Healthcare Navigator

Duties and Responsibilities: Within the limits of the Agency's programs, policies, and procedures, the Veteran Healthcare Navigator is responsible for and has commensurate authority to perform the duties and responsibilities listed below. Performance of these duties require regular supervision.

• Works closely with Veterans to assist them in communicating their preferences in care and personal health-related goals to facilitate shared decision making of the Veteran's care.
• Serves as a resource for education and support for Veteran households and helps identify appropriate and credible resources and support tailored to the needs and desires of the Veteran.
• Monitors Veteran's progress, maintains comprehensive documentation, and provides information to treatment team members when appropriate.
• Assists Veterans in identifying concerns or questions about their treatment or medications to develop open communication with the provider or treatment team.
• Acts as a health coach by proactively supporting the Veteran to optimize treatment interventions and outcomes.
• Modifies services to meet the needs of Veterans best and coordinates services with other organizations and programs to assure such services are complementary and comprehensive; directs activities to maximize effectiveness, efficiency, and continuity of care for Veterans; provides case management services to Veterans; serves as the liaison to VA and community health care programs, and represents the program in contacts with other agencies and the public.
• Helps coordinate supportive and additional services with the Veteran
• Coordinates referrals to VA, community health clinics, and other programs needed to ensure access to health care.
• Advocates for Veteran's needs.
• Regularly consults with other team members and appropriately assesses and addresses the needs of the Veteran.
• Assists in developing policy, procedures, and practice guidelines related to the specialty program using knowledge gained from research or best practices.
• Develops relationships with community leaders, VA staff, and other referral networks.
• Develops evaluation components and outcome indicators and reports those evaluation results to VA and organizational leadership.
• Travels within contracted SSVF Areas of Operations. Mileage is reimbursed.
• Maintains timely and appropriate documentation, including progress notes to be provided to Case Managers/ Care Coordinators on a weekly basis.
• Provides services designed to enhance client health and independent living skills, thereby promoting client housing stability.
• Completes all documents and data entry required of the job accurately and in a timely fashion.
• Participates in case management meetings to discuss progress with cases referred for healthcare placement.
• Develops a trusting and working relationship with the individual/ family seeking help.
• Works as part of a multi-disciplinary team providing "client centered services" with all staff members, as well as the other case managers participating in the program.
• Reports to the supervisor on all issues relevant to program's functioning, including the interagency referral process.
• Participates in in-service training as needed to develop and/or enhance knowledge and skills.
• Maintains all required documentation in participants' confidential case records, and assisting the Program Coordinator(s) and Director with the preparation of any required program and statistical reports.
• Accepts and responds to supervision by the Program Director.
• Performs other duties upon request.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree from an accredited school of higher education or equivalent experience, preferably in a human services-related program (Masters Level Preferred)
• At least two years of experience working in social service environment
• At least two years of experience working within healthcare and/or healthcare enrollment, preferred

• The ability to work independently and to take directions
• The ability to establish positive relationships with program participants and their families

• The ability to establish and maintain relationships with local collaborative partners outside the agency which build community capacity
• The ability to express and communicate ideas and knowledge clearly with reasonable organization and conciseness
• The ability to organize one's time and effort to meet assigned situations and work demands

• The ability to recognize, understand and control one's biases

Physical and Other Requirements of Position

This position requires the ability to perform a broad range of activities. The position requires full range of motion, including manual and digital dexterity and hand-and-eye coordination. The position requires vision, speech and hearing capacity that is corrected to normal range, or special accommodations made which are sufficient for the completion of assigned tasks.

The position requires work while seated at a desk, including the use of a computer. The position requires the ability to lift 30 pounds. The position requires occasional work under stressful conditions and during irregular hours.

The position requires the ability to drive and regular access to a reliable vehicle.

Training Expectations and Opportunities

Within the first three months of hire, all new employees will receive orientation to:

• The organization's mission, philosophy, goals, and services.
• The organization's role within the community.
• The organization's personnel manual.
• The lines of accountability and authority within the organization.
• The cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of the population their program serves.
• Applicable COA standards.

All staff who regularly have direct contact with clients will receive training on legal issues, including:

• Mandatory reporting and the identification of clinical indicators of suspected abuse and neglect.
• Reportable criminal behavior, including criminal, acquaintance, and statutory rape.
• Issues and responsibilities related to the "duty-to-warn".
• The organization's policies and procedures on confidentiality and disclosure of service recipient information, and the penalties for violations of these policies and procedures.
• The legal rights of service recipients.

All staff who handle client case records will receive training on proper documentation techniques and the maintenance and security of case records.

All staff who regularly have direct contact with clients will receive training on the following topics, as needed, to be determined by the employee and their supervisor:

• Establishing rapport and responsive behaviors with service recipients.
• Identifying the needs of individuals and families in crisis, including special service needs of victims of violence, abuse, and/or neglect, and the needs of their family members.
• Identifying the basic health and medical needs of the service population.
• Procedures for working with foreign language speakers and persons with communication impairments.
• Public assistance and government subsidies.
• How to advocate on behalf of clients and their families and how to empower service recipients and their families to advocate on their own behalf.
• Understanding differences within the organization's service populations, including:
  • Interventions that address cultural and socioeconomic factors in service delivery;
  • The role which cultural identity plays in motivating human behavior;
  • Bias and discrimination; and