Sisters of the Good Shepherd
The Sisters of the Good Shepherd is a Catholic, religious organization of vowed professed women. We are seeking a Health and Wellness Coordinator that will work with our sisters (age range 60-95) on resources for their health and wellness. The position does require travel.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
For the full job description please visit our website sistersofthegoodshepherd.com/careers/
1. Assists and advises individual Sisters requiring assistance with healthcare decisions, finds resources and sources referrals, and related services.
2. Creates and establishes an individual Wellness Plan with all sisters in the Central area addressing stage of life, health-related needs, risk factors as well as services to address these areas in ways that are consistent with Province and community goals and values.
3. Establishes and implements processes and systems to continually assess the health needs of the Sisters in the Central area and updates and reviews each Sister’s Wellness Plan.
4. Have regular contact with Sisters in all of the states assigned by virtual or phone visit or in-person visits with a focus on those Sisters identified as in need of particular care and assistance.
5. Provides care management services to Sisters based on their Wellness Plans that includes but is not limited to: providing information and referral to health and wellness professionals, accessing home and community-based services, accessing higher levels of care and providing ongoing support.
6. Offers support and guidance to sisters in modifying lifestyles, adjusting to disease, coping with chronic illness, and other health concerns and supporting Sisters in times of crisis.
7. Compassionately listen when Sisters need to talk, while setting appropriate limits (i.e. knows when/how to limit conversation to get other work done) and identifies instances when to direct Sisters to the appropriate person, either the Province Leader, Local Leader, Benefits Coordinator, or Director of Province Administration.
8. Assist with visiting hospitalized Sisters and assists in planning for discharge.
9. Assists Sisters in the ongoing review of their Advanced Directives and Durable Power of Health Care Attorney Document, updates records when changes occur and maintains the Sisters’ health records in accordance with Province policies;
10. Provides communication with the Health and Wellness Team. Regularly is in communication with the Province Leader and the Director of Province Administration regarding Sister care needs especially during times of a health crisis. It is expected that the candidate will have frequent and regular communication with the Local Leader of the Mason Pointe community as to the Mason Pointe Sisters.
11. Works closely with Benefits Coordinator in the Province Finance Office in areas relating to insurance, benefits, and special orders regarding equipment, medications, and medical supplies.
12. Identifies and provides recommendations to Director of Province Administration and Province Leader when the need for a higher level of care is required.
13. Collaborates with other care providers who support the individual Sister as part of a care team and assists in finding resources that could provide an additional level of backup expertise and assistance.
14. Assesses needs and advocates for Sisters during acute care episodes, or when specifically requested to do so.
15. Helps develop and identify existing formation/education programs regarding Health and Wellness for individual Sisters, communities, and Province staff within eldercare facilities.
16. Collaborates with other members of the Team to further evolve the care of the Sisters and to provide a standard of care consistent with the values of the Sisters of Good Shepherd and the Health and Wellness Plan.
17. Participate and be a part of the Province Administration staff community; ability to travel to Danville, Pennsylvania and the East/West areas on occasion to meet Sisters and have familiarity with Wellness Plans of those Sisters.
18. While the expectation is that this position acts on a high level, there will be times where the Health and Wellness Coordinator will be expected to take a Sister to a medical appointment, be available to be with a Sister at the emergency room, or to be with a Sister for certain treatments, surgeries or other health-related events. This is especially the case in the St. Louis area.
19. This position does require travel and planning. The Health and Wellness Coordinator in collaboration with the Health and Wellness Team will prepare a regular 90 day schedule of visits and activities.
20. The Health and Wellness Coordinator will continue professional development and to learn best practices in the areas of eldercare, gerontology, and health and wellness for the aged.
21. Performs other duties as assigned.
SUPERVISORY DUTIES
• The Health and Wellness Coordinator will work directly with staff at the third-party eldercare facilities that the Sisters live in and will also be in contact with any third-party outside resource that provides care services.
• The Health and Wellness Coordinator may co-supervise with a Local Leader a Community Care Assistant who supports communities on a wide range of issues.
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL POSITION REQUIREMENTS
• Sitting, standing, walking with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Can push, pull or lift and/or carry up to fifteen (15) pounds in order to assist Sisters with transportation (getting in and out of vehicles, pushing a wheelchair).
• Manual dexterity as required for health assessments.
• Vision sufficient to read reports and use computers, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Ability to hear normal conversation, routine telephone communication with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Ability to read, comprehend, reason, interpret and analyze information.
• Competency with written communication.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
• Training and direct experience in healthcare, especially in serving persons with chronic health conditions and the elderly;
• Supportive of Mission and values of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd;
• Demonstrated knowledge of:
o Health care systems that include acute care, home and community-based services and long-term care;
o Person-directed and holistic models of care;
o Principles of advocacy;
• Capable of researching community resources in a variety of geographic areas in the USA and sharing the knowledge with others as needed;
• Can develop and maintain collaborative relationships within the Province communities and among a variety of health-care professionals;
• Can communicate professionally and compassionately with Sisters who may not request or recognize the need for intervention;
• Proficient knowledge of Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Excel and other professional computer programs as needed.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
• Regular travel (including overnight stays) is an essential component of the job;
• On-Call requirements at times;
• Hybrid Schedule when not at a Community or Sister site;
• Risks associated with routine office environment and eldercare facility environment;
• Potential and/or direct exposure to blood, body fluids, infectious waste, diseases, conditions (e.g., TB, Hepatitis B viruses);
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
• RN/LPN/LVN with long term care/assisted living experience.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of care management experience.
• Would consider 10 plus years of experience in this field of work in lieu of degree coupled with other certifications related to health and wellness.
• Experience working in a women’s religious congregation is a plus.
• Experience and understanding of the Catholic faith and Catholic social teaching is a plus.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, AND REGISTRATIONS
• Must have valid and current driver’s license, and consent to Department of Motor Vehicle review of past driving record to establish that she is a safe driver;
• Preference is a licensed professional in a health-related field.
To apply, send resume and cover letter to Toni Ponder at tponder@gspmna.org with Subject “Health and Wellness”
