Care Coordinator/Victim Advocate Full Time NEW

The Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center’s Department of Behavioral Health provides quality patient care services to reduce barriers and increase access to behavioral health treatment services, care coordination, and cultural and community supports. We are looking for a knowledgeable, caring, and resourceful Care Coordinator / Victim Advocate to serve as a coordinator of patients’ access to care, assistance with care transitions, and resource support. The position requires good communication and organizational skills, empathy, resourcefulness, and an ability to work within a team and within an environment with multiple demands.
 

JOB SUMMARY

Under the supervision of the Clinical Director – Adult Therapy Clinic, the Care Coordinator/Victim Advocate functions as a member of the Department of Behavioral Health Clinical Team to provide patient care coordination services, psychological evaluation scheduling and coordination, victim advocacy services, community connection to resources, crisis triage/management, and case management services.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

· Administers and reinforces the importance of culturally sensitive patient centered health services.

· Possesses a strong knowledge of the Indian Health care delivery system, and prevalent health issues/disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

· Works closely with the Deputy Director, Operations & Quality Assurance, Clinical Directors, behavioral health clinicians, COS program, and care coordination team to implement care coordination and victim advocacy services that ensure optimum patient services are provided daily in the clinic.

· Works in close partnership with the behavioral health therapists to provide the scheduling/rescheduling of appointments, providing resource allocation support, and check-in phone calls with clients and family members when indicated.

· Serves as a member of the patient’s care team, providing support, advocacy and resource allocation assistance for psychosocial needs.

· Serves as the primary liaison in planning care between patients, emergency supports/contacts, caregivers, and behavioral health service providers, i.e., primary care providers, psychiatric medication providers, behavioral health therapists, social workers, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, and external services and supports as needed.

· Serves as an ongoing primary point of contact for patients with a wide range of patient needs i.e. referrals for hospitalization, referral to detox, intensive outpatient programming, psychiatric medication management, social service needs, housing, emergency shelter placement and more. Provides step-by-step assistance to patients in need of obtaining admission to these higher levels of care and support.

· Provides trauma-informed, survivor-centered support for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.

· Supports survivors with obtaining immediate needs (i.e. guidance, food security, personal hygiene products, shelter, clothing) or items which enhances the client’s safety, stability and self-sufficiency.

· Supports the Nurturing Natives, Little Seedlings Closet and co-manages the Sister’s Closet for crisis support and ongoing enabling services. Responsible for recording, tracking and monitoring enabling service items distributed to patients.

· Responsible for completing inventory of enabling service items for Health Center financial audits, at a frequency TBD, and/or at whatever time a report is requested.

· Co-manages the clinical psychologist testing and evaluation scheduling, check-in and reminder calls. Provides education on testing services to clients interested in testing and evaluation.

· Assists patients with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI) (i.e. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression etc.) in understanding treatment options, and resources available internally and externally to the organization. Works with therapists to ensure patients enrolled in this program have wraparound services and care that meets their daily needs.

· Responsible for the daily operations of care coordination services for clients, identified as high risk for substance use disorders in need of referrals and clients released from incarceration and re-entering daily living.

· Provides project support for substance use, suicide prevention, and SPMI grant scopes of work.

· Provides patients with education, support, and encouragement in a culturally sensitive, trauma informed manner. Provides regular support and reminders on the importance of medication and therapy appointment adherence for wellness. Assists with goals to strengthen daily life skills to support independent functioning. Provides weekly check-in calls as needed to assist with support and stabilization. Provides assistance to connecting to outside resources and support, and other activities to maximize patient knowledge of self-care and reduce avoidable hospital admissions.

· Tracks patient data on a daily and/or regular basis through the ANWC referral risk tracker, outpatient referral tracker, OCHIN EPIC etc.

· Works alongside therapists to provide education, resource assistance and support for the SPMI Drop-in Center hours each week.

· Provides timely documentation of all patient services in the patient electronic health record, and a number of patient trackers.

· Provide education and informational resources to patients to optimize continuous and comprehensive care.

· Responsible for tracking client service data and providing updates to the Clinical Director and Director of Behavioral Health upon request.

· Attends weekly clinical team meetings and other meetings as assigned.

· Maintains ability to act as a helpful resource for behavioral health clinic staff and assist the providers as necessary for complex patients.

· Coordinates the implementation of intergenerational programming i.e. groups, classes, events, and outings for the Native Community. Some of these programs include but are not limited to: Family Culture Night, Timeless Blessings, Healing Arts group, Seasons of Change, and Teen Prevention Council.

· Supports the planning and facilitation of programming events, including COS, Suicide Prevention, SPMI, and Substance Use Disorder programming.

· Works with the Deputy Director of Grants Management and Project Officer to record data in grant program trackers for monitoring and reporting for active grants.

· Provides daily good customer service to all patrons within the Department of Behavioral Health.

· Provides hands-on support and serves on subcommittees for the health center’s community outreach events i.e. Back to School Supply Drive, Holiday Toy Program, Harvest Feast, Community Health Fair etc.

· Other duties as assigned.
 

EDUCATION or SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE

Minimum qualifications include a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited college or university in Social Work or human services-related field. Experience working in behavioral health care settings, providing case management services in a behavioral health setting, and working in partnership with clinical care teams and community organizations is a plus. 

· Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse personalities (patients, providers, other staff members, and public).

· Possesses excellent organizational skills for managing workflow, coordination of patient care, anticipating the needs of the patients and providers and maintaining effective working relationships.

· Ability to multitask among administrative and patient care duties

· Good verbal and written communication skills.

· Interact in a confidential, dependable, honest, professional, and trustworthy manner with patients, employees, and vendors.

· Possesses cultural awareness and sensitivity.

· Sensitivity to the complex physical and mental health needs of the population served,

· Knowledge and sensitivity to American Indian/Alaska Native culture and traditions.

· Ability to manage complex patient cases and be the point person for coordination of patient care.

· Activity to identify patient needs, set priorities, identify and resolve problems effectively and efficiently.

· Ability to effectively use MS Office Suite, Internet, and email.

· Knowledge and ability to document in the electronic medical record i.e. OCHIN EPIC.

· Good teamwork, organization, problem-solving, and communication skills are essential.

· Demonstrates reliability, flexibility, and portrays positive role model behavior.

· Ability to communicate effectively with patients, families, caretakers, physicians, and others under stressful conditions.

· Contributes positively to patient satisfaction.
 

OTHER SIGNIFICANT FACTORS

The physical requirements described here are representative of the that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to manipulate objects, tools or controls, reach with hands and arms, and talk and hear. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and /or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Noise level int h work environment is usually quiet.

Work is performed in an office environment utilizing various office equipment including, but not limited to a computer, copy machine, fax machine, and multi-line phone. Ability to communicate effectively over the telephone, by computer, and in person. Ability to perform well in a fast-paced work environment.

The Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. Equal Opportunity employer/Veteran/Disabled. American Indian and Veteran Preference employer.