-
4 people are interested
Nurses and Homeless Respite Care Assistants
ORGANIZATION: Christ House
Please visit the new page to apply.
-
4 people are interested
Are you interested in doing a year of service after graduation? Are you interested in health care, homelessness, and social justice? We offer a one of a kind opportunity to work in an acute medical care setting for men who have experienced homelessness. Christ House is unique and our work is critical.
The individuals we serve are the ones who would otherwise fall through the cracks of society-too sick to heal from surgery, recent terminal diagnosis or chronic illness in a shelter or on the streets-and not sick enough to stay admitted in a hospital setting. We provide 24 hour/7 day a week care (we never close!) to 34 men who fit these criteria.
Each year, we invite 6-8 volunteers to work and live with us, learning more about issues of poverty, homelessness, incarceration and other injustices. Our yearlong volunteers intersect with the work we do in a number of ways: as nurses, homeless respite care assistants (no experience necessary), clinical unit assistants, case management assistants, and activities coordinators.
While our mission is primarily medical, we provide a holistic model of care that supports patients with case management, 3 meals a day, transportation to and from appointments, addictions treatment and the option of receiving pastoral care and programming.
Additionally, our yearlong volunteers live in an intentional community together; just around the corner in a row house we call "Emmanuel House". They meet together once a week in the evening for a common meal, reflection and time to share together. We have two weekend retreats each year and several opportunities for learning about poverty, health care and homelessness outside of work throughout the year. Yearlong volunteers receive room and board as well as a monthly stipend. We are in the Adams Morgan section of DC, offering a vibrant community filled with diversity and opportunities for eating out, music, lectures and more!
We have an urgent need for nurses and homeless respite care assistants! The start date can be flexible for the right candidates.
More opportunities with Christ House
No additional volunteer opportunities at this time.
About Christ House
Location:
1717 Columbia Road, NW, Washington, DC 20009, US
Mission Statement
The mission of Christ House is to provide comprehensive and compassionate health care to men with illness who are experiencing homelessness in Washington, DC and offer assistance in breaking the cycle of homelessness.
Description
Christ House opened in December 1985 as the first 24-hour residential medical facilitie for homeless men and women in the United States. Today, Christ House is still the only facility of its kind in the Washington, DC metropolitan area where over 6,000 people experience homelessness every day. To the best of our knowledge, there are only 13 stand-alone residential medical facilities for the homeless like Christ House in all of the U.S. and Canada. Since our inception, we have had over 7,700 admissions.
Patients are admitted to Christ House from area hospitals, shelters, clinics, and medical outreach projects. They suffer from a variety of illnesses and injuries including cancer, hypertension and stroke, liver disease, kidney failure, diabetes and related amputations, HIV/AIDS, respiratory disease, major lacerations, fractures, and ulcerations of the skin. Many are malnourished, anemic, depressed, and desperately disconnected from healthy sources of support.In 2012, Christ House provided health care to 261 homeless individuals and provided 10,407 patient-days of care - the busiest we have been since 1997. In addition to the primary illness(es) for which they were admitted, 87.4 percent had either HIV, drugs or alcohol addiction, or psychiatric illness, and over 25 percent had three of those diagnoses.
Seventy-seven percent of our patients in 2010 were African American, 65 percent were over the age of 50, and 10 percent were veterans of the armed forces. Over 58 percent had no income and 62 percent had monthly income under $250CAUSE AREAS
WHEN
WHERE
1717 Columbia Road NWWashington, DC 20009
DATE POSTED
May 8, 2017
SKILLS
- Nutrition
- Patient Care
- Spiritual Healing
- Healthcare
- Nursing
GOOD FOR
N/A
REQUIREMENTS
- Background Check
- Must be at least 21
- Orientation or Training
- 1-2 Years