PCC Community Wellness Center Gap Year Program Opportunity

Starting hourly wage is $16.25 (and can be higher based on experience).

Overview:

PCC Community Wellness is recruiting for our 2024-2025 Gap Year program. PCC is a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers on the West Side of Chicago, serving medically underserved patients in low-resourced communities. The PCC Community Wellness Gap Year program is a cohort of individuals who are interested in pursuing medical school, PA school, nursing, etc. but would like to work within the healthcare field for a year (or two) to expand their horizons and gain experience serving underserved populations. Our goal is to provide an enriching program with physician mentors, RN managers, intra-cohort support, and applied professional experience while bringing eager minds into our organization to learn from our staff and help push to create change. Gap Years at PCC facilitate access to important primary care and substance use treatment with our team of physicians, advanced practice nurses, registered nurses, social workers, and care coordinators.

There are several positions available as a: Perinatal Child Health Care Coordinator, Chemical Dependency/Emergency Department Care Coordinator, Referrals Care Coordinator, and Team-Based Care Coordinator. Specific information about these teams can be found below. The preferred start date for this position is June or July 2024, although exceptions can be made for academic calendar reasons. Pay for these positions starts at $16.25 per hour, 40 hours a week, and is a mix of virtual and in-person work. Interested applicants should please email a cover letter, resume, and a list of three references (the name, relation, and contact information of references only, letters of recommendation not needed) to gapyear@pccwellness.org by February 9th. Please also indicate which position(s) you are interested in. It is strongly preferred that applicants plan for a 13-month commitment, so they may train their replacement at the end of the academic year. 

Experience/Abilities:

1. Ability to display excellent customer service during in-person and telephone contact
2. Ability to support a diverse patient population with unique needs
3. Ability to effectively communicate with a team
4. Ability to speak Spanish preferred but not required
5. Personal transportation is helpful but not required
6. Experience with MS Office applications Excel and Word 

Available positions: 

Gap Year Perinatal Child Health Care Coordinator:

As a Perinatal Child Health Care Coordinator, gap year students will work to support PCC’s pregnant, postpartum, and newborn patients. As PCC primarily serves uninsured and Medicaid patients, the Perinatal Child Health Care Coordinators will focus on making health care more accessible for these communities. 

The responsibilities include:

1. Rounding post-delivery patients to assist in the discharge of postpartum patients and their newborns
2. Coordinating care and scheduling appointments for pregnant patients 
3. Creating a list of pregnant patients each month for case management, where providers develop specialized care plans for high and moderate risk pregnancies
4. Counseling patients on contraceptive options and reproductive life planning with an emphasis on supporting patients’ reproductive autonomy
5. Managing the application process of and distribution of the specialty medication Synagis, a lifesaving injection that protects newborns with cardiovascular and respiratory problems from Respiratory Syncytial Virus
6. Updating patient records with information pertaining to maternal and pediatric patients’ health
7. Working on specific public health projects related to pregnancy and child health, such as Reach Out and Read, PreggieRx, Developmental Wellness Clinic and lead projects
8. One coordinator will also act as the Perinatal and Child Health Fellowship Coordinator and work closely with fellowship directors to administratively manage the activities of Perinatal and Child Health fellows including their schedule, recruitment, onboarding, graduation and post-graduation support

Gap Year Chemical Dependency/Emergency Department Care Coordinator:

As the Chemical Dependency/Emergency Department Care Coordinator, the gap year student will work in the Emergency Department of West Suburban Medical Center (WSMC) to connect patients struggling with substance use disorder and lack of primary care to PCC services. 

The responsibilities include:

1. Daily rounding of PCC patients and substance use patients admitted in the Emergency Department of WSMC to ensure that patients have follow-up post-discharge
2. Educating patients in the Emergency Department about access to healthcare options including establishing primary care and PCC’s Walk-in Clinic
3. Outreaching patients who were unable to attend their follow up appointments and assisting them in rescheduling
4. Updating patient records with information pertaining to recent hospitalizations and Emergency Department visits
5. Investigating new resources and connecting patients to these resources to alleviate their barriers to care
6. Coordinating care, reviewing insurance redetermination dates, and scheduling appointments for Chemical Dependency Clinic patients
7. Participation as an active member of the Chemical Dependency Clinic team, contributing insight on how to better serve our patients and building collaborative relationships with the medical providers and patients

Referrals Care Coordinator:
As a Referrals Care Coordinator, gap year students will become expert healthcare systems navigators as they partner with PCC’s providers to ensure patients are able to complete outpatient plans of care. In this role, gap year students will learn more about the essential behind-the-scenes tasks and roles that are required to connect patients with their care beyond their PCPs. America’s healthcare systems are notoriously complicated, and this care coordinator plays an active role in supporting patient care while becoming an expert liaison between insurance companies, specialty care facilities, and PCPs. Whether a patient needs a specialist referral, imaging referral, or durable medical equipment, these care coordinators become experts in reviewing patients’ medical records & problem solving to ensure insurance approves referrals, specialty facilities accept the referral, and patients understand how to schedule the care they need. These care coordinators will focus on obtaining insurance authorization, advising and collaborating with PCC providers & various staff members, and calling and educating patients on their specialized care needs.

