LICENSED VOCATIONAL NURSE (LVN) The mission of the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) is to provide permanent supportive housing and a safe and healthy community fostering dignity, respect, and personal stability, and to advocate ending homelessness for women. Founded in 1978, DWC was the first organization to exclusively serve mentally ill and elderly homeless women on Los Angeles’ Skid Row. The DWC Day Center now offers 57,000 meals, case management, and other supportive resources on a drop-in basis to 2000 homeless women each year, while the DWC Residence provides a permanent home and a range of services to 47 women who were once without safe, affordable housing. In Winter 2010, DWC relocated to provide expanded and enhanced services to many more women in need. Please visit www.DWCweb.org for more information. POSITION SUMMARY The Downtown Women’s Center seeks a full-time LVN to improve health outcomes for residents of Skid Row. The LVN will serve as the lead coordinator of DWC’s health education programs, including an interagency effort designed to reduce health disparities related to diabetes, obesity, and mental health among homeless individuals in the Skid Row community. The LVN will also have an active role in the success of the new DWC Women’s Health Center which will be operated by an external medical services partner agency. Though the medical partner will provide core health center staffing, the LVN, under the supervision of the Health Center’s Medical Director, will provide medical care to patients as needed. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Perform routine patient care functions and assist medical personnel with procedures and/or diagnostic exams, consistent with established policies, procedures, the LVN licensure laws of the State of California and within defined scope of education, training and responsibilities Recognize the need for emergency care; initiate appropriate procedures within scope of practice and alert the physician in a timely and appropriate manner Serve as Project Director for an interagency collaborative dedicated to increasing health outcomes of underserved communities Develop, implement, and manage holistic health programming and activities to address health education, prevention, and treatment; including provision of diabetes, behavioral health, and obesity education services Work with patients around adherence to their treatment regimen through identifying and eliminating barriers to patient wellness; support patient’s self-management goals Assist in accessing referrals and resources to address health conditions Conduct outreach to other agencies providing services in the Skid Row community to engage homeless and low-income individuals in diabetes, obesity, and behavioral health care and management Identify unmet service needs and actively engage in developing programs or partnerships to meet identified needs Participate in case conferences and in-service meetings designed to ensure coordination of care Document pertinent patient information, procedures performed and patient responses Support the development of measurable outcomes and the implementation of ongoing program evaluation. Provide regular, written reports to the Director of Clinical Health Services and additional reports as assigned Other duties as assigned to support the mission of the organization NECESSARY SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS Current and valid California LVN License and 2+ years supervised experience as an LVN/LPN required Current BLS (Basic Life Support) card from the American Heart Association required Experience planning and implementing health programming required. Experience providing direct health education to patients and/or groups preferred Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills; proven ability to communicate with diverse audiences Experience working with clients and staff from diverse socio-economic, ethnic and cultural backgrounds Criminal background check and clearance required Current and valid California state driver’s license, insurance and vehicle with good driving record Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred SCHEDULE AND SALARY: This is a full-time, exempt position. Office hours are 8:30am to 5:00pm, with flexibility to work evenings, and weekends when necessary. Salary range $45,000-$50,000 annually depending on qualifications and experience. TO APPLY: Please email cover letter and resume to [email protected]. Please include ‘LVN’ in the subject line.