Social Worker (LSW) - Emergency Department

Social Worker Emergency Department

Provides social work services to patients and families within the Emergency Department in order to meet identified psychosocial needs, as well as to enhance problem-solving and coping capacities and to facilitate timely discharge by helping to connect patients and families to available community resources. The social worker provides psychosocial assessments, supportive counseling, trauma informed care, crisis intervention and works collaboratively with all other members of the healthcare team, ensuring clear communication and care planning to all patients. This role will include field response into the community, likely several times per day, to provide mobile mental and behavioral health services to citizens within the C-U metro area. This work component will fulfill a community support mission in accordance with Illinois act 102-0580, the new Illinois law establishing the 988 response system. This field role will be developed and expand over time in close coordination with the regional EMS medical director, the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Illinois Division of Mental health, as well as interfacing with existing community support assets and networks.

Qualifications

Certifications: Licensed Social Worker (LSW) - Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR); Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) - Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Education: Bachelor's Degree: Social Work; Master's Degree: Social Work, Work Experience:

Responsibilities:

• Provides support and planning in cases of trauma, mental health crisis, death, and fetal demise.
• Field response into community, partnered with EMS, to provide mobile mental and behavioral health services to citizens within the C-U metro area.
• Respond to all leveled traumas, victims of violence, and mental health pts in the ED.
• Work with security and spiritual care for confirming/notifying next of kin process.
• Connect victims with community programs & initiate communication with community resources.
• Connect with outpatient social work to assure barriers removed for follow.
• Collaboration for other needs: SANE patients, expirations, medication assistance, abuse/neglect cases, chemical dependency/ETOH, rehab resources, advance directives/POLST, Familiar Faces, Guardianship issues, sex trafficking, etc.
• Attend meetings with leadership regularly with community resources to build a bridge for communication between our department and the community.
• Evaluates patients for abuse/neglect and makes appropriate referrals, & assist ED staff with completing mandated reports of suspected abuse and/or neglect of minors, disabled adults, and seniors.
• Cooperate and collaborate with the investigating bodies for safe plans.
• Involves patient and family in case planning decisions.
• Keeps the director/manager informed of problematic cases, especially those involving legal or risk management issues.
• Provides information and counseling for advance directives, power of attorney, and conservatorship.
• Provides social work intervention to patient/families.
• Responds to referrals from healthcare team members to identify available facilities and services for case specific needs during and post-ED visit.
• Complete psychosocial assessments with patients to identify expressed implied or anticipated needs.
• Find solutions to offer patients so that they can obtain needed prescription medications, e.g. coupons, copay cards, pharmaceutical assistance programs, Social Security Extra Help, 340B, One Time Rx Assistance, etc.
• Find, and if possible, arrange transportation for patients to get to and from their medical appointments and/or home from the Emergency Department.
• Educate about and connect patients with community resources to help meet their needs, e.g. non skilled help at home, meals/food, housing resources, charity assistance programs, support groups, trauma informed care, etc.
• Provide empathic listening and emotional support to patients either in person or over the phone.