Location and Job Title:

Healthcare Orientation and Navigation Coordinator
Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine
1342 Congress St
Portland, ME 04102

Principal Responsibilities:

KJFS seeks an energetic, compassionate, and detail-oriented public health professional for our Refugee Resettlement Program. This program works with newly arrived refugees, Special Immigrant Visa holders, and Afghan and Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees. The overall goal is to help our clients learn to navigate the U.S. healthcare system and ensure they receive appropriate and timely care.

The Healthcare Orientation and Navigation Coordinator will work with clients both within and beyond their initial 90-day resettlement period to ensure they understand how to access care for their individual medical conditions.The Healthcare Orientation and Navigation Coordinator will develop a curriculum for healthcare orientation and will train clients in accessing medical care via doctors' offices, pharmacies, and clinics as well as through telehealth in a hands-on, individually tailored way.We envision that the Healthcare Orientation and Navigation Coordinator will use insights gleaned during the current fiscal year to plan for and implement an expanded program and scope of work in FY24, for example by providing training to clients and immigrant communities in mental health first aid.

The primary responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to:

• Identifying clients who require follow-up medical care for acute or chronic conditions beyond the 90-day Medical Screening period, or who require further education and mentorship in order to be self-sufficient in obtaining medical care, including individuals referred by the State Refugee Healthcare Coordinator or Refugee Health Promotion Coordinator
• Coordinating health care for the aforementioned clients, or referring eligible cases to Preferred Communities case management
• Providing direct mentorship in navigating the U.S. healthcare system, beyond the original Navigating the U.S. Healthcare System (NHS) orientation to ensure clients can demonstrate skills and navigate care for their individual medical conditions.Mentorship may include:
  • Transportation orientation(s) to medical appointments and pharmacy
  • Pharmacy and clinic tour(s)
  • Home visits and/or classes to teach skills of medication management tracking, reading pharmacy labels, requesting referrals to specialist appointments, gaining digital literacy to independently access online patient portals and telehealth appointments, or other skills determined by the Provider
• Developing a plan of care from which to measure impact of case management and navigating the healthcare system direct mentorship
• Developing a plan to expand the role of the position for subsequent fiscal years and undertaking steps to implement that plan.

This position reports to the HIAS Refugee Resettlement Manager, and the job is full time, 40 hours per week, at $25 per hour. The position is exempt and will be based at least two days per week at one of our satellite offices with the balance of the week in Portland.We currently have a satellite office in Augusta and are seeking another location, possibly in the Lewiston/Auburn area.The JCA offers a competitive benefits package that includes partial contribution toward individual health insurance, employer paid short and long-term disability and life insurance, and generous paid time off. Programmatic discounts are also available. The holiday schedule will follow the JCA preschool, and includes several Jewish holidays as well as Federal Holidays when they fall during regularly scheduled work time.

We seek to hire for this position as soon as possible; interested candidates are invited to submit a resume and cover letter to Rebecca Dunham at rdunham@mainejewish.org.

Minimum Qualifications:

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree required.Degree in nursing, public health, social work, human services, sociology, or other related field, or equivalent professional experience preferred.
• Experience in direct service with refugee, immigrant, or other vulnerable and/or multicultural populations required.
• Expert knowledge of the U.S. healthcare system, and specific experience helping individuals navigate Maine's healthcare landscape
• Enthusiasm, persistence, and positive energy; compassion and patience.
• Comfort using public transportation and a valid driver's license. Ability and willingness to travel throughout Southern Maine and the Mid-Coast Region to meet with clients and perform duties.
• Outstanding attention to detail. Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment in decision-making.
• Certification to teach Mental Health First Aid or willingness to become certified.
• Preferred but not required is specialized training and/or experience working with victims of trauma
• Preferred but not required are language skills beyond English, especially Arabic, Swahili, French, Pashto, Dari/Farsi, Urdu, Burmese, Ukrainian, and/or Russian.

Salary:

$35,000 - $45,000

Agency Information:

Based on the tradition of "welcoming the stranger," Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services (KJFS) provides supportive services to refugees from all backgrounds in order to assure their full integration into American and our Maine community. In early 2022, KJFS became a partner of HIAS' Refugee Resettlement Program. This is a humanitarian program designed to assist those who are fleeing violence, persecuted due to their race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group or political opinion, and displaced from their home countries. Our program works with partners across the community to ensure families have what they need not just to survive but thrive.