Duration: 10 weeks (Summer)
Application Closed
This internship is hosted jointly between the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Peer Navigation Program and Housing Navigation program, offering a unique opportunity to explore how recovery support and housing stability work together to improve patient outcomes and patient-centered care.
SUD Peer Navigation Program:
The Substance Use Peer Navigation Program is an interdisciplinary initiative that improves care engagement and recovery outcomes for patients with substance use disorders within inpatient and emergency department settings. Through peer coaching, advocacy, and care navigation, Certified Recovery Peer Advocates (CRPAs) help patients access treatment, community supports, and recovery resources. By leveraging lived experience and specialized training, peers foster trust, enhance continuity of care, and support patient-centered recovery.
Housing Navigation Program:
Launched in 2024, the Housing Navigation program strives to identify safe and stable placements for unhoused patients upon discharge. Patients are engaged bedside to determine next steps in their long-term housing journey—exploring permanent, supportive, temporary, or medically-based housing options with aims improve patients’ overall health and well-being. By taking a Housing First approach, we work in collaboration with our patients, tailoring support to their current circumstances and identifying safe and stable housing options that best suit their needs upon discharge. Our long-term aims to reduce the need for emergency healthcare utilization by connecting to stable housing.
Through this internship, interns will be able to:
- Learn how substance use & housing navigation services are integrated into hospital care and discharge planning.
- Develop skills in program evaluation, quality improvement, and data analysis.
- Build knowledge of community-based treatment, recovery, and housing resources.
- Understand patient engagement strategies and recovery-oriented systems of care.
- Build psychoeducational resources for patients and their families.
- Research grant opportunities to secure long-term program funding.
Interns will accomplish this by doing the following:
- Support program evaluation activities through data collection, analysis, reporting, and quality improvement initiatives.
- Research evidence-based practices and contribute to program development, curriculum enhancements, and sustainability planning.
- Develop patient and family educational materials and compile community-based treatment, recovery, and support resources.
- Collaborate on scholarly and grant-related projects to strengthen program effectiveness, outcomes, and long-term funding opportunities.
As part of their participation, interns will be required to complete the following deliverables:
- A program assessment or quality improvement project.
- A resource mapping analysis update of community SUD, recovery, and housing services.
- A final presentation summarizing findings and recommendations.
- A reflective summary of learning experiences and professional development.