10101 - Project Assistant, NYC Maternal Mortality Review Committee

The Fund for Public Health in New York City (FPHNYC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to the advancement of the health and well-being of all New Yorkers.  To this end, in partnership with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), FPHNYC incubates innovative public health initiatives implemented by DOHMH to advance community health throughout the city. It facilitates partnerships, often new and unconventional, between government and the private sector to develop, test, and launch new initiatives. These collaborations speed the execution of demonstration projects, effect expansion of successful pilot programs, and support rapid implementation to meet the public health needs of individuals, families, and communities across New York City.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Maternal mortality is one of the primary markers of the health of a nation and a bellwether indicator by which both human rights and public health can be evaluated. Maternal health and well-being are critical public health concerns in NYC. The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has been conducting enhanced surveillance for maternal mortality (MM) since 2001. In January 2018, in response to the ongoing maternal mortality crisis in which Black women and birthing people are at highest risk of unfair, unjust and preventable mortality due to being ignored and dismissed by medical clinicians and systems because of structural racism, purposeful disinvestment in the communities in which they reside, and other reasons associated with generational weathering and toxic stress, the Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health (BMIRH) in the Health Department convened the NYC Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) to conduct a multidisciplinary committee review of all pregnancy-associated deaths to women and birthing people residing in NYS who died in NYC. Each year in NYC, approximately 50 women and birthing people die from a pregnancy-associated cause. In the most recent period (2016-2020), Black non-Hispanic women and birthing people were four times more likely to die of a pregnancy-associated cause compared to White women.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Child Health (BMIRH) seeks a Project Assistant to provide administrative and operational support to the DOHMH MMRC Operations Team. This position will report directly to the Deputy Director for the MMRC within the Research and Evaluation Unit. The Project Assistant will perform a variety of tasks to support the facilitation and management of the day-to-day operations of the MMRC and preparation for monthly MMRC meetings, including acquisition of medical records and editing of maternal death case narratives. It is expected that the position will work 35 hours per week.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Complete Training and Orientation

BMIRH will provide onboarding and other trainings to the Project Assistant to meet DOHMH training requirements as well as to fully understand the Maternal Mortality Review Committee process.  

The Project Assistant will:

• Take required DOHMH CITI training online course
• Take CDC MMRIA New Abstractor Training
• Be oriented to Maternal Mortality Review Process

Lead Medical Record Request and Management Process for MMRC

BMIRH relies on multiple data sources to identify pregnancy-associated deaths in NYC. These sources include death certificates, vital records linkage data and hospital discharge data. For each case identified, the bureau requests an electronic copy of the person’s death certificate along with any corresponding birth or fetal death certificates and all medical records from the hospitals and clinical facilities.

The Project Assistant will:

• Identify data request sources at hospitals/facilities, fax/mail/email medical records requests, follow up, troubleshoot, and update tracking sheet accordingly
• Design and maintain tracking and archiving of medical and other records
• Work closely with medical case abstractors to identify additional record requests & share status updates
• Assess workflow problems and make recommendations to improve processes and efficiency

Assist with Review of Maternal Mortality Case Narratives

Typically, 5-6 case narratives are reviewed by the MMRC per month. The narratives are of high quality and are reviewed internally. The work of the Project Assistant is to review the drafts of these 5-6 abstractions and provide edits. The workload will vary by month depending upon the number of cases narratives and dates of the MMRC meetings. 

The Project Assistant will:

• Receive a list of cases with corresponding case narratives from the Deputy Director to review within a specific time frame
• Read and revise case narratives for review to ensure formatting is consistent, grammar and spelling is correct, all lay language for medical terms is included, in addition to community district profile information, and social media/internet search data

Support Convening of Maternal Mortality Review Committee

The MMRC meets monthly, in-person, to review pregnancy-associated deaths.  

The Project Assistant will:

• Maintain updated listservs, meeting guidelines & other documents related to MMRC membership and meeting facilitation
• Attend and support monthly MMRC prep and debrief meetings
• Attend and support monthly CDC Abstractor/Coordinator Office Hours
• Participate in regular meetings with internal and external teams and follow-up on notes, and action items
• Take meeting notes and synthesize discussions into concise summaries with action items and next steps
• Attend and support monthly MMRC meetings in person

• Provide coordination & administrative assistance for monthly MMRC meetings (Draft internal/external agendas, maintain attendance documents, assist with catering order/setup, etc.)

• Perform other administrative tasks as needed, such as scheduling meetings, faxing & mailing, reserving equipment/or conference rooms

Support Data Management and Quality Assurance Processes for MMRIA Database

The MMRC enters data for all pregnancy-associated deaths into the CDC Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA) database.

The Project Assistant will:

• Assist with data entry and QC of data input into MMRIA database.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience handling highly sensitive personal health information and maintaining strict confidentiality protocols; Knowledge of HIPAA and confidentiality laws preferred
• Commitment to furthering sexual and reproductive justice and health equity
• Demonstrated strong professional communication skills (phone, email, fax, verbal)
• Demonstrated experience reviewing and editing documents for consistency and grammar
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Adept at organizing small- and large-scale, high-level meetings
• Computer skills (Microsoft Office Suite, including MS Word & Excel, Outlook, and WebEx/Teams/Zoom)
• Comfort with a fast-paced, collaborative, interdisciplinary work environment
• Experience working successfully in a team environment
• Bachelor’s degree

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The position will be hired through a staffing agency at a pay rate of $45 per hour (35 hours per week) and will be funded through June of 2025 with the potential for position extension, contingent on funding renewal.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This is a hybrid position (in DOHMH central office 3 times per week). The DOHMH central office is located at 42-09 28th Street, Long Island City, NY.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT

You must live in New York City Tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT) in order to be considered for a position at FPHNYC.

TO APPLY

To apply, upload Resume, including how your experience relates to this position. Applicants who best match the position needs will be contacted.

The Fund for Public Health in New York City is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages a diverse pool of candidates to apply.