Family and Partnership Services Liaison - Network For Hope (NFH)

Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) is seeking a Family and Partnership Services Liaison to join our team in the Pikeville region! The Family & Partnership Services Liaison is responsible for providing support and assistance to both the donor families and the hospital staff to maximize the opportunities for organ and tissue donation and transplantation. This includes guiding the family through the initial steps, ensuring their needs are met, introducing the options of donation, and offering support throughout the entire process. This also includes the development, implementation and monitoring of policies, procedures, strategies, and action plans related to family support and the donation discussion process. The position is also responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating processes to ensure the positive impact of the donation experience and to enhance and promote donation and transplantation within assigned hospitals. The Family PSL will frequently go on-site to assigned hospitals to assess and evaluate the status of potential donors and implement the initial phase of donor management, following referrals in assigned area.

Considerable regional travel is required. Considerable on-call responsibilities.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING

• Education: Bachelor's degree required in health care, education, public relations, business or marketing.
• Experience: Three years' experience in health care, business development, marketing, communications, social work, or teaching required. Nursing or other direct clinical experience in a health care setting preferred. Where applicable, extensive experience may be substituted for education on a case-by-case basis. Candidates must have demonstrated excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Licensure, Certification, and/or Registration: N/A

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Hospital Services and Development:
• Functions as an expert resource within assigned hospitals on all aspects of organ and tissue donation, and maintains appropriate support as determined with Partnership Services Operations Manager based on hospital potential for organ and tissue donors.
• Develops and implements overall strategy to enhance and improve organ and tissue donation in assigned hospitals.
• Develops and maintains key relationships within assigned hospitals.
• Serves as a backup for regional team members on occasion as needed for heavy volume or to cover vacations.
• Collects, analyzes and updates donor potential in assigned hospitals using medical record review.

Develop and maintain individual hospital profiles and strategies for assigned hospitals, which could include:

• Educating hospital personnel and physicians about organ/tissue donation.
• Organizing and facilitating effective committees to focus on increasing organ/tissue donation.
• Partnering with hospital staff to develop and implement an effective request process.
• Monitors and modifies strategic hospital action plans by collecting, analyzing and reporting results of hospital services activities. Maintains complete records on all activities in KODA's electronic medical records system (EMR).
• Assists with the preparation of professional education programs and conferences as requested.
• Prepares and delivers public speaking presentations including professional education programs and conferences.
• Maintains a regular schedule of educational programs and informal visits for all shifts at assigned hospitals, including occasional weekends and evenings.
• Participates in real-time, in-person education during active donation cases, as appropriate.
• Ensures that all potential organ and tissue donors in assigned hospitals are identified and referred to KODA prior to family approach.
• Prepares and provides data reports for KODA as needed when a variance in process is identified. Completes follow-up and corrective action plan with involved hospital staff, supervisors, managers, physicians and/or administration as needed.
• Ensures that all key personnel in assigned hospitals understand and comply with accepted standards of the request process and brain-death declaration.
• Ensures that key personnel in assigned hospitals understand and comply with best practices as well as CMS/JCAHO indicators. Supports assigned hospitals in maintaining regulatory compliance.
• Where appropriate, works with the hospital-based Donation Committee (or other hospital-designated committee) to develop goals and strategic plans that increase donation, address relevant issues related to organ, tissue and/or eye donation processes, and review donation activity.
• Works to ensure that all assigned hospitals have current and up to date policies and procedures for organ and tissue donation that are reviewed and updated on an annual basis.
• Conducts in-person rounds/visits to all assigned hospitals as required.
• Inspires and prompts donor awareness activities throughout assigned hospitals.
• Actively participates in and contributes to the realization of KODA's organizational goals.

Family Counseling:

