Breastfeeding Peer Counselor

Title: Breastfeeding Peer Counselor

State Role Title: Direct Service Associate II

Hiring Range: $15.00-$21.00

Pay Band: 2

Agency: Virginia Department of Health

Location: EASTERN SHORE-ACCOMACK-CEN

Agency Website: www.vdh.virginia.gov

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

The Eastern Shore Health District proudly serves Northampton and Accomack counties. Our mission is to prevent illness and disease, protect the environment, and promote optimal health and emergency preparedness for everyone on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. We are people of the community, for the community. Our vision is to drive Virginia's Eastern Shore to the peak of personal, environmental, and community health, setting an example for others to follow. 

We are seeking a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor to promote breastfeeding among WIC participants, health care workers and the community.

The ideal candidate would:

• Provided breastfeeding encouragement, information, and counsel to prenatal and breastfeeding participants.
• Provided anticipatory education about the normal course of breastfeeding.
• Conduct support group meeting and assists the nutritionist with individual and other group sessions.
• Contact participants at predetermined intervals per WIC policy to provide counsel, encouragement, and information to maintain lactation. Is available to participants outside of usual clinic hours and the WIC clinic environment. Identifies problems or potential problems necessitating referral to the nutritionist, or WIC Designated Breastfeeding Expert (DBE).
• Recruit participants to attend nutrition education classes by making clinic, telephone, and/or mail contacts.
• Maintain logs of patient contacts, completes monthly activity reports and other health department forms as required. Utilizes the Crossroads system.
• May plan and participate in community outreach events for WIC participants, particularly during Breastfeeding Awareness Month. Plans local agency breastfeeding promotion events. Creates and maintain a breastfeeding-friendly environment.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Wage employees are subject to the following conditions of employment:

• • Wage employees serve at the will and pleasure of the appointing authority.
  • Continuing employment is based on available funding and business need.
  • Wage employees are not covered by the provisions of the Virginia Personnel Act. Therefore, they are not eligible for benefits which are provided to salaried employees, such as leave credits, holiday pay, insurance, access to the grievance procedure, etc.
  • Wage employees are paid only for the hours they actually work.
  • Virginia state law currently requires that agencies not permit wage employees to work in excess of 29 hours per week on average over the course of a year. Wage employees may not work for VDH beyond 1,500 hours during the period of May 1 – April 30 of the following year (the Standard Measurement Period).
  • Once a wage employee works the maximum of 1,500 hours during the Standard Measurement Period, the employee may be rehired as a wage employee of VDH only after the next Standard Measurement Period has begun.
  • Wage employees are eligible to apply for all classified positions for which recruitment has been initiated, including those limited to State Employees Only.
  • If a wage employee becomes employed in a classified position, he/she will be eligible to purchase retirement credit for the time worked as a wage employee.
  • Continuing employment is based on available funding and business need.

This position is funded through Federal Grants and is subject to renewal annually. 

Minimum Qualifications

• Demonstrated working knowledge of the following:  

• Basic human lactation
• Breastfeeding practices
• Various breastfeeding positioning techniques
• Manual expression of breast milk
• Collection and storage of human milk
• Basic breastfeeding management

• Demonstrated skill in effective communication
• Demonstrated working knowledge of basic human lactation and breastfeeding practices
• Demonstrated ability to instruct in a group and individual setting
• Required to have breastfed at least one baby for at least 6 months

License or Certification required:
• Driver's license

Education or Training:

• Breastfeeding Peer Counseling training via the most current USDA FNS Training Platform is provided.

Additional Considerations

• Current or former WIC participants preferred
• Bilingual in English/Spanish preferred

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

VDH accepts only on-line applications. Faxed, mailed, or e-mailed applications will not be considered. Applications are accepted until 11:55 p.m. on the job closing date. Applications and/or resumes should include relevant work history which indicates your qualifications for this position. Supplemental questions are encouraged to be answered in a comprehensive manner and reference any pertinent knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as any previous experience that relates to the position.

Employment is contingent upon satisfactory results of a state and federal criminal history background check and the Department of Social Service’s Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry check, U.S. HHSIG Exclusion List check, employment reference check and E-Verify. Other financial, credit, driving, background checks or completion of Statement of Economic Interests may be required for certain positions.

Contact Information

Name: Lindsay Glass

Phone: For inquiries please email

Email: lindsay.glass@vdh.virginia.gov

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.