The responsibilities include:

1. Reviewing patient EHR to understand providers’ proposed plan of care and compile relevant patient medical history to secure prior authorization from insurances for patients to complete the next steps in their care. 
2. Communicating with insurance companies by phone and by online portal to obtain authorization necessary for patients to receive the healthcare they need at minimal/no cost. 
3. Communicating with doctors, nurses, and midwives to understand each referral and what authorization is needed. Gaining expertise to advise providers when modifications are needed. Collaborating with other clinical staff members to promote clinic workflow and connect patients with relevant resources and further assistance.
4. Speaking with patients to educate them on the steps they must take to schedule their specialty care appointments.
5. Calling and researching local care facilities, to help patients better navigate the system and address their individualized needs.
6. Answering calls in person on the Referrals Dept Hotline once a week to assist patients with their questions & concerns and troubleshoot problems with tertiary care facilities and insurance companies.

Addiction Medicine Consult (AMC) Service Program Coordinator: 

As AMC Program Coordinator, the gap year student will work closely with the Service Chief, physicians, Peer Support Specialists, and Social Worker on the AMC team to ensure proper follow-up for patients treated in the hospital for substance use disorder (SUD). The AMC Service works on West Suburban Medical Center’s (WSMC) hospital floors and Emergency Department, treating patients with substance use disorder who are admitted to the hospital floor or withdrawal management unit. The Program Coordinator works with a wide variety of staff and personnel both in the Chemical Dependency Clinic and inside WSMC. 

The responsibilities include: 

1. Working on Medication-Assisted Recovery (MAR) grant activities and with Illinois Department Human Services Substance Use Prevention & Recovery to ensure proper implementation of the MAR in healthcare projects
2. Planning events for staff and engaging with the community via attending events hosted in Chicago/Chicagoland area by community partners  
3. Attending meetings and actively participating in the West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force and the Oak Park +Positive Youth Development Task Force 
4. Tracking medications given to patients in the hospital in order to ensure proper follow-up
5. Coordinating distribution of naloxone to all 13 PCC sites in order to ensure easy access for patients in the hospital as well as in the wider community 
6. Outreaching patients who were unable to attend their follow up appointments and assisting them in rescheduling
7. Participating as a member of the Chemical Dependency Care Coordination team, contributing insight on how to better serve our patients and building collaborative relationships with other team members, medical providers, and patients

Team-Based Care Coordinator:

As a Team-Based Care Coordinator, gap year students will work to support PCC’s diverse patient population. Care coordinators will outreach patients to help close gaps in care such as missed annual visits, overdue cancer screenings, and unscheduled follow-up appointments. They will also help connect patients to outside resources like housing and transportation when needed. Additionally, gap year students on this team will help manage the VeggieRx program. The VeggieRx prescription program is a cooperative program developed by the Windy City Garden, Lawndale Christian Health Center (LCHC), and the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion (CPHP) to support patients with diet-related diseases who are also food insecure. As PCC primarily serves uninsured and Medicaid patients, the Team-Based Care Coordinators will focus on making health care education and services more accessible for these communities. 

The responsibilities include:

1. Outreach diagnosed Diabetic and Pre-diabetic patients after receiving VeggieRx prescription from PCC provider 
2. Coordinate and schedule diagnosed Diabetic and Pre-diabetic patients to attend weekly VeggieRx group discussion and veggie box pick up 
3. Manage the process of and distribution of the veggie boxes and educational materials 
4. Update patient records with information pertaining to A1C, Social and Behavioral Health Screenings, and weekly participation  
5. Work with the Behavioral Health Provider assigned to direct the weekly group discussion (note: once a month cooking demo from CPHP Nutrition Coach) and provide educational materials for patients 
6. Counsel patients on why it’s important to screen for colorectal cancer.
7. Outreach patients for hospital follow up visits after patients visit the ER. 
8. The role requires the ability to think critically and help increase patients’ abilities to navigate our challenging health care system.
9. Retrieve voicemails from care coordination voicemail boxes
10. Monitor daily Care Coordinator bucket and team buckets
11. Outreach patients for outstanding labs and referral orders in FOLLOW-UP status 
12. Inform patients of received specialty appointment confirmations and/or print specialty appointment confirmations and mail to patient
13. Route denials and approvals to correct parties
14. Help new patients referred from partner agencies (e.g. Children’s Center of Cicero/Berwyn) create a chart and schedule initial appointment(s)
15. Follow up on our own return mail
16. Complete Early Intervention referrals with IDHS & contact Parent to inform of referral order being sent 
17. Outreach patients for care gaps in collaboration with the Performance Improvement department, such as annual wellness visits, cancer screenings, and other quality measures. Includes Colonoscopy/FIT test order follow-up and U-Screen enrollment/orders (blood-based CRC screening study).
18. Upon request from patients or clinical staff:
    1. Mail normal labs 
    2. Obtain consult notes and test results for PCC orders completed externally that aren’t already in chart
    3. Follow up on Durable Medical Equipment orders
    4. Assist on scheduling transportation to and from appointments
    5. Follow up on High Risk no shows including hospital f/u no shows
    6. Assist Managed-care Organization patients with waiver applications (for home maker services)

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