K

Kaweah Health

Non-profit hospital system delivering trauma care

Associate Social Worker/Associate Marriage and Family Therapist - Emergency Department

Full-TimePosted on 10/26/2026
$38.92 - $58.38
Mid
Visalia, CA, USA
In PersonNight shift, 12-hour shifts.
Social & Community ServicesCase Management & Advocacy

About the job

Requirements
  • Registration with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as an Associate Social Worker or Associate Marriage and Family Therapist is required.
  • Completion of Kaweah Health-approved crisis intervention training within 60 days of hire or transfer is required.
  • Licensure must be obtained within six years of hire or transfer; failure to obtain licensure within this timeframe results in termination.
  • Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care and services appropriate to the population served on the assigned unit or work area.
  • Understand growth and development and patient/family cultural, linguistic, spiritual, gender, and age-specific needs.
  • Effectively communicate with and care for patients and families as reflected in the Plan for Provision of Care.
Responsibilities
  • Intervene in crisis situations by providing assessment, counseling, and information to patients and their families.
  • Provide discharge planning, including coordinating equipment or home care, placement in an appropriate facility, transportation, patient-family training, financial needs, and follow-up; document activity in the medical record according to policy.
  • Gather information about patients' social, psychological, cultural, environmental, and financial situations for psychosocial assessments and treatment plans.
  • Counsel individuals and families regarding psychosocial needs and problems related to medical conditions.
  • Make rounds and respond to physician and staff referrals, providing guidance on necessary social services.
  • Consult with physicians, hospital staff, and the community regarding patient care needs.
  • Document necessary patient information carefully and accurately according to procedure.
  • Arrange transportation for patients transferring to other levels of care or for patients without a means of getting home; gather information on community resources and link patients, families, and staff to appropriate services.
  • Assist with financial counseling and connect patients and families with appropriate resources.
  • Educate the department, hospital staff, and community on psychosocial aspects of illness.
  • Provide support and knowledge on medical-social issues through structured community outreach programs.
  • Provide oversight and consultation to Medical Counselors.
  • May provide field supervision to master's-prepared students.
  • Supervise Social Work Assistants and delegate duties as appropriate within the scope of practice.
  • Attend team conferences and rounds; respond to referrals from physicians and staff, providing guidance on necessary social or case management services in distinct-part skilled nursing facilities.
  • Coordinate social services in distinct-part skilled nursing facilities with non-licensed staff.
  • Provide psychosocial services to clients and families, including assessment, treatment planning, family education and support, and discharge planning for assigned caseloads in distinct-part skilled nursing facilities.
  • Facilitate effective therapeutic groups that address client needs and treatment-plan goals in psychiatric services.
  • Complete thorough psychosocial assessments within specified timeframes in psychiatric services.
  • Develop discharge plans as soon as possible after admission in collaboration with other disciplines and based on the diagnostic summary in psychiatric services.
  • Facilitate the treatment-planning process and ensure treatment-team functions are documented in psychiatric services.
  • Conduct family or significant-other education and support meetings individually or in groups as needed to support the patient's discharge.
  • Provide clients and families with information regarding legal proceedings during admission to Kaweah Health Mental Health, including involuntary detention, 14-day certification, conservatorship, and possible Adult Protective Services or Child Welfare Services reporting.
  • Support physicians and treatment teams in addressing clients' psychosocial and recovery needs and potential.
  • Complete NICU assessments within two days by interviewing at least one NICU parent.
  • Develop a case plan with a NICU parent within five days of admission, addressing family stress, environmental health, and psychosocial factors.
  • Complete weekly NICU progress notes.
  • Attend team conferences and rounds and respond to referrals from physicians, staff, families, and patients, providing guidance on necessary social or case management services.
  • Identify high-risk pediatric psychosocial issues and establish a case plan addressing family stress and response to hospitalization, social and emotional support, and needed and provided support services.
  • Document pediatric progress reports weekly.
  • Provide psychosocial assessments to inpatients under age 21 who remain hospitalized for three or more days, regardless of bed or department; see NICU families within two days.
  • Assess and create safety plans for patients in mental health crisis in the Emergency Department, including writing 5150/5585 holds.
  • Manage support groups in inpatient oncology and SRCC and may facilitate them.
  • Provide supportive literature to patients and work with the American Cancer Society to maintain current information and resources.
  • Act as a community-events liaison among Kaweah Health, SRCC, and organizations sponsoring cancer-patient community activities; participate in planning and represent Kaweah Health at events.
  • Link outpatient services with inpatient care in inpatient oncology.
  • Identify high-risk psychosocial issues and establish case plans addressing family stress and response to medical status, social and emotional support, and needed and provided support services.
  • Coordinate discharge planning and link patients to appropriate resources, including the American Cancer Society, support groups, and financial resources.
  • Collaborate with oncologists regarding services, discharge planning, and coordination or linkage to outpatient services.
  • Follow up with patients and outpatient treatment providers after outpatient care resumes.
  • Provide psychosocial assessments and treatment plans for every patient encounter at SRCC Visalia and Hanford in radiation oncology.
  • Provide radiation oncology patients with transportation, financial assistance, emotional support, cancer-specific resources, and community-support linkages.
  • Coordinate equipment or continuity of care in radiation oncology.
  • Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team on education about biopsychosocial aspects of oncology treatments.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

