Lead Care Manager

We’re looking for dedicated team members to join Orange County’s largest nonprofit developer of high-quality affordable housing and services. Join us in our mission to transform lives and strengthen communities for thousands of families, seniors, veterans, transitional age youth, and individuals coming from homelessness in California.

Location: Garden Grove, CA

Status: Full Time, Hourly

Wage: $23-$26/hour + Benefits

The Lead Care Manager (LCM) is responsible for assisting clients and their families in obtaining and understanding services and programs available through the Enhanced Care Management (ECM) program in order to improve their health and overall well-being. The Lead Care Manager is a client-facing, community-based care management role that conducts outreach to the ECM-eligible household to engage, assess, enroll, and care coordination in collaboration with the client’s care providers.

Major Areas of Accountability:

• Reviews data and interviews potential clients to verify eligibility for enrollment in the Enhanced Care Management program (ECM) and completes referral process when necessary.
• Conducts appropriate client assessments telephonically and/or in-person.
• Conduct in-person client meetings on a monthly basis.
• Responsible for coordinating with individuals and/or entities to ensure a seamless experience for the client and non-duplication of services.
• Oversee provision of ECM services, including the completion of client assessments, development of client Care Management Plans (CMP), provide educational and community resources.
• Offer services where the client lives, seeks care, or finds most easily accessible and within Managed Care Plan (MCP) guidelines and connect client to other community services and supports he/she may need, including transportation.
• Partners with healthcare professionals, community and social support services, and other healthcare entities to coordinate care and locate client resources.
• Documents evidence of care in the client’s records concisely and abides by all deadlines.
• Actively manages assigned patient cases to ensure coordination of care, retention of patients, and ensuring a high level of care coordination is maintained.
• Whenever needed, accompany clients to office visits to serve as an advocate.
• Communicates and collaborates with providers and care teams, regarding the clients' progress and care needs.
• Identifies, coordinates, and follows-up on client referrals to ensure continuity of care, and client needs are being met.
• Reassesses care plans to ensure effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes for clients and their family.
• Investigates and directs client inquiries or complaints to appropriate staff clients and follows up to ensure satisfactory resolution.
• Follows established policies to enroll and disenroll clients.
• Maintains knowledge of community services and resources available to clients including housing resources, financial/income assistance, transportation assistance and food assistance.
• Facilitates care transitions between providers, partners, and referral sources and specialty care providers.
• Follows established protocol around patients experiencing pain, safety concerns and/or mental health concerns and creates safety plans, if necessary.
• Recognizes signs of child and elder abuse and reports appropriately to Child/Adult Protective Services.
• Understands and abides by all departmental and companywide policies and procedures.
• Complies with all safety and injury prevention policies and regulations.
• Performs other duties as assigned or required.

Level of Education, Experience and Skill Set:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; or equivalent experience serving individuals with behavioral and/or mental health challenges, or those experiencing homelessness.
• Over 21 years of age.
• Experience working with individuals experiencing chronic homelessness and mental health challenges
• Familiarity with the Housing First, Harm Reduction and/or Recovery Oriented service models
• Knowledge of local Coordinated Entry System (CES).
• Ability to interact in a culturally diverse community
• Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team setting
• Valid California driver’s license and availability of an insured vehicle.
• Job includes some evening and weekend hours and travel throughout California.

The Lead Care Manager is required to talk and hear. The employee is often required to sit and use their hands and fingers to handle or feel. The employee is required to stand, walk, reach with arms and hands, climb, balance, twist, lean, move from one location to another and to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Vision abilities required by this job include close and far vision. Ability to operate a computer keyboard and lift files and reports. Exposure to glare from a computer.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must be able to lift 25 lbs.

Working with the homeless population whether on the streets, in shelters or other places of habitation or services. Exposure to bed bugs or other infestations, unpleasant smells or odors, unclean individuals or homes due to homelessness or mental health symptoms or poverty. Some work will be in a recreational room or common area. The noise level is usually moderate but will vary depending on the activity participating in.