HEPSO Grant Will Support Addition of Medical Family Therapist at Highland
Sally Rousseau, LCSW, LMFT, Director of Social Work & Care Management
Funding from the University of Rochester Health Equity Program Support Office (HEPSO) will enable Highland to hire a Medical Family Therapist to support Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) patients and the staff who care for them. “Chronic health conditions such as SCD disproportionately impact vulnerable patient populations,” said Sally Rousseau, LCSW, LMFT, Director of Social Work & Care Management at Highland who sought funding and will oversee this project. “The majority of our patients are young Black or Latino individuals who typically require multiple and longer stays in the hospital. And longer stays create more stressors for patients and staff. A medical family therapist devoted to these populations will serve all systems involved including developing a patient advocacy group as well as closer linkage to the Complex Care Center.”
Indicators of stressors include patient and staff dissatisfaction within the hospital healthcare system. Patients with this disease often have multiple re-admissions for pain management. Staff are stretched thin and sometimes experience concerns with SCD pain medication regimens.
Highland is seeking a full-time Medical Family Therapist to help patients and staff dealing with the treatment of this life-long debilitating disease. They are recruiting for a Doctoral level family therapist, psychologist, or other mental health professional. (See box that includes job description for more details)
Highland is already experiencing success with the availability of Jessica Goodman, Ph.D. Psychologist, who is providing training to the East 7 team on how to implement non-pharmacological interventions with agitated patients by coaching, training and supporting staff. Dr. Goodman also works directly with inpatients and hospital teams. Her work includes chart review, daily rounds, and referrals. “Dr. Goodman’s work is making a significant impact at Highland, but she is only funded for six hours a week,” said Rousseau. “There is considerable need for professionals with similar skills at Highland and we are grateful for her time that is currently being supported by the Department of Medicine.”
For more information contact Sally_Rousseau@urmc.rochester.edu
Faculty Job Description
This exciting position is comprised of responsibilities in four domains with latitude to define and further develop:
- Providing direct clinical services with SCD patients in an inpatient setting.
- Training, coaching, and support of inpatient and outpatient interdisciplinary teams to use a trauma-informed, biopsychosocial systems framework in caring for patients with SCD.
- Developing stronger transitions of care processes between inpatient and outpatient care.
- Measuring the success of the project (with the support of a quality manager) data collection, analysis and reporting will also be required.
Interested applicants should have earned a Ph.D. in Psychology or Medical Family Therapy or similar from an accredited training program, as well as have some experience in working within and across medical systems and levels of care. Preferred candidates will have strong clinical skills (individual and relational therapies), research skills, and experience in integrated care (primary care and/or specialty care) as well as experience working in acute and chronic medicine.
Requirements:
- Ph. D. or doctoral equivalent in Psychology or Medical Family Therapy or similar, licensed or license-eligible in the state of New York, with experience or interest in family and health/clinical psychology, embedded integrated care, medical education, and communication coaching with nurses, physicians and interdisciplinary teams.
- Must obtain NYS licensure prior to start.
- Must be committed to working to be “Ever Better” while employing our I Care values of inclusion, integrity, compassion, accountability, respect and excellence
Candidates applying to this position will be required to complete a post-offer health assessment and drug test at the University’s Occupational Medicine Site in Rochester.
2/17/2023
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