Emergency Department Navigator

DESCRIPTION :

The West Side Health Equity Collaborative (WSHEC) is an initiative on Chicago’s west side that uses a comprehensive network of community-based partners and medical providers to screen community members with chronic illness for social determinants of health and provide a suite of comprehensive services to resolve identified issues. The WSHEC Emergency Department (ED) Navigator will screen patients in the emergency department for The ED Navigator is employed by WSHEC participating hospitals. ED Navigators will serve as a bridge between the patient, the medical system, and community-based organizations by building trusting relationships with community members served by the program. The ED Navigator will also help in identifying barriers to accessing quality care, work with individuals to overcome these barriers, provide relevant referrals.

DUTIES :

• Complete Health Risk Assessments (HRA) with patients living in target zip codes
• Assist with community resources and scheduling appointments
• Facilitate referrals for clinically indicated services outside the primary care clinic (e.g., social services such as housing assistance, vocational rehabilitation, mental health specialty care, substance abuse treatment, etc.).
• Refer to Medical Home CHWs at nearby WSHEC primary care practices for ongoing follow up and engagement with a primary care provider
• Support and closely coordinate behavioral health care with the patient’s PCP and, when appropriate, mental health providers.
• Ensure a warm handoff to the on-call Behavioral Health Care Manager for ongoing follow up
• Encourage patients to become actively engaged in their own health through calm, compassionate communication and by utilizing techniques such as motivational interviewing and behavioral activation.
• Accurately document patient information, assessments, interventions and encounters
• Attend ongoing training and learning related to job position and duties.

REQUIREMENTS

DESIRED