BHCHP AmeriCorps Care Coordinator
Mission: The mission of the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program is to provide or assure access to the highest quality health care for all individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the greater Boston area.
Service and Impact Summary: The AmeriCorps Care Coordinator will provide case management and health education to individuals served by our program with the goal of improving patients’ overall health and well-being. This position is dependent on having an AmeriCorps member to provide care coordination to patients who otherwise would not receive these services. This will include making referrals, finding resources, assisting patients with applications or enrollment steps, accompanying patients to external appointments, and more. Throughout the program year, AmeriCorps members gain understanding in the complex world of community and public health. Additional duties include entering necessary information into the electronic medical record and maintaining close communication with clinic staff. In addition to these core responsibilities, the Member will fulfill marginal functions around patient education, managing volunteers, training, service projects, and data reporting.
Essential Functions:
· Facilitate referrals and provide resources to patients in need of services that support their overall health, including detoxes, transitional housing programs, food programs, transportation assistance, etc.
- Support patients in negotiating Social Security and Department of Transitional Assistance-related issues
- Assist patients with medical care access issues (making/keeping appointments, ensuring transportation to appointments, providing assistance to access prescriptions)
- Meet with patients to evaluate their progress in reaching their case management goals and provide support
- Facilitate transportation for identified patients
- Review screening and immunization history for patients and conduct outreach to ensure that patients access these services for improved quality measures
- Maintain all clients' privacy and confidentiality, adhering to HIPAA regulations and those policies as implemented by the BHCHP
- Update timekeeping system and Epic regularly to document hours and patient encounters respectively
Marginal Functions:
- Provide health education, particularly around tobacco cessation, healthy eating, cancer screenings, and overdose prevention, to patients either one-on-one or in groups
- Develop health education materials, as necessary, including bulletin boards, flyers, handouts, brochures, etc.
- Organize health fairs individually or in collaboration with the team
- Facilitate volunteer groups on a rotating basis
- Participate in required trainings and service projects
- Participate in fundraising efforts to support Member-run patient education/support programs
Eligibility Requirements:
- Must be 18 years of age or older, as required by BHCHP
- Must have a High School diploma or equivalent
- Must be a US Citizen, US National, or Permanent Resident Alien
Qualifications:
- Experience with/or interest in volunteerism and community engagement
- An understanding of multicultural issues, substance use, mental health and the complex health problems of patients experiencing homelessness
- Bilingual Spanish is preferred
Commitment requirements:
It is anticipated that the 2020-2021 year of service will begin September 2020 and run through July 2021. The time requirement for this position is a minimum 40 hours/week; 1,700 hours required by the end of the term of service. The Member must serve for the length of program and meet the minimum hours served requirement to successfully complete their service year. Exact service hours will depend on the service location and assigned projects. Anticipated schedule of Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm, with occasional 11:00am – 7:00pm shifts, and rotating Saturdays.
Benefits:
For a 10 month full-time commitment and minimum of 1,700 hours of AmeriCorps service, members may be eligible to receive:
- A taxable living allowance of up to $14,500
- Loan forbearance
- If eligible, taxable Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of up to $6,095 upon successful completion of service
- Health benefits
- Child care benefits, if eligible
- Training and professional development opportunities
- Transportation stipend
BHCHP is committed to providing equal opportunities. We serve and partner with diverse organizations, and are dedicated to non-discrimination. It is our policy to ensure that all individuals with whom we are in contact are treated without regard to age, color, disability, gender, marital status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or expression, or veteran status. BHCHP welcomes applications from individuals with disabilities and will make reasonable accommodations for interviews and for service upon request.