Job Type
Full-time, Part-time
Description
OverviewStreet Medicine provides direct healthcare to unhoused individuals wherever they are, with a strong focus on assessing and responding to their physical, social, and psychological needs.
Enhanced Care Management (ECM) is a statewide Medi-Cal benefit for members with complex needs. Enrolled members receive comprehensive care management from a lead care manager who coordinates all health and health-related care, including physical, mental, and dental care, as well as social services.
Community Supports (CS) are services provided by Medi-Cal managed care plans that address health-related social needs, promoting healthier lives and reducing the need for higher, costlier levels of care.
Position SummaryThe Street Medicine Behavioral Health Provider is a licensed or associate clinical social worker who sees patients directly in the field. As a member of WEA's multidisciplinary street medicine team, this provider delivers behavioral health assessment, treatment, and crisis care to unsheltered people experiencing homelessness and others living with serious mental illness (SMI) and substance use disorders (SUD), and carries a caseload of ECM members as their care manager.
This role is 80% field-based and 20% administrative. Field work takes place in encampments, shelters, vehicles, motels, drop-in centers, hospitals, and other community settings alongside WEA's medical providers, nurses, and community health workers. Administrative time covers documentation, care coordination, case conferences, and training.
The provider reports to the Director of Behavioral Health.
Location: Southern California, with field work in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, and the Coachella Valley.
Position type: Full-time, hourly, or per diem.
Key ResponsibilitiesDirect Patient Care (Field)- See patients directly in the field as part of street medicine rounds, building trust with people who have often been failed by health systems.
- Conduct biopsychosocial and mental health assessments, including suicide and violence risk assessment, and make diagnoses within the provider's scope of practice and license.
- Provide brief and ongoing therapeutic interventions, including motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral approaches, trauma-informed care, and harm reduction counseling.
- Provide crisis intervention, including de-escalation, safety planning, and coordination of emergency and psychiatric care when needed.
- Screen for and support substance use treatment, including linkage to medication for addiction treatment with WEA's medical providers.
- Support medication adherence and provide psychoeducation to patients and their support networks.
- Provide telehealth follow-up when in-person contact is not possible.
Enhanced Care Management- Serve as lead care manager for an assigned caseload of ECM members, especially those with SMI or SUD and those experiencing homelessness.
- Outreach to and engage referred members, explain ECM services, and enroll members who agree to participate.
- Complete ECM assessments and develop, update, and carry out person-centered care plans that integrate behavioral health, medical, social, and housing needs.
- Coordinate care across medical, behavioral health, substance use, and social services, and close the loop on every referral.
- Make sure each member has an assigned primary care provider and support engagement with that provider.
- Support members through transitions of care, including discharges from hospitals, psychiatric facilities, and jails.
- Connect members to housing, sobering centers, substance use treatment, Community Supports, benefits, and other community resources.
Team Collaboration- Serve as the behavioral health consultant to WEA's street medicine and ECM teams.
- Participate in case conferences and systematic case reviews with the multidisciplinary team.
- Work with external partners, including managed care plans, county behavioral health, shelters, hospitals, and community-based organizations.
- Provide or facilitate training for team members on behavioral health, crisis intervention, and trauma-informed care.
- Contribute to protocols, workflows, and best practices for behavioral health in street medicine.
Documentation and Compliance (Administrative)- Complete timely, accurate documentation of assessments, care plans, treatment, and care coordination in the electronic health record.
- Ensure documentation supports Medi-Cal billing and meets ECM, managed care plan, and WEA standards.
- Report on patient progress and outcomes as required by contracts and WEA leadership.
- Comply with Medi-Cal, CalAIM, HIPAA, and Board of Behavioral Sciences requirements.
- Participate in quality improvement initiatives.
Work EnvironmentThis position is 80% field-based and 20% administrative. Field work takes place outdoors and in street-based settings, encampments, shelters, and community sites, in all weather conditions, with regular travel across the region.
Employment ConditionsEmployment is contingent on successful completion of a background check following a conditional offer of employment and on meeting WEA's Occupational Health Clearance requirements. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act and applicable local fair chance ordinances.
Third-Party Recruiting NoticeWellness Equity Alliance does not currently accept unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from third-party recruiters, staffing agencies, search firms, or other external recruiting vendors. Please do not contact hiring managers or members of our People & Culture team regarding recruitment services unless you have an existing agreement with WEA.
Any unsolicited resumes or candidate information submitted without a current, authorized agreement will be considered the property of Wellness Equity Alliance, and no placement fee or other compensation will be owed in connection with any resulting hire.
Compensation$85,000 - $116,000 per year for full-time positions. Hourly and per diem positions are paid at the equivalent rate.
Requirements
Minimum Qualifications- Master's degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
- Active California license as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), or active registration as an Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW) with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. ACSWs must practice under clinical supervision as required by California law.
- At least two (2) years of clinical or medical social work experience with high-risk populations, including care management.
- Experience in trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, and harm reduction.
- Experience with substance use interventions and with supporting survivors of abuse, neglect, or violence.
- Knowledge of local and regional community resources.
- Fluency with electronic health record systems.
- Valid California driver's license, reliable transportation, and proof of auto insurance that meets California minimum liability coverage.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience in street medicine or with people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
- Experience in HIV care.
- Experience providing ECM or other Medi-Cal care management.
- Violence Prevention Professional Certificate.
- Bilingual in English and Spanish.
Professional Competencies- Integrity and trust in interactions with patients, team members, and partners.
- Person-centered care aligned with each patient's goals.
- Excellent interpersonal, organizational, verbal, and written communication skills.
- A passion for serving vulnerable populations, with a record of working with high-risk individuals.
Salary Description
$85,000-$116,000/yr FT; hourly & per diem avail.
