Registered Nurse (Street Medicine)

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

WEA has launched a unique Street Medicine program featuring mental health, substance use disorder treatment, and infectious disease in Riverside County in and around the Palm Springs area!

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 individuals live.

As an RN manager, this position provides oversight of direct clinical care in accordance with organizational policies and procedures which promotes public and community health within the South Los Angeles area by assisting individuals in adopting healthy behaviors, with the ultimate goal of improving health disparities in the unhoused community. Additionally, the RN is responsible for the mental and physical well-being of the community by advocating for health promotion, disease prevention, treatment, and education. The RN is a trusted member of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the RN to serve as the first healthcare professional who defines evident or underlying health issues.

As these positions represent some of the early roles to help build this program, the Street Medicine RN manager must have a considerable understanding of and direct experience working with communities, in a public health capacity.

Key Responsibilities

• Provides health coaching, patient navigation, health education and/or health promotion for a diverse
• patient panel within the health district and region
• Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records on medical information, to include recording critical encounter data into systems or on patient health records
• Makes assessments, based on encounter and patient interaction; communicates to consumers effectively and exercises compassionate patient centered service
• Administers medication in accordance with established standards and procedures; ensures administration is accurate; assesses for any allergic reaction, as required
• Assist with or instituting emergency measures for sudden adverse developments during treatment
• Document patients' medical and psychological histories, physical assessment results, diagnoses, treatment plans, prescriptions, or outcomes
• Handles and stores vaccinations and medications in accordance with CDC and organizational policies and procedures
• Provide personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to patients; take and administer labs, including handling specimens
• Perform physical examination; take vital signs; provide referrals, as required.
• Participate in community special educational outreach projects such as screenings and health fairs

Qualifications and Education Requirements

• Must possess an unexpired, unrestricted license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of California
• Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college of university; Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) preferred
• PHN preferred, but not required
• Some experience with case management/care coordination preferred, but not required
• Demonstrated history of experience successfully working with diverse cultural backgrounds, in a healthcare capacity
• Strong preference for BL/BC in Spanish (not required). Preference to cultural competence with LatinX communities
• Ability to work both independently and to collaborate with teams of individuals in diverse settings, using a solution-oriented approach
• Preference given to candidates with previous experience working as a Public Health Nurse, in an RN capacity
• Must possess active Basic Life Support (BLS) certification

Preferred Skills

• Demonstrated knowledge of clinical nursing practices and procedures (PHN is strongly desired, but not required)
• Demonstrated knowledge of infectious diseases such as HIV, STIs, COVID-19, and industry standard treatments of such
• Skill in the use of equipment and tools, including needles, stethoscope etc.
• Skilled in-patient intake and triage procedures
• Demonstrated knowledge of local and regional community resources
• Demonstrated knowledge of public health programs
• Skilled in utilizing appropriate industry standard assessment techniques
• Demonstrated ability to provide appropriate guidance and positive customer service while utilizing a patient centered approach