Extended Hours Nursing Outreach Positions – Registered Nurses - Casual, Part- time, Full-time
Delivered by Sanguen Health Centre within The Inner-City Health Alliance
The Inner-City Health Alliance (ICHA) is a new responsive local village of health and social support agencies serving those living in vulnerable conditions, specifically those at risk of experiencing homelessness, addiction, and refugees. The organization cares deeply about the people they serve, in understanding that risks will not obstruct their goals in providing community needs. To address these needs, the goal of the Inner-City Health Alliance is to improve people’s health through timely, coordinated, integrated health and social services. The Alliance’s approach is to walk alongside people, listening and learning while providing timely care that honors the person’s physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental state.
There are seven agencies in the ICHA including Sanguen Health Centre, The Centre for Family Medicine (CFFM), House of Friendship (HOF), Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre (KDCHC), Ray of Hope, and The Working Centre. Each of these agencies have their own unique set of services, and providers of care including physicians, nurses, volunteers, social workers and counsellors.
ABOUT SANGUEN HEALTH CENTRE
Sanguen Health Centre focuses on supporting those who are resilient, living in vulnerable conditions and who use drugs. It is a not-for-profit community-based health care agency with a mission to meet the needs of individuals living with or at risk for Hepatitis C. Through the provision of education, outreach, support, and comprehensive expert medical care, they are able to accomplish a person-centred practice of care. As an organization we specialize in many areas of support (e.g. mobile community health van, laboratory services, peer support groups, hepatitis testing etc..) for people living in at-risk communities and help in minimizing the potential impact in the future.
EXTENDED HOURS NURSING OUTREACH PROGRAM
This new program provides outreach nursing services within the Inner City Health Alliance village providing in the evenings and weekends working in key locations: Tent encampments, warming/drop-in locations, Water Street House, COVID-19 Emergency Shelter Isolation-Unit(s), St-John Kitchen (SJK) Clinic, Consumption Treatments & Services (CTS) and in other locations as needed.
The program provides care and treatment to persons greater than 18 years of age who are homeless and precariously housed. This team works hand in hand with hospitals, police, emergency shelters, supportive housing and drop in staff. The service aims to meet people where they are at and provide care/services that supports the person to maintain their health and wellness, while preventing unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency visits.
The nurses within this program will be cross trained within the Inner-City Health programs so they can provide nimble services as needed throughout the village.
Skills, Education & Experience
- Demonstrated experience working with people who use drugs, are resilient, living in vulnerable conditions e.g. experiencing homelessness.
- Experience working with racialized populations, original people to this land - Indigenous peoples, women who engage in sex work, prisoners/ex-prisoners, people with mental health challenges, those living with trauma and drug users.
- Knowledge and understanding of substance use and overdose response.
- Understand how to apply harm reduction strategies in the clinical setting
- Understand anti-oppression principles and work effectively with people of various cultural, age and economic backgrounds
- Have emergency first aid (or equivalent) and BLS (Health Care Provider level preferred).
- Meets the standards of practice of the College of Nurses of Ontario.
- Possess a current Registered Nurse, Certificate of Competence.
- Excellent command / proficient in spoken and written English.
- A minimum of three years recent (within one year) experience within the area of nursing related to caring for the Homeless and/or Mental Health and/or drug use.
- Demonstrate ability to work with other care professionals in care delivery.
- Demonstrate ability to teach, consult and negotiate.
Personal Suitability
- Strong problem solver and flexible
- Ability to work evenings, and weekends
- Allows the people you serve to guide you in your support to them and accepts individual’s choice to live at risk
- Have a positive attitude toward his/her work
- A self-learner and self-directed
- Works cooperatively as a community builder
- Embraces the principles of the Inner-City Health Alliance
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team
Accountability
- First and foremost is accountable to the people served – advocating for their care and service
- Ensures other members of the health care team, host team and the client’s family and friends understand the wishes of the person
- Reports to the program coordinator
- Delivery of clinical services is under the direct supervision of the Most Responsible Professional – either physician or Nurse Practitioner.
Responsibilities
- Problem solves/serves as a consultant for issues and situations that emerge in the evenings/nights/weekends with ICHA partners e.g. shelters, supportive housing, drop in spaces, hospitals, police
- Carries the “on call 503# on call phone.” Calls include advice if someone has COVID symptoms and other health related
- Assist with visits, injections, follow-through, medication delivery as a support to the daytime teams
- Respond to requests/do rounds with Isolation unit, Water Street House, Shelters, ICHA motels, Supportive housing, Interim housing, street/encampments, police support, Drop-in centres as part of ICHA services and supports
- Support to hospitals for after-hours issues for those who are without shelter/housing
- Track contacts and responses in Practice Solution – Electronic Medical Record and other digital supports connecting to the circle of supports.
- Consult with on-call most responsible physician or nurse practitioner when regular care team cannot be contacted after hours
- Perform basic wound care, triaging consultations
- Works closely and collaborates with colleagues at hospitals, other programs and other agencies within the community to provide person centred, responsive service.
- Provides treatment and care which accords to the standards of care set out by Inner City Health Alliance and College of Nurses
- Arranges for care and coordinates the efforts of the other service providers ensuring good communication between members of the person’s care team
Submit your resume to Sanguen Health Centre via email to msteingart@sanguen.com - Attention: Gloria Jordan. Resumes will be reviewed throughout September and into October
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