Community Navigator- Behavioral Health Full-time Days

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better healthcare, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. At Northwestern Medicine, we pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, we take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

The Behavioral Health Community Navigator reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

The Behavioral Health Community Navigator will build working relationships, solve problems and support patients while they learn to self-navigate the health care system. The Behavioral Health Community Navigators reduce barriers that keep patients from getting timely treatment by identifying patient needs and directing them to sources of emotional, financial, administrative, or cultural support. Behavioral Health Community Navigators find creative solutions to these barriers. Some patients utilize commonly used services, but others have unique needs that require initiative and creative thinking to locate the appropriate resource. Behavioral Health Community Navigators manage and track a large amount of information and it is important that this information is organized and managed in a systematic manner.

Responsibilities:

• Operates under the supervision of the Crisis Program Coordinator and consistent with Crisis Services policy and procedures.
• Coordinates and navigates access to community resources for patients identified as high utilizers, patients facing barriers to outpatient care or patients with limited or no resources in order to assist in psychiatric stabilization and improve recovery.
• Provide empathy, compassion and an understanding of the patient’s cultural and socioeconomic background in order to establish and effective, trusting working relationship with the patient.
• Facilitate and coordinate patient care with healthcare teams including PES, Outpatient Behavioral Health, and Inpatient Behavioral Health.
• Collaborate with community resources and providers including but not limited to outpatient treatment providers, transportation services, insurance providers, or representatives who assist with financial support.
• Develop professional relationships with community partners in order to navigate patient care.
• Stay informed of changes in the healthcare system.
• Seek current information about available patient resources.
• Contact patients who are “at risk” for missing appointments.
• Contact patients identified through Cipher Health who may be in need of additional support following discharge from NMW.
• Contact patients who are identified as High Utilizers of the PES.
• Build awareness among the healthcare team and let them know about the patient navigator services.
• Provide community education and engages in outreach activities.
• Promote patient health and comfort through each stage of their diagnosis and treatment.
• Coach and empower patients to become advocates for their own care.
• Utilize critical thinking skills to assess and patient’s risk level.
• Implement crisis intervention and de-escalation strategies.
• Documents administrative data related to process flow, output, and outcome indicators.
• Possess knowledge of Microsoft Office and is able to learn new technologies.
• Collaborates with other departments within Northwestern Medicine- Northwest Region in order to maintain positive relationships and to facilitate appropriate patient care.
• Self-regulates personal emotional responses to patients’ issues and maintains professional demeanor throughout each call.
• Must work well with others and maintain a positive team environment.
• Provides all services in accordance with the Illinois Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act (Ill. Rev. Stat, ch. 91 ½, par 2-100 et seq. and par 801 et seq – 740 ILCS 11 0/1 et seq.)
• Documents all clinical information according to Crisis process and procedures.
• Participates in required credentialing by completing all credentialing paperwork in a timely manner and maintaining updated and active participation with CAQH and NPI.
• Participates in required staff development including Northwestern Medicine-Northwest Region in-services and outside in-services, and/or related education programs.  A minimum of 8 hours of annual crisis intervention education (CPI) and 8 hours of mental health education is required.
• Attends crisis team meetings, participates in committee activities as required, and performs other duties as assigned.
• This position integrates the NM values of patient first, teamwork, integrity, and excellence responsibilities of this job and daily communication with all customers and co-workers.
• This position adheres to and is responsible for the safety standards of Northwestern Medicine including the completion of the mandatory organizational safety standards on an annual basis.
• This position actively maintains confidentiality for our patients and their families as outlined in the NM Patient Confidentiality Policy and shows the same level of respect for every Associate within NM.
• This position performs other duties as assigned.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree or 5 years of experience in a behavioral health setting
• 1-3 years of experience within a behavioral health setting
• Interpersonal skills necessary to establish a working relationship with patients and their families and staff.
• Analytical skills necessary in order to properly monitor patients’ behaviors and maintain a safe and therapeutic milieu environment.
• Writing skills necessary in order to accurately document patients’ progress in the medical record.
• Must be organized, detailed-oriented, able to multi-task, and dedicated to helping others.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in a social service related field.
• Crisis experience.
• Knowledge of crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques utilized with patients experiencing significant behavioral health and/or substance use challenges.
• State licensure as a Licensed Social Worker (LSW).
   

Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.