Patient and Family Navigator

UVA Health•Charlottesville, VA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

HealthHaven includes multiple programs designed to increase the capacity of primary care clinicians and other prescribing clinicians to provide care for common mental health and behavioral health concerns through training, consultation, and resource support. These programs include VMAP, VMAP for Moms+, and APAL. The HealthHaven call line provides consultation and resource support through a hub model. Each regional or specialty hub includes at least one full-time consulting physician, a licensed mental health professional, and at least one care navigator. The care navigator helps clinicians and their patients identify appropriate local mental health resources and supports. The VMAP regional care navigator is expected to have strong knowledge of local resources and/or lived experience navigating healthcare or mental health systems for children and their families. This expertise supports effective connections among clinicians, patients, and families and appropriate behavioral health services and supports based on needs, location, and insurance status. The navigator works collaboratively with the hub team. The position is based in Charlottesville, Virginia, and must be performed fully on-site. It is an exempt-level, benefited, restricted position dependent on funding availability. The anticipated starting pay is $53,506 annually, commensurate with education and experience.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
Three years of relevant experience.
No licensure required.
Strong organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple tasks and respond promptly to requests.
Strong writing skills and the ability to document work thoroughly and consistently.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with diverse providers, agencies, patients, and families.
Strong customer service skills, particularly when engaging by phone.
Proficiency in Word, Excel, data entry, and editing.
Flexibility and willingness to learn.

Nice To Haves

Strongly preferred: lived experience navigating healthcare systems and/or mental health services.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain relationships with intake coordinators at community mental health agencies, clinics, and organizations.
Participate regularly in community-based meetings to stay current on new and evolving resources in the region or area of specialization.
Research, maintain, and regularly update accurate lists of local mental health resources and availability, including providers, family support services, community resources, peer support programs, and Children Services Act-related programs; maintain the resources in internal databases and verify them at least annually.
Answer calls and emails to the HealthHaven line during normal business hours and connect callers to appropriate resources.
Respond to primary care clinician requests within 24 hours with appropriate regional mental health resources, including practice information such as insurance participation and appointment wait times.
When needed, work directly with patients and families to facilitate and coordinate referrals to services.
Provide follow-up calls to referred patients and families within designated timeframes to support continuity of care.
Provide primary care clinicians with updates, as requested, on family engagement and service connection status.
Record and log information from daily calls in the HealthHaven database.
Conduct post-navigation surveys to gather feedback from clinicians and patients or families about their satisfaction with the process.
Adhere to HIPAA privacy policies and applicable hospital or health center regulations.
Participate in supervision with the HealthHaven Licensed Mental Health Professional in the regional or specialty hub.