignment Level I, or
at least one additional year of experience as described in Qualification Requirement 2 above.

This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.