Position Title: Family Partner Community Health Advocate
Department: Nursing
Supervisor: Director of Nursing
Status/Hours Per Week: Non – Exempt / 35 hours
Primary Function:
The Family Partner Community Health Advocate brings a key family perspective to clinical teams providing child and adolescent mental health integrated care (CAMHI), facilitating critical information sharing and care. That two-way process, clarifying communication about symptoms, diagnoses and treatment planning, enhances engagement between parents and clinicians, in order to increase the likelihood that children and youth receive needed mental health services.
Under the supervision of the Director of Nursing, this position provides support and linkage to services, advocacy, education, and information in order to ensure optimal health outcomes; and increase access of services to support patients in self-management of health goals. The Family Partner Community Health Advocate also serves as a cultural bridge to the health care system aiding in identifying and supporting the patient’s cultural identity.
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Responsible for providing and/or coordinating effective screening and interventions for high prevalence developmental, substance use, mental and behavioral health conditions.
- Provides a cultural bridge between Pediatric patients and the health care system.
- Works within the Patient Centered Medical Home Model with primary care providers, Behavioral Health, home care providers, and other care team members on complex client situations.
- Assists patients/family with identifying barriers and problem solves solutions and self-management skills.
- Participates in various UCC committees to address the complex needs of patients.
- Participates in work groups to pilot strategies to increase arrival rates.
- Completes outreach to pediatric patients who are newly and chronically lost to follow up.
- Works with Pediatric Care Teams to assist people with new and chronic health illnesses.
- Participates with planned outreach/education activities in the community.
- Identifies and helps resolve potential/actual crises in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team.
- Provides cross-cultural interpreter services and education for patients throughout the care continuum.
- Conducts home visits after consultation with care teams and management.
- Documents patient/collateral contacts in the EHR and maintains statistics.
- Participates in quality improvement projects within department and interdepartmentally as needed.
- Attends in-service trainings and outside seminars, as indicated.
- Performs other related duties as required.
Minimum Basic Knowledge:
- Strong knowledge of child mental health treatment and resources.
- Bilingual language skills in English and Spanish, English/Cape Verdean Creole, or English/Portuguese highly desirable.
Experience & Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field OR three to five years’ experience in health and human services.
- Excellent inter-personal, computer and writing skills as well as a desire to work in a helping profession with people in need.
- Prior work as a Community Health Worker (CHW) strongly preferred.
Independent Action:
- Functions independently within scope of CHA and health center policies.
- Refers specific problems to Supervisor when clarification of operating policies or procedures is required.
Supervisory Responsibility:
None
Define Access Level to PHI: Level 3: Authorized to access only certain limited categories of PHI and certain limited sections of the UCHC patient’s medical record that are necessary to perform job duties, whether treatment, payment or operations duties. Staff in this category level should confine the use of PHI to the minimum necessary required and should not access or read parts of the medical record not needed to perform assigned duties.