Issue Brief: Integrating Navigators into Care Systems

Boston University School of Social Work Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health, The HIV, Housing & Employment Project

Best practices (and extensive resource links) for integrating into medical care teams the non-medical staff called Navigators, whose focus is on identifying and addressing client barriers to care and other immediate needs. Best practices include:

  • Delineation of roles and responsibilities 
  • Inclusion in team activities like daily patient panels and/or during ongoing patient care plan meetings
  • Providing access to internal Electronic Health Records in order to understand care plans while also documenting their work with clients
  • Clinical supervision to provide feedback and guide their professional development
  • Flexibility in working within the clinic and in the field
  • Designation of a "champion" to support and advocate for the Navigator as part of the clinical team

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