Indigenous Wellness Specialist UHT

Unity Health Toronto is working toward making transformative changes in its relationship with Indigenous peoples, and in improvements to health care and care experiences for Indigenous peoples at each of its sites. In order to continue building its capabilities to participate in reconciliation and advancing wellness of Indigenous peoples, Unity Health will be hiring Indigenous Wellness Specialists that can work across departments/sites and programs. Working as a member of the Unity Health Indigenous care team, the successful candidate will work in community with First Nations, Inuit, Metis (FNIM) and Indigenous service organizations and FNIM individuals experiencing barriers in accessing health services to understand and support Unity Health responses to unmet health and social needs (e.g. experiencing homelessness, income and/or food insecurity, acute or chronic mental health and/or addictions challenges, family problems). The position will be focused on connecting with and supporting FNIM patients and their family members throughout their visits from admission to discharge, and in some cases prior (when notified by community agencies or healthcare providers to support in the wellness, culturally safe care and health outcomes for Indigenous persons receiving care at Unity Health Toronto (UHT) and after (when continuity of relationship during hospital admission or community discharge is beneficial). The position will serve both in-patient and out-patient programs and clinics.

Responsibilities

• Establishes and maintains therapeutic rapport with Indigenous clients to facilitate positive navigation between home and community and Unity Health services, including the Primary Care Teams, Emergency Department, In-Patient wards, Specialist out-patient Clinics, Laboratory and Medical Imaging and other relevant hospitals services and programs.
• Acts as an advocate on behalf of the Indigenous patients when trust is an issue and/or past poor care experience deems it necessary.
• Effectively engages clients and colleagues using a cultural safe, strengths-based, and trauma-informed approach.
• Provides outreach support to clients to support their access to resources and connect them with agencies and culturally safe health care and/or social service providers.
• Provides outreach services to FNIM clients who are unwilling or unable to attend office based appointments.
• Collaborate with in-patient transitions facilitators and other health disciplines to facilitate coordinated transitions of client discharges back to the community.
• Works with ED colleagues to support patients to access clothing and supplies, as available.
• Participates in rounds, interdisciplinary and/or inter-agency client care meetings when requested by either the client or healthcare team.
• Gather information from FNIM clients and organizations regarding the unmet health care needs of the First Nations, Inuit, and Metis (FNIM) clients and community and work with the Indigenous leadership circle to communicate this information to the relevant UHT leaders.
• Engages in periodic evaluation and review of client goals and re-calibrates goals as is appropriate.
• Records all client interactions in a respectful and accurate manner that reflects Indigenous community requirements and protocols, Unity health organizational protocols and established regulatory practices.
• Screens each referred client for physical, mental (including substance use), emotional, spiritual, and family health issues that are impacting their current illness, using evidence informed and culturally relevant tools, and ensures that with consent these issues are documented for the care team.
• Provides a direct response to FNIM outpatient and inpatient requests for cultural and ceremonial supports including but not limited to Indigenous language translation; access to ceremony and/or ceremonial materials; access to traditional healing and/or traditional healers; access to traditional foods and/or medicines.
• Reviews care and discharge plans with clients to ensure they are practical, feasible, and culturally safe.
• Ensuring their unique needs and living circumstances are factored into care provided, communication and discharge plan.
• Through regular visiting with Clients, maintains an awareness of their daily care events and activities and assists and supports them socially, emotionally, culturally, and spiritually as relevant.
• As relevant, identifies emerging mental/physical signs and symptoms of acute mental health and/or substance use disorders and/or behavioural challenges that threaten client safety and/or wellbeing and refer clients to relevant programs, services, and/or specialists in a timely manner.
• Identifies and documents barriers to access obstacles to optimal care, engaging the relevant managers as appropriate.
• Identifies and documents when clients may require additional explanations from the health care team regarding their current diagnosis or the purpose and correct use of their medications.
• Assists the Clients in aspects of individual care including physical, social, emotional, spiritual, educational, recreational, development in a manner which promotes Clients dignity and independence.
• Assists Clients with activities of daily living, e.g., making a phone call, accessing a meal, etc.
• As relevant, works with to identify and connect with recreational and skills development opportunities. e.g., computer classes, art classes, etc.
• Monitors the physical, clinical, and cultural safety of referred clients, alerting the relevant team if safety is compromised, e.g., care team for clinical issues or Security Department for safety concerns; or Indigenous care team members for cultural safety issues.
• Work with the Indigenous care team and UHT clinical leads to co-develop defined Indigenous care navigation pathways and processes between the community and the Emergency Department, Primary Care Teams, In-Patient wards, Specialist out-patient Clinics, Laboratory and Medical Imaging, and other relevant hospital services and programs.
• Works with Director of Indigenous Health to contribute to the development and implementation of system level Indigenous care innovations, including but not limited to development of the Unity Health Indigenous Health Strategic Plan.
• Engagement, liaison, and collaboration with health and social service organizations serving FNIM people.
• Develop partnerships with FNIM community agencies including developing, implementing and improving referral care pathways.
• Leading and participating on work related to the bigger strategic goals of the office through being engaged in committee work, advisory meetings or participating in focus groups on assigned topics.
• All staff are expected to carry out their assigned duties and responsibilities in a manner which prioritizes patient and employee safety and confidentiality. Key accountabilities in this regard include.
• Strict compliance with patient/employee confidentiality practices and policies.
• Strict compliance with patient/employee safety practices and standards.
• Appropriate identification, reporting and response to patient/employee confidentiality breaches in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• Appropriate identification, reporting and response to patient/employee safety risks and incidents/events in accordance with established policies and procedures.

Knowledge & Skills

• Indigenous identity and lived experience with Indigenous communities; existing ties to local and regional communities and nations would be considered an asset.
• Experience with the Indigenous community and aware of protocols and able to navigate in the local Indigenous community.
• Knowledge of trauma informed, AR/AO and strengths-based approaches to care.
• Understanding of harm reduction approaches and knowledge of mental health and addictions treatment services.
• Time management and organizational skills; sound judgement to appropriately identify priority with patient care needs v team commitments.

Qualifications

• College certificate, undergraduate degree in relevant health or social services field or equivalent relevant work experience.
• A minimum of 2 years’ experience working with Indigenous community-based services.
• Experience in engaging Indigenous people facing significant barriers to accessing health, social services and housing.
• Experience and skill in engaging with non-Indigenous service institutions and health care providers and encouraging them to uphold their roles and responsibilities with respect to caring for FNIM peoples.
• Experience working in an independent outreach position, meeting with clients alone in the community or in their homes.
• Experience working collaboratively with FNIM and allied community service organizations to share and exchange information and resources and building client-centred care pathways and health plans.

Equity, Diversity & Accessibility

Unity Health Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We strive to provide a recruitment process that is barrier-free and compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code. If accommodation is required at any stage of the recruitment process, applicants are encouraged to inform the Talent Acquisition Specialist when contacted. All accommodation requests are handled with the utmost confidentiality and respect for privacy and dignity.