Community Resource Navigator: Community Health Worker - Palliative Care and Geriatrics

Job Description Summary

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Job Description

The Community Resource Navigator: Community Health Worker - Palliative Care and Geriatrics is a grant-funded position, which reports to the Community Navigation Manager within MUSC’s Population Health Department. The role is responsible for outreach to patients, providers, and community-based organizations, screening for and coordinating social care for older adults and patients with palliative care needs from diverse backgrounds. The Navigator collaborates with the palliative care and geriatrics teams, healthcare professionals, and community-based organizations to address socio-economic barriers to health for individuals with unmet social, medical, and behavioral needs. The Navigator serves as a patient advocate, building strong relationships with both patients and community-based organizations.

This position provides education and information about available resources in the community and facilitates assistance or interventions for patients between care visits. The Navigator completes assessments and program enrollment forms for high-risk patients, gathers information, validates, and utilizes data from the electronic medical record, social determinants of health screening tools, social care electronic platforms, and other identified tools. The Navigator also contributes to system data analysis efforts to improve and inform response to social determinants of health gaps and community-based organization connection rates.

In collaboration with the palliative care and geriatrics teams, the Navigator oversees community initiatives that support patients’ needs, including programs for food access and other essential resources. The Navigator inputs data such as contacts, screening results, notes, and referrals into electronic platforms and other data-capturing tools as needed. The Navigator interacts with patients in person, telephonically, or electronically to schedule assessments, provide outreach and support, and conduct additional screenings. This position will work within a hybrid model, onsite, in the community, and remotely.

Responsibilities:

1. Collaborates with patients, family members/caregivers, healthcare professionals and community-based organizations to address social care needs and socio-economic barriers to health

2. Conducts screening and assessments to identify appropriate resources for patients being seen by the Palliative Care and Geriatrics teams living with serious illness to assist with their unmet social, medical, and behavioral needs and facilitates assistance or interventions between care visits

3. Provides education and information about available community resources and services to Palliative Care and Geriatrics patients and family members/caregivers

4. Builds relationships with Palliative Care and Geriatrics patients and community-based organizations and follows up to close the loop and ensure needed services are received

5. Assists with social care program enrollment forms and applications for high-risk patients and follows up to close the loop and ensure needed services are received

6. Gathers information, documents, and enters data into the electronic medical record, social care electronic platforms and other identified tools and contributes to data analysis

7. Summarizes progress to leadership team on a regular basis to keep them aware of the success and to engage them in quality initiative/improvement process

Requirements

(Bilingual/preferred)

· Bachelor's degree in public/community health/social work

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· Associate degree in public/community health or healthcare related field with a minimum of one (1) year of experience in a directly related field or working in a community-based setting including paid or volunteer activity with a non-profit organization, church, healthcare organization, neighborhood community center, or other relevant community-based involvement.

· Completion of SCCHW Certification within (1) year of hire: https://www.scchwa.org/credentialing-information-learners and/or other Community Health Worker training course.

· Valid driver’s license, an acceptable 3-year motor vehicle as defined by the Acceptable Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) Chart, and a certificate of auto-insurance.

AND

Good organizational and time-management skills

Ability to work independently with accountability and exercise sound judgment, discretion and professionalism at all times.

Available to work occasional evenings and weekends.

Ability to travel and independently meet with patients in the clinic, home or community-based setting.

Additional Job Description

Education: Associate degree or Equivalent

Work Experience: 1 year

Physical Requirements:

Ability to perform job functions while standing. (Continuous) Ability to perform job functions while sitting. (Continuous) Ability to walk. (Frequent) Ability to climb stairs. (Infrequent) Ability to work indoors. (Continuous) Ability to work outside in temperature extremes. (Infrequent) Ability to kneel. (Infrequent) Ability to bend at the waist. (Infrequent) Ability to twist at the waist. (Infrequent) Ability to squat. (Infrequent) Ability to reach. (Frequent) Ability to lift/carry 15 lbs. unassisted. (Frequent) Ability to lift/lower objects 15 lbs. from/to floor from/to 36 inches unassisted. (Infrequent) Ability to lift from 36 inches to overhead 15 lbs. unassisted. (Infrequent) Ability to move objects from floor level to 36 inches height weighing to 15 lbs. unassisted. (Infrequent) Ability to move from height of 36" to floor

objects weighing to 15 lbs. unassisted. (Infrequent) Ability to maintain 20/40 vision, corrected, in one eye or with both eyes. (Continuous) Ability to see and recognize objects close at hand or at a distance. (Continuous) Ability to determine distance/relationship between objects; depth perception. (Continuous) Ability to see and recognize objects at a distance. (Continuous) Ability to maintain hearing acuity, with correction. (Continuous) Ability to perform gross motor functions with frequent fine motor movements. (Continuous) Ability to work in a latex safe environment. (Continuous) Ability to be qualified physically for respirator use, initially and as required. (Continuous)

If you like working with energetic enthusiastic individuals, you will enjoy your career with us!

The Medical University of South Carolina is an Equal Opportunity Employer. MUSC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, age, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, family or parental status, or any other status protected by state laws and/or federal regulations. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment based upon applicable qualifications, merit and business need.

Medical University of South Carolina participates in the federal E-Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authorization of all newly hired employees. For further information about the E-Verify program, please click here: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify/employees