Job Title: Community Health Advocate
Location: San Francisco, California
General Summary: Partners in Care Foundation is growing and we are looking for a Community Health Advocate to join our team. The Health Advocate is responsible to support members and their social and health needs by helping them navigate and access community resources, services and medical systems. The Health Advocate will help members navigate the medical system when treatment is required and navigate the community when social services are required. The Health Advocate will be based in medical practices as part of the care team and will partner with medical providers and the community to provide intensive personal support to ensure that all health needs are met.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities:
- Actively engages, builds rapport, establishes a trusting relationship and continuous candid communication with members and member family support systems
- Assesses social determinants of health needs for moderate-risk members and documents assessment results or augments available information in appropriate systems
- Consults with or refers members to licensed staff (social worker, nurse case manager etc.) as required based on member social, health risk and medical complexity
- Establishes relationships with and partners with community resources, health plans and providers by participating in local community engagement activities with local agencies e.g. faith based organizations, community centers, government agencies, parks, recreation centers and schools
- Assists members with problem-solving barriers to moderate health conditions by identifying, locating, connecting to and navigating needed community and medical system services including visiting members at their homes, accompanying members to medical appointments and assisting members with completing forms to access needed services
- Determines social determinants of health concerns/ gaps, develops and documents a plan to address moderate social and health disparities
- Documents member activities and progress notes in appropriate systems and provides reports to management
- Actively participates as part of provider practice Interdisciplinary Team Meetings providing updates on member needs and progress
- Identifies gaps in community resources and medical systems and supports the implementation of new solutions or services to close identified gaps
- Performs other duties as assigned
Qualifications
Experience:
- Three or more years’ experience working with people who need assistance with complex health and social issues
- Experience navigating health insurer and provider systems
- Experience navigating and interacting with community resources and agencies such as faith based organizations, community centers, government agencies, parks, recreation centers and schools
- Experience linking people to community resources and supporting people with complex health and social needs/issues in a community environment
- Knowledge of social work principles, techniques, practices, and their application
Education:
- High school diploma is required
- Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Biology, Public Health, Nursing, Community health or Health-allied field preferred, OR equivalent experience
License/Certification/Special Training:
Valid California driver’s license and proof of auto liability insurance coverage of 15,000/$30,000 for injury and $5,000 for damage to property required.
Skills/Abilities:
- Bilingual or conversational in predominant secondary language of local community
- Knowledge of a wide range of psychosocial challenges
- Knowledge of family and group dynamics along with relevant intervention techniques
- Knowledge of state and federal laws, regulations and policies applicable to scope of practice
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, must be able to communicate clearly and concisely with all levels of individuals, sometimes in stressful situations
If you are interested in this position, please send your resume to jobs@picf.org.
Partners in Care Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities, and all other employment laws and regulations. It is our intent to maintain a work environment which is free of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation because of age, race (including hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks, and twists), color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation/breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics, as well as those of family members), veteran status, uniformed service member status, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, arrest or conviction record, domestic violence victim status, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, sexual and reproductive health decisions, salary history or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions of the position.