• Maintains on call availability to respond promptly, within a one hour of the call, to organ donor referrals from assigned hospitals.
• Provides consistent support by meeting families' informational, physical and emotional needs directly or through hospital resources, as well as clarifying and reinforcing communication regarding the patient's clinical status, test results and prognosis.
• Assesses families'/significant others' understanding and acknowledgment of patient's clinical status, prognosis and brain death on an ongoing basis, and provides consistent reinforcement and clarification to the family regarding the physician's discussion about grave prognosis, brain death imminent status, or donation after cardiac death potential.
• Prepares family members and significant others for brain death testing of the potential organ donor by providing logistical consideration (i.e.: provide a private room for the family; limits the number of people with the decision makers as needed; etc.) to facilitate the discussion and explanation of the brain death testing procedure, as well as the patient's status following the testing.
• Prepares families/significant others for the physician's discussion regarding the results of the brain death testing by gathering family members/significant others in a quiet private room; ensures chaplaincy presence for discussion, if deemed appropriate by the family/significant other; prior to meeting with the family/significant other; advises physician of any family dynamics and/or pertinent issues; introduces the physician to the family/significant other upon his/her arrival; if not previously introduced; and maintains nonverbal support during the discussion.
• Provides support for the family/significant other after they have been informed the patient is brain dead by allowing for the expression of grief feelings and emotion; when appropriate, assesses the family's/significant other's understanding and acknowledgment of brain death; initiates closure process by facilitating visitation to the bedside; and assists family/significant other to prepare to make end of life decisions. Offers the option of organ/tissue donation to the family as a presumptive and dual advocacy concept that will address the benefits of donation and any misconceptions voiced.
• Confirms Donation after Cardiac Death (DCD) eligibility and ascertain family wishes for terminal withdrawal of treatment prior to approaching for donation.
• Introduces and coordinates with the Clinical Services Coordinator (CSC) who will provide further information regarding organ/tissue donation when family indicates interest in donation. Obtains written authorization and completes the donor risk assessment interview (DRAI).
• Educates the family on the donation process and facilitate their wishes to be present at time of terminal withdrawal of treatment in the operating room if family authorizes DCD.
• Supports the family in closure rituals and assists them in preparation for their departure from the hospital, regardless of the decision about donation.
• Acknowledges contribution of all medical personnel involved.
• Maintains ongoing communication with the CSC and Administrator on Call (AOC) throughout the family support process.
• Maintains written documentation of the case specifics including, but not limited to, family dynamics, health care team interaction and environmental issues.
• Provides input, both written and verbal, in the formation and presentation of the QA case report when the family support system was a part of the overall approach process.
• Participates in case reviews, both internal and external of the organization, for the purpose of continual quality improvement.

Organ Referral / Donor Management:

• Responds promptly and appropriately to all referrals, local and import.
• Maintains professional behavior and attitude toward hospital staff, physicians, peers, directors, etc.
• Conducts on-site evaluation of potential organ donors.
• Reviews hospital charts and current records of potential donors; document findings and follow up plans in hospital charts.
• Participates in medical rounds on assigned units.
• Assists with donor management to hospital staff and attending physician(s) as needed.
• Provides appropriate support and management of brain-dead donors in accordance with established protocols. Consults the Medical Director or the director on call as needed.
• Participates in post-donor review with peers and director. Develops a revised action plan as needed.
• Conducts appropriate follow up with nurses, physicians, other hospital staff and other transplant centers and OPOs as needed.
• Maintains appropriate communication with the funeral home and the coroner or medical examiner during the entire process. Provides appropriate follow up.

Public Education:

• Recruits, trains, and utilizes volunteers for promoting donation & the Registry.
• Schedules and implements donor awareness activities throughout region, i.e. public presentations, health fair booths, etc.
• Participates in local, regional and national research studies as assigned.

Administration:

• Maintains complete and accurate activity and expense records.
• Develops and maintains proficiency with office equipment (i.e., fax machine, copiers, personal computer, etc.).
• Attends staff and department meetings as scheduled.
• Maintains professional working relationship and rapport with management, medical, nursing and ancillary staffs, both within and outside of KODA.
• Participates in KODA's quality improvement processes to maximize donation.

Personal Development:

• Maintains professional skills (communication, presentation, leadership, teamwork, problem solving, etc.).
• Maintains current knowledge of organ/tissue donation and transplantation.
• Attends training programs as assigned by the Partnership Services Operations Manager.

Other:

• Establishes and obtains goals in conjunction with Partnership Services Operations Manager.
• Performs all other job-related duties as assigned.

About Us: Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) is a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to saving and enhancing lives through organ and tissue donation. We work tirelessly to provide the best possible care to our donor families, facilitate the recovery of organs and tissues, an educate the communities we serve. The dynamic field of organ and tissue donation offers exciting and rewarding employment opportunities for those who seek to make a difference in other people's lives.

In addition to being a part of a lifesaving and life-enhancing mission, KODA provides competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and generous time off. Below are a few of our benefits you can take advantage of as a team member.

To learn more about KODA, please visit our website at http://www.donatelifeky.org.

Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a participant of E-Verify.