Volunteer Opportunity- Patient Navigation Program for Children with Medically Complex Conditions and their Families
The Patient Navigation Program at St. Mary's Hospital for Children provides an invaluable resource for families of children with medically complex conditions. The goal of the program is to identify and decrease barriers to care, promote autonomy, and empower families to gain the skills necessary to navigate today's complex healthcare system to achieve optimum health and quality of life for their child. St. Mary's Hospital for Children is currently seeking volunteers who are:
- Caring and Compassionate
- Sensitive and non-judgmental
- Resourceful and knowledgeable about the needs of medically complex children
- Culturally-attuned to the people and community being served
Volunteer parents/caregivers/retired professionals who have experience with medically complex children will be trained to assist families of children who are currently inpatients at St. Mary's Hospital for Children to: identify barriers to care and services, assist with organization and coordination of care, schedule appointments, connect with services and community resources, promote informed decision-making/advocacy skills, and provide emotional support. Parents of children who are medically complex must be at least 3 years out of diagnosis and cannot be a current inpatient family at St Mary's. We are seeking a volunteer commitment of one year, 3-4 hours per week, day or evening. In addition, patient navigators will attend bi-monthly meetings.
