Staff Attorney

Salud Para La Gente (SALUD) provides high quality, comprehensive and cost-effective medical, dental, behavioral health, optometry and other services to underserved, low-income communities in the Monterey Bay area, including Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. SALUD began in Watsonville in 1978 as a storefront free clinic, and is now a Federally Qualified Health Center. With four health center sites, school-based health centers and 320 employees, we provide high quality services to patients of all ages. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package and a collaborative culture that values excellence, achievement, innovation and compassion.

We are seeking a Staff Attorney to work with our partner, the Watsonville Law Center, to assist clients in various aspects of access to public benefits, public medical insurance, and other social determinants of health. This position will work under the direction of the Legal Director of the Watsonville Law Center, and will direct client services for primarily low-income and Spanish-speaking households including screening for eligibility, ensuring access to public benefits and addressing application and denial issues. The Staff Attorney will work with an interdisciplinary care team of legal, medical, and social service providers ensuring access to health, housing, employment, and economic stability for low-income and vulnerable families. The practice areas are primarily public benefits and public medical insurance, but will include other areas of law addressing social determinants of health. This position requires fluency in social determinants of health and in community engagement, including: developing and providing workshops for clients; providing trainings for staff and other service providers; and communicating with regional stakeholders.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Directs client services for primarily low-income and Spanish speaking households.
2. Screens for eligibility to access public benefits and addresses application and denial issues.
3. Identifies and addresses opportunities for systemic change.
4. Identifies and adapts best practices to ensure high quality services and continuing quality improvement.
5. Involved with various community functions including developing and providing workshops for clients, trainings for staff and other service providers and communication with regional stakeholders.
6. Works with interdisciplinary care teams consisting of legal, medical and social service providers.
7. Provides assistance in the areas of access to health, housing, employment, public benefits and public medical insurance.