Indigenous Wellness Specialist FHT

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 a temporary full-time Indigenous Wellness Specialist-Family Health Team.

Working as a member of the Unity Health Indigenous care team, the position will be embedded in the SMH Academic Family Health Team, which is part of the Unity Health Primary and Community Care Program is focused on providing comprehensive primary care to more than 45,000 patients. The Wellness Specialist will assist Indigenous individuals and families in becoming attached to primary care at the SMH FHT, navigating appointments, finding appropriate information, resources and referrals to programs and services and/or case management in community.

This will include ongoing liaison with FNIM service organizations, direct outreach support for individual service users and their families.

The Indigenous Wellness Specialist-FHT acts as a community-focused liaison, facilitating connections between Indigenous patients and primary care providers and community programs and services. The role provides intake assessments, information and referral, navigation via the FHT and offering cultural and spiritual support and connection with the Indigenous wellness team members at Unity Health Toronto hospital sites.

• Conduct initial screening and intake assessments for new patients referred to the FHT
• Assess patient needs using culturally-safe methods and anti-oppression frameworks
• Identify urgent situations requiring crisis intervention or referrals
• Obtain consents, complete intake forms, book appointments with care team
• Document and maintain Indigenous client lists conduct follow-up with patients
• Provide orientation on available services, programs, and expectations of new patients
• Identify and coordinate referrals to appropriate community resources and services
• Accompany patients to appointments and community programming events, provide navigation support as needed
• Act as an advocate on behalf of the Indigenous patients when deemed necessary;
• Follow up on referrals and collaborate with community partners
• Establishes and maintains therapeutic rapport with Indigenous clients to facilitate positive navigation between home and community and the FHT and other Unity Health services, including the Primary Care Teams, Emergency Department, In-Patient wards, Specialist Clinics, Laboratory and Medical Imaging and other relevant hospitals services and programs.
• Work with the Indigenous care team and UHT clinical leads as needed
• Engagement, liaison, and collaboration with health and social service organizations serving FNIM people
• Develop partnerships with FNIM community agencies and the DEOHT partners including developing, implementing and improving primary care referral pathways
• Provides outreach support to clients to support their access to resources and connect them with agencies and culturally safe health care providers
• Provides outreach services to FNIM clients who are unwilling or unable to attend office based appointments in a way which reflects policy on personal safety.
• Participates in UHT Indigenous wellness events and community engagements by representing the SMH FHT
• Participate in community events and meetings to build relationships with partners
• Attend relevant stakeholder meetings and follow-up on action items
• Support environmental scans and other external community consultations
• Planning and coordination of Indigenous specific cultural/ educational resources for the SMH FHT leveraged through the OIWRP.
• Document patient encounters, maintain records, collect data related to evaluation metrics (TBD)
• Provide input on policies, procedures, and programs
• Participate in team meetings and internal working group meetings
• Participates in interdisciplinary and/or inter-agency client care meetings when requested by either the client or healthcare team
• 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;
• Works with Director of Indigenous Health, community committees and representatives of the FHT to develop community approved data collection and implementation processes…