Social Worker | Palatka Area

Awarded Best Quality of Care - Once Again!

Behind every award is a story, and ours is written every day by more than 900 dedicated employees and hundreds of compassionate volunteers who walk alongside patients and families when they need us most.

At Community Hospice & Palliative Care, we're honored to be recognized with the Hospice Honors Elite award, a testament not just to our clinical excellence, but to the compassion we bring to every bedside, every home, every conversation. Every day, we serve approximately 1,500 patients living with advanced illness, wherever they call home, be it a private residence, a long-term care or assisted living facility, a hospital, or in one of our nine inpatient care centers.

We're here to improve quality of life, to ease pain and lift burdens, and to be the Compassionate Guide that families need when time matters most. And most importantly, as the only non-profit hospice provider in the region, we never turn anyone away due to an inability to pay.

The Social Worker provides medical social services and support to patients and their families. A contributing member to assigned patient's Interdisciplinary Group members (IDG) team, the social worker provides psychosocial interventions, referrals, assessments, supportive counseling, networking, and resource procurement to patients and families.

Position Details

• Education Required: Masters of Social Work (MSW)
• Work Locations: Home Care, Long Term Care, and Assisted Living Facilities in/around Palatka (frequently Palatka, Crescent City, Welaka; seldom in Interlachen, Melrose, Keystone, Starke)
• Compensation: $58,000 - $61,000 base salary plus paid driving mileage; full benefits package including 23 days annual PTO

Job Responsibilities:
The Social Worker visits patients across a variety of work settings, including but not limited to hospice inpatient units, private homes, long term care or assisted living facilities, group homes, shelters, or other locations where services to patients/families may need to occur. Job duties are performed with awareness and respect of the patient's developmental stage, patient rights, and patient and family personal, cultural, and spiritual beliefs, according to specific program guidelines. The social worker contributes to the smooth functioning of services, and advocates for patient/family needs with the team and community at large.

• Manages a caseload of patients including, but not limited to, assessing for and assisting with advanced directives, funeral and memorial planning, assessment of care situation, and the provision of more complicated case management.
• Assesses for financial needs or barriers, and facilitates referrals as needed to internal and external resources.
• Provides patient/family education as appropriate and within the scope of practice
• Identify and utilize appropriate community resources and assesses patient/family/caregiver ability to access them.
• Evaluate patient/family/caregiver response to intervention(s) when referred to community agency and the satisfaction of the services(s) provided.
• Provide clinical therapeutic services to patients and families such as, but not limited to: Short-term individual counseling (loss, anticipatory grief and bereavement, coping, transition) to patient and/or family
• Crisis intervention
• Assistance in addressing/supporting decision-making, ensuring the best interest and rights of the patient
• Coordination and collaboration with ancillary therapeutic services, including but not limited to Child Life services and Music Therapy
• Evaluate, intervene, and support the patient/family/caregivers throughout life transitions, regardless of disease trajectory and location on the continuum of the condition.
• Participate in IDG meetings as a contributing member of the team in ongoing communication, coordination, and continuity of the patient and family care/service needs from the psychosocial perspective, including the development and revision of the patients POC.
• Assist the physician and other team members in recognizing and understanding the social/mental stress and/or disorder that exacerbates the symptoms related to terminal illness.
• Identify support systems available to reduce stress and facilitate coping with acute and end-of-life care.
• Educate and evaluate patient/family understanding and acceptance to change in program/level of care; communicate psychosocial information to include goals of care to new care providers, to include hospital or Community Hospice inpatient facility when transfer to a different care setting.
• Provide services to patient/family/caregivers within the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Standards of practice in Palliative and End of Life Care.
• Participate in sharing information with other professionals through participation in organizations such as NASW.
• Participates in the organization on call schedule as needed
• Other duties as assigned.

Education/Experience:

• Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited school of Social Work and three (3) years direct service experience.
• Experience in supportive counseling in group and individual settings, and/or direct service with clients and their families in health care setting.
• Experience in provision of case management services.
• Principles, practices and methods of psychosocial services interventions, case management. individual assessment. and counseling techniques (including but not limited to grief, loss and bereavement)
• Principles, practices and methods reporting and referral.
• Current State of Florida driver's license with driving record acceptable to Community Hospice insurance carrier, and reliable transportation.

Community Hospice & Palliative Care, including all of its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, is committed to complying with all applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended. We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities to ensure equal access to employment opportunities and the ability to perform the essential functions of a position. If you require an accommodation to complete the application process, interview, or perform the essential functions of a role, please contact Human Resources at View email address on click.appcast.io.

We participate in E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Where applicable, and as required by law, employment with Community Hospice & Palliative Care may be contingent upon successful completion of a background screening initiated by the organization through the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) Background Screening Clearinghouse. More information about the Clearinghouse, including positions that require screening, can be found here: Equal Opportunity Employer