Director of Communications

Employment Type: Full time Shift: Description: Background: “We don’t turn anyone away.” In these words, a member of Mercy Care's outreach team captured the philosophy of the Sisters of Mercy—embrace everyone in need. This sentiment drives the mission, vision and daily work of Mercy Care. After the Civil War, four pioneering Sisters of Mercy came from Savannah to Atlanta and established Saint Joseph’s Hospital. When Saint Joseph’s relocated to the Atlanta suburbs a century later, volunteer physicians, nurses and other hospital staff took to the streets of downtown Atlanta and used their healing skills to serve those most vulnerable. In this compassionate and inspiring mission were the seeds of today's Mercy Care. In 2012, Saint Joseph’s Hospital became Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Mercy Care remained under Saint Joseph's Health System. At the point of this transition, the resources and energies of Saint Joseph’s Health System went into the Mercy mission of service to the poor. In the past decade, wonderful things have happened. Mercy Care has grown in all respects, meeting new patient and community needs as well as space needs. In 2017, we built a beautiful clinic in Chamblee to serve the large and growing Hispanic community. In 2022, we renovated and expanded the Decatur Street clinic while still serving our patient population. Today we are partnering to build affordable housing and working to address the underlying social determinants of health and racial inequities that create the obstacles and challenges that so many of our patients face. Mercy Care is preparing to implement a very ambitious strategic plan that not only will increase the number of patients we can serve but will also demonstrate the impact of alleviating socio-economic concerns on key health indicators. Mercy Care will continue to expand its integrated behavioral health model of care and continue to prepare for a future in which all Georgians have the insurance coverage they need to gain access to the care they deserve. Our Services Mercy Care provides comprehensive medical care including: Management of chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol Pediatric care including vaccinations and physicals for school, camp, or sports Dental services including cleanings, fillings, evaluations, X-ray, sealants, and tooth extraction Vision exams for adults and children HIV early intervention and treatment Behavioral health including management of anxiety, depression, substance use disorders Screenings for TB, STD, breast health and cervical cancer Street Medicine for the chronically homeless who are unlikely to visit a clinic Recuperative Care for those discharged from the hospital but have no home in which heal Help with housing, insurance coverage, and case management. Our Patients Across 11 different locations and facilities including mobile health and street medicine, Mercy Care completed in 2021: 61,996 Total clinic visits (all service lines) 16,193 Clinic patients 29,580 Medical visits 11,368 Mental health visits 8,261 Dental visits 6,572 Case management visits 2,373 Vision visits 3,482 Substance Use Disorders 11,848 Pediatric visits (birth-17) Mercy Care is committed to serving all who need its care. Currently our patient mix includes patients who are 60 % uninsured, 75% at or below the federal poverty line and 50% who are experiencing homelessness. Current Context Mercy Care and Saint Joseph’s Health System are committed to expanding services and building new, innovative models of care that improve health by addressing both physical health and the socio-economic conditions that impact health. The Health System is also committed to deepening our understanding of the impact of systemic racism on the health disparities facing our patients and altering our model of care to create better health outcomes and to better serve those in need. Finally, Mercy Care has been a leader in Georgia in developing integrated behavioral health care for vulnerable populations. As our patient population and the Atlanta community at large experience an increase in mental health needs, we need to evolve our model of care to reach more individuals and achieve even better results. Driven by both this current context and the lasting legacy of the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Care finds itself at a critical time in its history of service to the Atlanta community and needs a Director of Communication to help shape the future of its mission and service. We are preparing to respond to new needs and new demands as stewards of critical resources, expanded facilities and a highly engaged, committed and growing team. This position will be a central leader in forging a path toward this new future by developing and executing an organization wide communications strategy that shares the mission, work and vision of Mercy Care with all relevant audiences. Roles and Responsibilities The Director of Communications is responsible for developing and executing a multi-year organization communications strategy that addresses key audiences including but not limited to: patients and potential patients, donors, donor prospects and supporters, targeted community leaders, legislators and partners. In addition this person helps manage internal communications with staff working to drive consistent and transparent messaging on critical issues, current work and future plans across the entire organization. This includes responsibility for: Promotion of specific health programs and services Marketing and Communication to support all fundraising, development activities Managing Mercy Care social media Brand management across the organization Data collection and analytics to assess the effectiveness of communication activities Press relationships Support for advocacy efforts as needed The Director of Communications will be supervised by and reports to the Health System CEO. The Director of Communications has direct supervision of all marketing and communication staff. Experience and Skills EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: A degree in communications, marketing, strategy or similar field; preference for individuals with a focus on social services, healthcare or similar field. EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A minimum of ten (10) years strategic communications experience with a particular focus on social causes and nonprofit engagement. Experience managing a team with diverse skills and expertise; track record building external partnerships to achieve strategic objectives. JOB KNOWLEDGE: Demonstrated knowledge of social marketing and communication strategies; Ability to work effectively in a leadership role while integrating all team members. Proven ability to gain trust and credibility with other staff and partners. Well-developed verbal and written communication skills. Must be able to plan, organize and coordinate varied and complex operations. Must be able to collect, analyze, and interpret data from a variety of sources and integrate into communications strategies an activities as appropriate. Must be able to select, supervise, train and evaluate management employees and establish development plans as appropriate. The most important requirement for this position is a passion for the work of Mercy Care and a strong desire to share the story of Mercy Care’s past present and future across Atlanta and the country. Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Trinity Health is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians across 25 states. Because we serve diverse populations, our colleagues are trained to recognize the cultural beliefs, values, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of the communities that we serve and to apply that knowledge to produce positive health outcomes. We also recognize that each of us has a different way of thinking and perceiving our world and that these differences often lead to innovative solutions. Our dedication to diversity includes a unified workforce (through training and education, recruitment, retention, and development), commitment and accountability, communication, community partnerships, and supplier diversity. Trinity Health is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians across 25 states. Because we serve diverse populations, our colleagues are trained to recognize the cultural beliefs, values, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of the communities that we serve and to apply that knowledge to produce positive health outcomes. We also recognize that each of us has a different way of thinking and perceiving our world and that these differences often lead to innovative solutions. Based in Livonia, Mich., and with annual operating revenues of $17.6 billion and assets of $24.7 billion, the organization returns $1.1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. Committed to those who are poor and underserved in its communities, Trinity Health is known for its focus on the country's aging population. As a single, unified ministry, the organization is the innovator of Senior Emergency Departments, the largest not-for-profit provider of home health care services — ranked by number of visits — in the nation, as well as the nation’s leading provider of PACE (Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly) based on the number of available programs. For more information, visit www.trinity-health.org. You can also follow @TrinityHealthMI on Twitter.

Salary : $18 - $25