Community Advocacy & Resources Intern

Overview

The Community Advocacy and Resources Intern will support the Community Advocacy and Resources Team by assisting with patient outreach, identifying social needs, and connecting individuals to community-based resources. The intern will help reduce barriers to care and promote positive health outcomes through compassionate, patient-centered engagement. The Community Advocacy and Resources Intern will gain hands-on experience in patient advocacy, resource navigation, and care coordination while supporting Community Health Workers in improving patient access to essential social and community services.

The core objective of the Community Advocacy and Resources Intern is to build trust and foster supportive relationships with patients, families, and the broader community to address non-medical drivers of health (NMDOH), including housing, food insecurity, transportation, and employment. The intern will support patients by identifying social needs, assisting with resource navigation, and promoting equitable access to services. They will collaborate closely with the Community Health Worker team, clinical staff, and local community organizations to ensure patients receive coordinated, culturally responsive, and patient-centered care.

North Clinic Location: 1101 Camino La Costa, Austin, TX 78752

Schedule: Monday – Friday, approximately 10 to 15 hours per week. The schedule will be determined based on clinic needs and intern availability.

Compensation: Unpaid Internship

Responsibilities

• Screening and Support: Identify and assess non-medical barriers to health, providing tailored support to help patients overcome these challenges. Maintain detailed records in the electronic health record (EHR).

• Resource Education and Assistance: Educate patients on available community services and assist them with the application processes for programs related to food, housing, transportation, and other essential needs. Compile essential community resources, including voting information and social needs resources.

• Referral Coordination: Utilize the FindHelp platform to refer patients and community members to appropriate resources, track referral outcomes, and follow up to ensure successful connection.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Work alongside medical, behavioral health, and other care team members to develop comprehensive, patient-centered care plans based on insights into patients' daily challenges.
• Program Support: Assist with PCC’s in-clinic resource programs, including the food pantry, by supporting set-up, clean-up, food distribution, and logistics to ensure smooth access to resources. Contribute to additional related initiatives as needed.
• Community Engagement: Participate in outreach events and health fairs to build trust within the community, promote PCC services, learn about available resources, and share relevant information with the team.
• Data Collection and Program Improvement: Collect and review data to identify emerging community health trends and contribute to program improvement efforts.

Qualifications

Education: Pursuing degrees in social work, sociology, or public health from an accredited university affiliated with People’s Community Clinic.

Experience: No previous work experience required, but a demonstrated passion for community advocacy and engagement is desirable.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in using social media platforms for marketing purposes.
• Basic understanding of community engagement and awareness strategies.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage tasks efficiently.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team and independently when needed.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous experience in event planning or community outreach.
• Multilingual abilities to better serve diverse patient populations.

Physical Requirements:

• Hearing: Adequate to perform job duties in person and over the telephone.
• Speaking: Must be able to communicate clearly to patients in person and over the telephone.
• Vision: Visual acuity adequate to perform job duties, including reading information from printed sources and computer screens.
• Other: Requires occasional lifting and carrying items weighing up to 40 pounds unassisted. Requires frequent bending, reaching, and repetitive hand movements, standing, walking, squatting, and sitting, with some lifting, pushing, and pulling exerted throughout the regular workday.

People’s Community Clinic is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, language, disability, pregnancy, gender identity, or sex stereotyping.