Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights is a service-based, human rights organization that provides housing, health care, human services, and human rights protections to the most poor and vulnerable people in our society, and uses it 118 years of experience to advocate for social justice.
Heartland's Refugee & Immigrant Community Services provides cultural adjustment, medical case management, and post arrival support services for refugees and asylees. RICS annually resettles more than 150 individuals in Chicago from places like Burma, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazaville, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, & Uzbekistan. RICS serves an additional 500 refugees through a variety of services, including cultural orientation, adjustment counseling, employment support, family literacy, prevention education services, after-school tutoring for children, and English language training for adults.
We are looking for an unpaid intern to serve in our Cultural Adjustment Medical Case Management Program.
Responsibilities for this position include:
- Assist the medical case manager in providing services to patients with intensive medical concerns in supporting growth in their capacity for self/personal care.
- Work alongside the medical case manager in conducting outreach and engaging participants into applicable medical services.
- Assist in providing basic advocacy, assessment, and planning services. Demonstrate an ability to carry out these services to individuals, families, and groups. May participate in the implementation of health education or activity groups.
- Advocate for refugee participants and help to reduce barriers and the enhancement of medical service provision.
- Facilitate external referral processes and ensure all necessary participant follow-up is provided in a tamely manner.
- Aid in the accurate completion of all necessary forms, case recordings, and statistical reports.
- Assist in maintaining medical information resource materials and database as needed.
- Develop relationships with and utilize interpreters and translators to ensure participants adequately understand medical diagnoses.
Qualifications:
- Excellent communication and organizational skills.
- Interest in working with refugees in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and multi-ethnic environment.
- Patience and flexibility.
- Computer proficiency.
- Language proficiency in Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, French, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, Nepali, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Turkish, and Uzbek is preferred, but not required.
- A Drivers' License is preferred.
Internship may be shortened or lengthened depending on student's schedule.
