Five Regional Health Care Organizers (Jefferson County, St. Charles, Joplin, St. Joseph, and Mid-Missouri)
The Missouri Medicaid Coalition, along with Jobs with Justice, Missouri Health Care for All, Communities Creating Opportunity, Metropolitan Congregations United and Missouri Rural Crisis Center are seeking five organizers to build capacity, support and action around health care access in key areas around the state. Each organizer will be “housed” in one of the organizations listed below in order to build the long term capacity of that organization, while at the same time working off of a joint coalition plan to advance short-term opportunities to expand access to health care in Missouri.
Salary: $3,000 per month, insurance stipend, mileage reimbursed
Temporary, full-time, October 2014-June 2015
Location and Housing Organization
Jefferson County – Jobs with Justice
St. Charles – Metropolitan Congregations United
Joplin – Missouri Health Care for All
St. Joseph/Buchanan County – Communities Creating Opportunity
Mid-Missouri – Missouri Rural Crisis Center
The Job:
Regional Health Care Organizers will work closely with the Director of the Missouri Medicaid Coalition as well as staff from their housing organization to create and execute a plan that builds a base of supporters for increased health care access in their region and moves them into action. The work will include travel (reimbursed), evening and weekend hours.
Responsibilities:
Identify and engage supportive organizations in your region around increased access to health care.
Recruit and mobilize supporters in your region to engage on health care access issues through education events, in-district meetings, canvasses and phonebanks to build public support, and other tactics.
Participate in local coalitions that are working on health care access.
Track and report all activities on a monthly basis.
Develop and maintain relationships with diverse groups and organizational allies that support health care access.
Identify and engage consumers that are uninsured due to the Medicaid gap or other health care access issues.
Conduct educational community and organizational presentations on health care access issues.
Write action alerts and use social media to educate and mobilize supporters in support of increase health care access.
Organize press events, letters to the editor, and op eds to raise broad public awareness of the stakes of Missouri’s decision on health care access issues, such as Medicaid expansion.
Qualifications:
Solid commitment to increasing access to health care and the mission of the housing organization (see descriptions below).
1-2 years experience in grassroots organizing or campaigns.
Experience in some or all grassroots organizing tactics, including in-district meetings, phonebanking, canvassing, community outreach, earned media, volunteer training and leadership development.
Ability to develop and maintain relationships with a wide range of organizations and people.
Very strong written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking skills.
Ability to be a self-starter, and to work independently toward agreed upon goals.
Reliable transportation and driver’s license (mileage is reimbursed).
Willingness to work long hours, including nights and weekends.
Proficient in computer skills, including word processing, excel and google docs.
The Organizations:
Jobs with Justice (JwJ) – Jefferson County
Missouri Jobs with Justice (JwJ) is a coalition of labor, religious, student and community activists and organizations committed to protecting the basic human rights of men and women. Jobs with Justice addresses the root causes of poverty while working for an economic base that benefits the entire community. We believe that the fate of labor unions and the communities in which their members live are tightly bound together. We work in partnership with central labor councils, local unions, civil rights organizations, students, community, and faith-based organizations in mobilizing direct actions for social and economic justice for all people, including the right to organize a union, rebuilding the social safety net, living wages, health care, and equal treatment for all.
Missouri Health Care for All – Joplin
Missouri Health Care for All was founded on the principle that every Missourian should have access to quality affordable health care. We work with faith communities, community groups, people who need health care, and grassroots supporters statewide to advocate for these principles. Currently, we are working to pass Medicaid Expansion in Missouri, promote enrollment in quality affordable health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, and build our movement so that it is strong and sustainable for the years to come.
Communities Creating Opportunity – St. Joe/Buchanan County
CCO’s vision is to move dignity into the center of public life by discovering, developing, and directing the power of people of faith to build a better quality of life for their families. Working in over 100 diverse congregations throughout the Kansas City metro, we develop the leadership and build the relationships necessary to listen and identify the real causes of pain in our communities and train faith leaders to act powerfully in public life.
Metropolitan Congregations United – St. Charles and Lincoln County
Metropolitan Congregations United (MCU) is an interfaith, multi-racial community organization of religious congregations in the St. Louis Metropolitan region that are working for a common purpose: to create a better life for all residents. Our core philosophy is that every citizen has the right and the responsibility to take part in the democratic process, to become aware of the issues that affect him/her, to identify solutions, and to develop relationships with the policymakers who can bring about change.
Missouri Rural Crisis Center – Mid-Missouri
MRCC is a statewide farm and rural membership organization with over 5600 member families. Our mission is to preserve family farms, promote stewardship of the land and environmental integrity and strive for economic and social justice, including Medicaid expansion by building unity and mutual understanding among diverse groups, both rural and urban. We work to achieve this mission through grassroots organizing, advocacy, public education, coalition building, and member and leader development.
Missouri Medicaid Coalition
The Missouri Medicaid Coalition is made up of over 160 organizations and has the single goal of expanding Medicaid to 138% FPL. The coalition is responsible for educating the public about Medicaid expansion as well as coordinating activities and moving people into action. The coalition brings together a diverse group of people and organizations representing all walks of life including labor, faith, business, women’s health, rural, seniors, disabilities, and more.
To Apply:
Please send a cover letter and resume to Michelle Trupiano, Director of the Missouri Medicaid Coalition at [email protected]. Be sure to indicate what region(s) you are applying for.
Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis beginning September 15. For greatest consideration apply by Monday, September 15.