Lead Care Manager (CHW) (Street Medicine)

Job Type Full-time Description

Wellness Equity Alliance (WEA) is a novel national public health organization comprised of a multidisciplinary team of population and public health experts with backgrounds in infectious disease, public health, emergency medicine, primary care, cardiology, pediatrics, psychiatry, community health work (CHW), nursing and advanced practice pharmacy. We work nearly exclusively with underrepresented communities, fundamentally addressing health-care disparities and the social determinants of health (SDoH) that have been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing the following:

• People experiencing homelessness
• Indigenous communities
• Immigrant communities
• Rural communities
• BIPoC communities
• LGBTQIA+ communities
• Justice-impacted communities

The WEA team is diverse, inclusive, and nimble enough to assemble teams of healthcare professionals within days using our proven local staff recruitment models to address population health crises and communicable disease outbreaks. The WEA team’s partnership model is collaborative and allows hospitals, health jurisdictions, state/local government agencies to provide timely care using equity-based strategies for individuals and marginalized communities.

Elevate your career to new heights with an opportunity that transcends traditional healthcare boundaries!

Wellness Equity Alliance is actively seeking compassionate and driven individuals for several pivotal roles in our groundbreaking Street Medicine program. Street Medicine is an innovative and compassionate approach to healthcare, designed to meet individuals experiencing homelessness right where they are: on the streets, in shelters, or within underserved communities.  Working for WEA is more than a job; it's a calling to serve those who are most in need, directly in their environment.

Purpose of the position

Elevate your career to new heights with an opportunity that transcends traditional healthcare boundaries. Wellness Equity Alliance is actively seeking compassionate and driven professionals for several pivotal roles in our groundbreaking Street Medicine program in Los Angeles County. Street Medicine is an innovative and empathetic approach to healthcare, designed to meet individuals right where they are: on the streets, in shelters, or within underserved communities. This model reaches outside the walls of traditional medical facilities to deliver direct, comprehensive care to those who are homeless or experiencing housing instability. Our mobile healthcare teams bring primary care, psychiatric support, substance abuse counseling, and much more directly to the most marginalized populations. 

We are looking for a Community Health Worker (CHW)/ Care Manager, that embraces our mission, which is deeply rooted in delivering equitable healthcare to underserved communities, right where they live. By joining our dedicated team, you'll not only provide critical medical services but also become a beacon of hope and change, ensuring every individual receives the compassionate care they deserve, regardless of their circumstances. Working for WEA is more than a job; it's a calling to serve those who are most in need, directly in their environment.

This Care Coordinator will serve not only as an advocate for the health needs of individuals by assisting community residents in effectively communicating with healthcare providers or social service agencies, but also as a key member of the site leadership team, assisting with logistics and program evaluation. Acting as liaison and advocate to implement programs that promote, maintain, and improve individual and overall community health. May deliver health-related preventive services such as blood pressure, glaucoma, and hearing screenings. May use the community health needs assessment to help identify areas to expand clinical services and support.This individual will also have a keen eye on data for program evaluation and understanding of team deployment and supply management. 

Staff identified to be a part of this operation will be a part of an important and sustainable street medicine program aimed at serving the unhoused populations in South Los Angeles. The most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness have likely been failed by institutions many times in their lives, and their mistrust of authorities, institutions, and individual care providers may represent an attempt at self-protection that, over time, becomes a barrier to accessing care and resources that could improve their lives.

The street medicine team will work to build trusting relationships with people who are in need of medical services, work to decrease the logistical barriers that block access to health care and provide care directly to the places where unhoused individua