Director of Community Health - Full Time

Description Position Summary The Director of Community Health provides leadership for Northeastern Health System's (NHS) community health, population health, and prevention strategies. This role coordinates healthcare delivery with social services, public health agencies, philanthropic partners, and community organizations to improve overall quality of life across Cherokee County and surrounding rural communities. A core emphasis of this position is addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) that create gaps in care for patients and financial strain for the hospital. These include access to care, transportation, housing stability, food insecurity, behavioral health access, workforce shortages, and financial barriers. The Director aligns clinical services, community-based resources, and philanthropic investment to close these gaps, improve equity, reduce avoidable utilization, and strengthen long-term sustainability for both patients and NHS. Position Accountabilities Community Health Strategy & Leadership • Develop and implement a comprehensive community health strategy aligned with NHS's mission, Community Health Needs Assessments, and strategic plan. • Coordinate healthcare and social service partnerships to address social determinants of health and reduce health disparities. • Represent NHS on the Cherokee County Health Services Council and other local, regional and statewide coalitions. Social Determinants of Health Focus • Lead NHS strategies to identify, prioritize, and address social determinants of health impacting patient outcomes and hospital performance. • Integrate SDOH screening, referral pathways, and community-based interventions across clinical and community health programs. • Collaborate with housing, transportation, nutrition, education, and social service partners to strengthen care coordination. • Use data and analytics to quantify SDOH-related impacts on utilization, uncompensated care, workforce stability, and health equity. • Advance sustainable solutions that improve patient access, outcomes, and financial resilience for NHS. Program Development & Population Health • Design, implement, and oversee evidence-based community health initiatives including: - Healthy living and wellness programs - Tobacco cessation initiatives - Obesity prevention and nutrition education • Serve as liaison for Seniors 918 and rural senior health initiatives. • Lead NHS participation in the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) and related opioid response efforts. • Participate in shared learning, statewide collaboration, and best-practice dissemination. Behavioral Health & Opioid Response • Coordinate behavioral health and substance use response strategies with healthcare, public health, and community partners. • Support prevention, treatment access, recovery support, and care coordination initiatives. • Ensure alignment with state and federal behavioral health priorities. Data, Reporting & Analytics • Serve as trustee and steward of information across community health and foundation-supported initiatives. • Oversee data collection, reporting, analytics, and performance measurement to evaluate program effectiveness. • Ensure timely and accurate reporting to internal leadership, boards, funders, and public agencies. • Translate data into actionable insights to guide strategy and continuous improvement. Statewide & Regional Collaboration • Participate in statewide learning collaboratives, data-sharing initiatives, and public health partnerships. • Align NHS community health efforts with state, regional, and federal health priorities. • Represent NHS in conferences, workgroups, and policy discussions. Leadership & Communication • Provide leadership and coordination across interdisciplinary teams and partner organizations. • Communicate community health goals, outcomes, and impact clearly to executive leadership, trustees, donors, and community stakeholders. • Support grant development, sustainability planning, and strategic partnerships. Qualifications Education • Master's degree in Public Health, Health Administration, Social Work, Community Health, or a related field preferred. • Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Health Administration, Social Work, Community Health or a related field required. Requirements Minimum of 3-4 years of progressive leadership experience in community health, population health, public health, or healthcare administration. Experience working with rural communities and cross-sector partnerships. Experience with opioid response, senior health initiatives, and grant-funded programs preferred. Demonstrated experience in fundraising collaboration, donor stewardship, or foundation partnership strongly preferred. Skills & Competencies Strategic planning and systems-thinking skills. Strong communication, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement abilities. Working knowledge of rural health challenges and social determinants of health. Ability to translate data into clear, actionable insights. High level of integrity, accountability, and collaborative leadership.

Created: 2026-03-10