Connect for Health Desk Advocate

Position Title: Connect for Health Desk Advocate 

Summary: Connect for Health is a program of the Lifespan Community Health Institute. We currently have sites at Rhode Island Hospital’s Center for Primary Care, the Medicine Pediatrics Clinic,  Hasbro Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Primary Care and Adolescent Clinics. We are an organization that envisions a different kind of health care system: one that addresses basic resource needs, such as food, heat, and clothing, among others, as a standard part of quality care.

Connect for Health understands that a lack of basic resources is often at the root cause of poor health. It acknowledges that medicine alone cannot treat the non-medical factors that impact patients’ health, and thus strives to integrate basic resources into healthcare delivery. By providing high-impact services to low-income families, Connect for Health is committed to the fight for health equity.

Desk Advocate Responsibilities Include:

-Working with patients who call or walk up to the desk; conducting intakes including obtaining demographic info and assessing patients’ social needs, and  providing them with in-person assistance on a variety of resources for their varied social needs.

-Entering provider referrals and screens into an online database, calling referred or screened patients, and keeping up with a caseload of  patients based on number of hours of service per week (this includes weekly follow-up with designated patients and coordinating community resource connections).

-Attending weekly Advocate Development meetings and supervision meetings.  

-Opportunities to work on grants, data projects, presentations, or other group collaborations. 

You must commit to:

-Serving at the Connect for Health desk to which you are assigned and always being on time and professionally dressed during your shift.

-Working in-depth with patients to address social needs. 

-Notification of the Program Manager at least 2 days in advance if you are going to miss a shift. No absences permitted other than illness, family emergency, or an extenuating circumstance. 

*Supervisor will provide in-person supervision and case review, options for one-on-one individual supervision, weekly group follow-up meetings, and bi-weekly professional development workshops. 

*Students are urged to find funding through school or grants. 

*Must be available for one full-day new advocate orientation on Sunday February 11, 2023.  

Skills & Qualifications:

-Undergraduate or graduate students interested in public health, public service, social work, health equity, human services, and social justice; dedicated to health equity

-Organized, dedicated, ability to work independently and in a team-based approach

-High level of personal accountability for the quality and impact of work

-Excellent communication skills, professional demeanor, sound judgement, and strong organizational skills

-Attention to detail

-Ability to multitask; willingness to learn

Benefits of the Advocate Role:  

As an advocate you will be able to gain: 

-experience working with a variety of patient populations in a clinical setting 

-interactions with nurses, providers, and social workers while managing patient cases

-interactions with patients who have complex medical and social needs

-opportunities for professional growth through leadership roles on the Leadership Team

-opportunities to serve as an advocate at specialized clinics 

-opportunities to engage with the Providence community in an off-campus setting

-opportunities to attend conferences related to our work and in-house Lifespan trainings

-opportunities to expand your professional and personal skillset through on-campus trainings (past        examples of trainings have included Naloxone administration, trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, and advocate self-care)

-opportunities to interact with and learn from leaders and representatives of the local resources/ non-profit organizations we refer patients to 

-a strong community of fellow advocates passionate about promoting health equity

-growth in advocacy skills, understanding of principles of health equity, knowledge of systems of change strategies, health literacy, cultural humility, and professional confidence

Please contact Michelle Wheelock, Connect for Health Program Coordinator at mwheelock@lifespan.org or Connect for Health Campus Coordinators at cc.connectforhealth@gmail.com with any questions.