ED Behavioral Health Team Lead

The Social Worker in the Care Management Department reports directly to the Senior Director of Care Management and is an integral member of a hospital patient’s care team, responsible for assessing and intervening to ensure the effective continuation of a patient’s care after discharge from the hospital. This role will provide supervision of the ED Discharge Coordinator team. The social worker will be assigned to Emergency Department and Pediatric ED to assess and provide intervention for crisis and behavioral health patients.

Will work closely with physicians, nurses, SBIRT Peer Recovery Coaches, Child Protection Program Coordinator, SAFE/DV, ED Discharge Coordinators, and other practitioners on the assigned units. In this role, coordination of services with patients, families, and community resources is an integral part of decreasing duration of extended stay patients in the Emergency Department. Social Worker is responsible for interviewing hospital patients and family members/caregivers;

serves as a liaison between the hospital and community agencies. Facilitates family meetings to identify needs and develop continuing care plan; assessing psychosocial needs; counseling patients and family members to promote effective coping and treatment plan compliance. Other duties include assessing knowledge deficits; educating patients and family members about community resources, rights and responsibilities, advance directives, end-of-life care issues, health insurance, and navigating the health care system.

Functions as part of a multidisciplinary team. As opportunities arise, the Social Worker will participate in department and hospital initiatives related to process improvement and patient care.

Master’s in Social Work; equivalent experience or certification considered

1-3 years prior social work experience in a hospital or other health care setting preferably doing discharge planning work, crisis and behavioral health experience, knowledge of local and state crisis and mental health systems

• Cultural competency and willingness to work with patients of many different racial, national, ethnic, and religious backgrounds as well as different age groups and socioeconomic statuses.
• Basic computer skills (electronic medical record training is provided)
• Interview skills including active listening, open-ended questioning, and empathy
• Assessment skills to quickly develop thorough assessments and care plans
• Skill in, or willingness to learn, counseling and motivational interviewing techniques
• Willingness to engage with difficult or noncompliant patients or family members; willingness to discuss topics such as end of life care or substance abuse
• Ability to self-direct and negotiate competing priorities
• Ability to develop a wide-ranging working knowledge of services, referral processes and criteria, medical terms and needs, etc. (training is provided)
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment; desire to engage with change processes and work closely with multi-disciplinary teams
• Ability to deescalate patients and families in crisis situations
• Experience in pediatric social work or related field and child abuse evaluation

• Licensed in Maryland as a LMSW, LCSW or LCSW-C

• Ability to move quickly about the Emergency Department as needed. Able to concentrate on details in a hectic environment.

• Work is performed inside the organization’s offices, patient care units, or in-patient rooms. Job attendance is required during all types of weather conditions.
• Must carry on-call phone for evening and weekend call on a rotating basis with ability to come in to work if necessary during time off.

• Must speak, write, and…