MEDICAL CASE WORKER I / EMERGENCY APPOINTMENTS HOMELESSNESS

This examination will remain open until the needs of the service are met and is subject to close without prior notice. The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness, and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use.

The Department of Mental Health is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Medical Case Worker I vacancies related to the homelessness crisis. Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment. Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance (weighted 100%). Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment.

About the role

Under close direction of professional staff, functions as a member of a multidisciplinary medical or psychiatric team, providing services to patients and clients in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation, residential, or health care facilities.

Responsibilities

• Receives training and participates as a member of the health care and mental health treatment team in interviewing patients/clients, family members, and friends to obtain information about home environment, family relationships, and personality traits that may have a bearing on the patient's/client's illness, treatment, and recovery.
• Assists the patient/client and family members with environmental difficulties precipitated by the illness, by arranging for child care services, foster homes, or by assisting to secure homemaker or attendant care services; develops resources for providing equipment, supplies, prosthetic devices, braces, and appliances.
• Keeps informed of community, mental health, and welfare resources and the variety of programs offered by each.
• Participates in medical rounds and health, clinical, or mental health care team conferences, and shares social information and evaluations with other health care disciplines to develop the most effective treatment plan for the patient/client.
• Participates in placing patients/clients who are suffering with mental or emotional disorders in board and care homes, intermediate care homes, residential facilities, private hospitals, VA hospitals, and rehabilitation facilities depending upon psychiatric report and personal interviews with patient/client.
• Assists in the initial interview of new patients/clients at mental health clinics, learns to identify nature of problem and to make referrals to psychiatric team or outside clinics or community agencies.
• Learns to counsel patients/clients in health clinics regarding family planning and related problems, and participates in making referrals where necessary for therapeutic abortions, tubal ligation, and vasectomies.
• Learns to provide individual and group information counseling in mental health clinics or specialized mental health treatment programs for patients/clients regarding problems of independent living.

Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Official transcripts or diploma must be provided at the time of filing or within seven (7) calendar days. Foreign degrees must be evaluated for equivalency by a recognized agency.
• A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

Additional Information

Filing Start Date: March 06, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific Time). Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Physical Class: Light – occasional light lifting (up to 10 pounds), some bending, stooping, or squatting, and considerable ambulation.