Introducing the "Community Development Specialist"

We’ve recently announced a job opening for a “Community Development Specialist." This position was formerly known as a “Health Outreach Specialist." This is more than just a name change. The change in position title represents a shift in our approach to outreach. In the past, the Health Outreach Specialist would reach out to one or more Asian American or Pacific Islander communities largely to recruit community members for APCA events. In addition, the Health Outreach Specialist would assist individuals requiring medical referrals and/or enrollment in health care programs for low-income individuals and families.

Going forward, a key responsibility of the Community Development Specialist will be to develop sustainable relationships with key community stakeholders, enlisting support for a wide variety of APCA activities, including but not limited to advocacy, volunteerism, applied research, and fundraising. The Development Specialist will also be more active in assessing community needs – serving as a liaison between APCA and the communities we serve. We believe that success in meeting our mission is highly dependent upon communities that are actively participating in all aspects of our work.

To continue the highly important event recruitment and medical referral efforts, we will be utilizing our growing pool of trained Lay Health Advisors and volunteers. The new Community Development Specialist and other staff members will help coordinate these efforts.

For the moment, we are looking for our new Community Development Specialist to focus on work within the Korean American community. Individuals interested in performing the work described above should contact Ms. Elexia Torres, APCA Programs Director, at (602)284-8565 or at elexia@apcaaz.org.

- Doug Hirano, MPH, APCA Executive Director