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Background/IRC Summary:
The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest
humanitarian agencies, provides relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict
reconstruction support to victims of natural disaster, oppression and
violent conflict in 42 countries. The IRC is committed to bold
leadership, innovation and creative partnerships. Active in public
health, education, livelihoods, women’s empowerment, youth development,
and protection and promotion of rights, IRC assists people from harm to
home.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is unprecedented in scale
and in the response required. No previous outbreak has had as many
confirmed cases, or as wide of a geographic spread. The situation is
complicated by the porous nature of the regions’ borders,
inaccessibility of the terrain and the presence of multiple active sites
of transmission. The outbreak in Sierra Leone started in May 2014 and
has rapidly spread due to porous borders, insufficient contact tracing,
community fears and misperceptions.
Currently the IRC is the lead
organization in the Ebola Response Consortium (ERC) comprised of ten
international NGOs working in all districts of the country on Infection
Prevention and Control (IPC) in primary health care facilities and Ebola
disease surveillance. The IRC will directly implement activities
through the ERC in three districts – Bo, Kenema and Kono. In additional
to the ERC, the IRC has existing health programs in Kono and Kenema
districts supporting maternal, newborn and child health programs. Prior
to the Ebola outbreak, the IRC was supporting two maternity wards and
blood banks in Kono and Kenema Government Hospitals, 169 Peripheral
Health Units (PHUs) in the two districts, over 3,500 Community Health
Workers (CHWs) implementing Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM),
and supporting the district health system to ensure the programs are of
quality and sustainable. While these programs have changed since the
Ebola outbreak, the IRC is continuing to support the continuation of
primary health care.
Job Overview/Summary:
The Staff Health Manager oversees the health and well-being of the
IRC national and international staff in Sierra Leone, collaborates with
the contracted local in-country health care provider to support staff
health and ensures the SOPs for IRC Workers Deploying to Ebola-Affected
Country Programs are implemented in-country.
Major Responsibilities:
Availability:
* Contactable by mobile phone 24/7.
* Ensures that an alternate/acting Staff Health Manager is always
present when (s)he is absent or unreachable, and that all staff are
informed of who the acting Manager is.
Guidance, procedures and arrangements:
* Liaises with IRC HQ staff health adviser, HR and other
stakeholders (including external agencies) to constantly update
in-country staff health guidance and SOPs.
* Ensures that relevant staff members in country, including key
staff such as the country director, Ebola team leader, HR director,
director of operations, health advisers and managers, field managers and
security focal point are familiar with staff health SOPs and know how
to access them.
* Along with the security focal point in-country, field managers,
the security manager and the staff health adviser at IRC HQ, constantly
updates medical evacuation plans and SOPs for both Ebola and non-Ebola
life-threatening illness.
* Ensures that IRC field base, office, residence and vehicle medical kits are present and stocked.
* Ensures that hygiene practices in IRC field bases, offices,
residences and vehicles are being respected and works with the Logistics
team to make sure that hygiene supplies (soap, water, chlorine as per
in-country SOPs) are always available.
* Identifies and updates in-country options for inpatient care and
pre-evacuation stabilization, and visits any available health care
providers to assess quality.
* Advises the Senior Management Team in-country on improvements to
staff wellness and psychosocial wellbeing arrangements, such as
reduction of working hours, opportunities for rest and recreation,
supportive management, etc.
Staff briefings, registration and debriefings:
* Conducts in-country health briefings for arriving international
staff and visitors, as well as newly hired national staff in the
capital, within 24 hours of arrival/start of contract. During and after
this briefing, the Staff Health Manager ensures that the in-country
Individual Staff Health Checklist is complete.
* Registers arriving international staff and visitors, as well as
newly hired national staff and their dependents, with the designated
in-country IRC health care provider and ensures that information on
staff held by the care provider is up to date.
* Performs the pre-return consultation (risk assessment and
symptom/temperature check) for departing international staff during the
24 hours prior to scheduled flight departure, and makes a decision on
whether staff members can be cleared for departure; if not, manages
in-country extended stay according to SOPs; communicates risk assessment
prior to departure to IRC HQ clinical advisor, for onward transmission
through ISOS.
* Informs departing staff of post-departure monitoring protocols
that will be carried out for 21 days following departure (Annex 3).
Ensures communication has been established and accurate contact
information has been exchanged between departing staff member and HQ
clinical advisor.
Case management:
* Provides advice to staff about how to access health care in case of illness.
* Offers confidential support to staff members in psychosocial
distress and directs them towards IRC psychological counselling service.
* Communicates daily with IRC designated health care provider to
review any cases of life-threatening illness among staff and
troubleshoot any specific staff health issues that cannot be resolved by
the care provider.
* Investigates all reported instances of Ebola-like illness or
exposure among staff, and manages each instance according to the
relevant SOPs, including coordination with relevant health authorities
in country as required. Reports all such instances immediately to the
country office Senior Management Team and the IRC HQ staff health
adviser.
* Together with the security focal point, manages and follows up all
cases requiring medical evacuation for Ebola or non-Ebola conditions
from the field through to handing patient over to evacuating agency, as
per SOPs. Reports on all cases of medical evacuation immediately to
Country Senior Management Team and IRC HQ staff health adviser (for
international staff evacuations abroad only).
Key Working Relationships:
Position Reports to: Country Director
Position directly supervises: Staff Health Nurse
Indirect Reporting: Clinical Advisor for Staff Wellbeing (Sally Girvin)
Other Internal and/or external contacts:
Job Requirements:
Education: Clinical degree (nurse or medical doctor)
Work Experience:
Experienced clinician. At least 2 years’ experience in humanitarian
emergencies or post conflict situations. Experience working in a
multi-cultural setting and in preference in Africa. Excellent
interpersonal and problem-solving skills. Willingness to travel
extensively in Sierra Leone. Ability to handle pressure well, ability to
improvise, flexibility, and adaptability to transitions.
Demonstrated Skills and Competencies: Deep understanding of occupational health, tropical medicine, as well as Ebola.
Language Skills: English fluency
Certificates or Licenses: Nurse or Medical Doctor
Working Environment:
Based in Freetown at the IRC country office. Will also travel to
field sites as needed to assess staff health procedures and capacity. |
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