Public Health and Policy Fellow

Overview

COMMUNITY LEGAL AID SOCIETY, INC. (CLASI)
100. W. 10th Street, Suite 801
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
(302) 575-0660 (TTY) (302) 575- 0696 Fax (302) 575-0840

Disabilities Law Program (DLP) Public Health and Policy Fellowship
POSITION TITLE: DLP Public Health Fellow; Limited term
LOCATION: Statewide
REPORTS TO: DLP Managing Attorney; DLP Project Director
POSTING DATE: 7/19/2022
DEADLINE: One week for internal; ongoing external ___________________________________________________________________________
The Disabilities Law Program (DLP) provides free legal representation to children and adults with physical and mental disabilities to protect them from abuse and neglect and to advocate for their legal rights in the community (e.g. civil rights, educational services, medical services, housing, government benefits, treatment in the least restrictive environment).

The Administration for Community Living ( ACL) of the US DHHS has awarded CLASI a one-time grant using ARPA funds to develop and support the public health workforce (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/12/2022-00400/availability-of-program-application-instructions-for-subtitle-b-of-the-developmental-disabilities). This is a two-year grant, and all funds must be expended by 9/30/2024. DLP has chosen to create a fellowship to fund a fellow to help address some of the more pressing issues facing DLP clients in a thoughtful, data -driven and organized way. Although the final scope of work will be more firmly formulated upon hiring and discussion, DLP envisions two primary projects for the fellowship:

Project I. Address workforce shortage issues facing adults and children with disabilities living in the community
1. Social Media- create and post content addressing public health themes of relevance to individuals with disabilities
2. Research state approaches to equity in compensation for workers providing ADL, IADL and health care in the home
3. Identify barriers to addressing these issues, including regulatory and statutory barriers, political opposition and /or tendency to favor facility-based settings.
4. Organize initiatives to address the compensation and retention issues for the community-based health care work force, including family caregivers.
5. Educate policy makers with the view of advancing initiatives
6. Produce a report and/or paper summarizing work

Project II Address implicit bias against people with significant disabilities in the medical profession.
1. Research the incidence and basis of implicit bias
2. Research modalities to address implicit bias
3. Develop training materials and other resources to combat bias in the medical profession
The fellow will be expected to work independently, under the supervision of either the Project Director or the Managing Attorney. DLP and the fellow will work to identify mentors in Delaware or elsewhere that can help support this work.

QUALIFICATIONS:
1. Degree in public health or public policy; preference for MPH or higher
2. Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing required.
3. Sensitivity to the special problems of CLASI clients, including people with low incomes, people with disabilities, members of minority groups, people aged 60 and over, and those born in other countries.
4. Ability and willingness to make effective public presentations and create social media posts.
5. Ability to organize and maintain detailed information.
6. Ability to travel independently and work evenings and weekends as needed for out-of-office training sessions, agency-related meetings, and community education presentations.
7. Ability to travel to and attend overnight conferences throughout the United States.
8. Ability to apply modern technology to the performance of legal work and tasks.
9. Ability to organize work and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines.
10. Flexibility, including willingness to work in any of CLASI’s areas of practice as needed. Some individual case work to promote successful living in the community may be assigned if appropriate.
11. Must be willing to submit to required suitability and other background checks as required by funding sources and/or CLASI.

SALARY: Fellows are considered employees of CLASI and subject to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, CLASI is unable to guarantee employment after the grant period expires. The Fellow must be able to make a commitment for the grant term.

APPLICATION: Provide letter of interest and résumé to Laura Waterland, at lwaterland@declasi.org

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER