Policy and Outreach Fellow

Health Law Advocates•Boston, MA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Health Law Advocates (HLA) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) public interest law firm committed to ensuring universal access to quality health care in Massachusetts. HLA provides pro bono legal services to Massachusetts residents with low incomes who face barriers to accessing health care coverage and services. HLA is committed to ensuring universal access to quality health care in Massachusetts, particularly for those who are most at risk due to such factors as race, gender, disability, age, or geographic location. HLA also engages in public policy advocacy, systemic litigation, and educational programming to promote access to care for all. HLA furthers its mission of universal access to quality health care via three main areas of work: Representing Health Care Consumers. HLA provides high quality, free legal assistance to income eligible Massachusetts residents experiencing difficulties with accessing or paying for health care. Community Education and HLA builds knowledge in communities about how to access health care services through well-regarded trainings and presentations throughout Massachusetts and by authoring publications that promote access to health care. Policy Advocacy. HLA advocates for public policy reforms that help consumers access health care. We offer our legal expertise and experience working with consumers to policymakers on the state and federal levels, as well as advocate for policy changes by health care institutions to enhance access to care and coverage. Learn more about HLA at https://www.healthlawadvocates.org/ . The Policy and Outreach Fellow is a full-time, 8-month position that is dedicated to supporting the Family Resource Centers (FRCs) with navigating new federal laws and policies that restrict access to health care and coverage. The FRCs are a statewide network of community-based organizations that serve children and families, especially those experiencing issues arising from mental health challenges. The Policy and Outreach Fellow will coordinate closely with an HLA Staff Attorney who dedicates 50% of their time to supporting the FRCs. The Policy and Outreach Fellow will be a member of HLA's Access to Care and Coverage Practice (ACC), though this position also will coordinate closely with staff from HLA's Mental Health Advocacy Program (MHAP) for Kids, which has attorneys embedded in FRCs throughout Massachusetts.

Requirements

Work both independently and as an effective team
Collaborate with and support staff at all levels of our
Communicate clearly and
Demonstrate empathy and sensitivity while working directly with clients encountering
Maintain confidentiality and, for attorneys, strict adherence to all professional responsibility requirements for the practice of law.
Demonstrate intellectual curiosity, openness, and the desire and ability to listen and
Understand and believe in the mission of the
Embody the values of the organization, including a commitment to decreasing inequity in our health care system and society as a whole.
A Master's in Public Health, Public Policy, or equivalent
Access to a car and ability to travel to Family Resources Centers across
Experience with creating and designing resources and materials that explain complicated issues in an accessible and culturally appropriate manner.
Experience with public speaking, developing and delivering trainings and presentations, creating meeting agendas, and facilitating meetings with a diverse array of participants.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to communicate complicated health care and public health concepts in an accessible and culturally appropriate
Ability to speak and write in Spanish or Portuguese is highly preferred, although other languages are also welcome.
Organized and efficient, capable of managing multiple cases with competing
Ability to work in a team environment while also being a proactive self-
Experience working with state and federal health care coverage laws, particularly Medicaid/MassHealth and the Affordable Care Act, is a plus
Public policy development or policy advocacy experience, preferably relating to health care policy, is a plus.

Nice To Haves

Ability to speak and write in Spanish or Portuguese is highly preferred, although other languages are also welcome.

Responsibilities

Project management, community engagement, training, and materials development for the FRCs (80%) Build relationships with staff at local FRCs and collaborate with them to identify health care access barriers for the families they serve.
Coordinate in project development with HLA's Mental Health Advocacy Program (MHAP) for Kids staff, including to identify cases that would benefit from consultation or input from the Access to Care and Coverage (ACC) team.
Develop and deliver trainings, presentations, and workshops for FRC staff and clients to help them navigate new barriers caused by federal actions that restrict coverage and eligibility for public health care programs.
Create engaging and accessible resources and materials for FRC staff and clients that explain key changes to public health care coverage programs and inform them about necessary steps to address individual access barriers.
Support the FRC Attorney in arranging and conducting regular clinics for FRC staff and clients – both in-person and virtually – to provide consultations and case support around access to health programs and overcoming barriers to medical care and coverage.
Lead data collection and reporting on FRC project work and outcomes.
Prepare and send client referrals to partner organizations that represent clients on legal matters that HLA does not address (e.g. immigration legal services, housing law, employment law).
Support HLA's Advocacy for Policies that Remove Barriers to Care and coverage (10%) Collaborate with FRC and HLA staff to identify patterns of health access problems across cases.
Help develop policy proposals to address these barriers alongside HLA staff and other advocacy partners.
Attend coalition meetings with state agencies, including MassHealth, the Health Connector, and the Department of Children and Families.
Participate in strategy development and information sharing with the HLA team and partner organizations.
Administrative (10%) Participate in and contribute to regular ACC, MHAP for Kids, and HLA "All Staff" meetings.
Assist with administrative coordination of cases between the ACC and MHAP for Kids teams.
Contribute to internal ACC "service projects" to improve the functioning, efficiency, and effectiveness of the ACC team.
Assist with interviewing and onboarding new ACC staff as needed.
Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

401(k) or Roth 401(k) retirement plans with a variable employer Employer contributions start after one year of service. Your contributions vest immediately
Medical Insurance HMO and PPO Options with a generous employer
Dental and Vision Insurance
20 vacation days per year
3 personal days per year
15 sick days per year
12 paid holidays per year
1 birthday day per year
3 volunteer days per year
That's a total of 54 days paid days of leave per year!
Medical and Dependent Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) FSAs allow you to set aside pre-tax dollars for health care and dependent care expenses
Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability Insurance Life insurance at 2x your salary with a maximum of $400,000. The benefit is doubled in the event of accidental death. Long-term disability benefit that covers 60% of salary after 90 days of disability
Outside Health Insurance Reimbursement If you obtain health insurance elsewhere (typically through a parent, spouse or domestic partner), you are eligible for a taxable reimbursement.