Medical Respite Certification Specialist

ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION

The National Health Care for the Homeless Council (the Council) is the premier national organization working at the nexus of homelessness and health care. Since 1986, we have brought together thousands of health care professionals, medical respite care providers, people with lived experience of homelessness, and advocates. Our Organizational Members include Health Care for the Homeless health centers, medical respite programs, and housing and social service organizations across the country. Additional information is available at www.nhchc.org.

Grounded in human rights and social justice, the Council’s mission is to build an equitable, high-quality health care system through training, research, and advocacy in the movement to end homelessness. As an organization, we believe an inclusive and open environment fosters creativity, contributes to the quality of our work, and provides growth opportunities for our employees. The Council is guided by the principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) in its internal and external work of dismantling racism and identity-based oppression as part of meaningful efforts to end homelessness and become a trauma-informed, anti-racist agency.

The National Institute for Medical Respite Care (NIMRC) is a program of the of the Council whose primary focus is on expanding medical respite/recuperative care programs nationwide. Launched in July 2020, NIMRC is a singular institute that advances best practices, delivers expert technical assistance services, and disseminates state-of-the-field knowledge in medical respite care (MRC). All teams of the Council contribute to the work of NIMRC. Additional information is available at www.nimrc.org.

JOB SUMMARY

The Medical Respite Certification Specialist (“Certification Specialist”) works closely with the Senior Medical Respite Manager to operationalize a novel certification process for MRC programs across the United States. The Certification Specialist will be the project manager and primary point of contact for the majority of MRC programs seeking certification through NIMRC. This will entail guiding MRC programs through a structured certification process, providing individualized support and technical assistance (TA) to empower them to succeed, and creating/maintaining detailed records.

The certification program is a new line of service for our organization (launching in early-2025). Thus, there will be opportunities for the Certification Specialist to contribute to the evolution of the program through continuous process improvement, evaluation activities, and collaboration with key partners. Beyond certification, this role will also include some opportunities to work alongside Medical Respite Team (MRT) members to implement trainings, provide TA, and develop materials supporting the field of MRC programs. A degree of latitude and flexibility is needed for this new and dynamic position.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Certification Project Management (80%)

Intake:

1. Process new applications for certification
2. Conduct initial consultations and orientations
3. Collect participation agreements from MRC programs who choose to pursue certification (“candidates”)

Core Activities:

1. Provide materials and instructions that candidates will need to complete key components of the certification process
2. Provide resources and TA to support candidates’ quality improvement efforts
3. With support from the MRT, review program materials submitted by candidates and assess their alignment with certification requirements and scoring rubrics
4. Arrange in-person site visits from qualified subject matter experts (SMEs) in the field
5. Travel for approximately five (5) such site visits per year
6. Help plan and co-facilitate peer learning opportunities, such as virtual office hours for certification candidates to share challenges and recommendations with one another
7. Maintain detailed records of certification activities and candidate materials according to established protocols
8. Perform administrative functions, such as submitting payment requests with accompanying documentation and scheduling virtual meetings

Closeout & Follow-up:

1. Follow established processes for ensuring that successful candidates receive formal proof of their certification status and that a publicly available registry of certified MRC programs (via the NIMRC website) remains up-to-date.
2. Follow established processes to proactively monitor renewal timelines for certified programs, obtaining annual attestations and initiating recertifications at three-year intervals
3. Assist the Senior Medical Respite Manager in addressing individual circumstances where a meaningful change to a certified MRC program necessitates revisiting and updating certification components

Certification Program Improvement:

1. Support the Senior Medical Respite Manager in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the certification program
2. Contribute to process improvement efforts based on early outcomes and learnings

Medical Respite Trainings, TA Meetings, and Resource Development (15%)

• Participate in MRT meetings/conversations around identified needs in the field and strategies to support MRC programs
• Contribute to the planning and implementation of MRC-focused trainings (e.g., webinars, peer learning cohort meetings, and conference presentations)
• Contribute to and/or review MRC-focused materials produced by NIMRC (e.g., guides, toolkits, online courses, white papers, etc.)
• Participate in TA meetings with MRC programs and/or communities interested in creating MRC programs

General Agency Duties (5%)

• Participate in and contribute to organization-wide activities, such as: all-staff meetings and retreats; conferences and network/membership meetings; targeted staff work-groups.
• Provide consultation to Council staff regarding activities overlapping with your area of assignment
• Participate in professional development opportunities identified in partnership with your supervisor

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Master’s degree in public health, social work, policy, or health and human services, preferred.
• Knowledge of medical respite care, preferred.
• Experience working with people who are unhoused, preferred.
• Experience managing projects and communicating with community partners, required.

Skills:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills that value transparency and consistency, with demonstrated ability. to collaborate with individuals from a wide range of professional and personal backgrounds.
• Strong meeting planning and facilitation skills, including use of web-conferencing technologies.
• Self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision.
• Able to be effective in a remote work environment.
• High degree of personal organization.
• Willing to take initiative and able to learn new things.
• Comfortable with differences of opinion and willing to work toward productive solutions.
• Able to express and embody the mission and values of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council and its medical respite-focused program, the National Institute for Medical Respite Care.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Available for travel within the U.S. approximately 8-10 times per year.
• Able to operate a personal computer (provided by the Council).
• Must have a workspace that allows you to work remotely, including good internet connection capable of supporting internet-based video and audio for conference calls.