About the company

Kaweah Health is a public, not-for-profit health system based in Visalia, California, serving the Central Valley since 1963. It operates a 581-bed medical center, a large outpatient clinic, and several facilities, offering emergency care, cancer treatment, cardiovascular services, rehabilitation, and other medical services. It is the largest hospital system in Tulare County and a certified trauma center. As a not-for-profit, it reinvests earnings back into the community to fund new services, facilities, and programs, with a strategic focus on accessible, high-quality healthcare. The organization has launched an financial recovery plan, “Operation Back in Black,” to improve finances through revenue enhancement and cost reduction, and partners with Medline to enhance supply chain and operational efficiency. Its goal is to provide broad, high-quality healthcare to its community while strengthening financial sustainability and expanding services as needed.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

Grant

Total Funding

$8.7M

Headquarters

Visalia, California

Founded

1963

Get referred to Kaweah Health

See people who can refer or advise you

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Kaweah reported $1.1 million profit for fiscal 2026's first six months.
  • Vacant-position cuts, not layoffs, helped offset projected $25 million Medicaid pressure.
  • Akers Clinic, Tulare therapy, and lab consolidation expand outpatient capacity in 2026.

What critics are saying

  • Gary Herbst retires June 30, 2026, forcing a nationwide CEO search during recovery.
  • Burger wrongful-death litigation and RN licensing actions spotlight emergency-department failures in 2025.
  • One budget shock or payer-rate cut could revive 2023 default fears and closure talk.

What makes Kaweah Health unique

  • Visalia's only trauma center and largest Tulare County hospital anchors regional care.
  • 2026 youth mental-health expansion adds 22 beds and admits children as young as 12.
  • Kaweah's residency, nursing, and clinic pipeline deepens local training and physician recruitment.

Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
  • Paid Vacation
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Paid Holidays
  • Flexible Work Hours

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

8%

1 year growth

8%

2 year growth

8%
The Valley Voice, LLC
Mar 6th, 2026
Kaweah Health board appoints Jonna Schengel as Zone 2 representative.

Kaweah Health board appoints Jonna Schengel as Zone 2 representative. The Kaweah Health Board of Directors has appointed Jonna Schengel, PT, MA, Ed.D., to serve as the Zone 2 representative, filling the seat vacated by the retirement of Lynn Havard Mirviss, RN, Ed.D. Schengel will serve out the remainder of the term through Dec. 4, 2026. Schengel is currently the Dean of Career Technical Education (CTE) and Workforce Development, Industry and Technology, Manufacturing, Nursing and Allied Health at College of the Sequoias (COS). Selected from a pool of highly qualified candidates, she brings extensive expertise in healthcare education and workforce development to the board. A Visalia resident since 1991, Schengel has deep roots in the local healthcare community. She worked as a physical therapist and founded Central California Physical Therapy Specialists before selling the practice in 2011. At COS, she developed the physical therapist assistant program and significantly expanded the nursing program, further demonstrating her commitment to building the regional healthcare workforce. "I understand how important Kaweah Health is to the vitality of the Central Valley, not just for the employees who work here, but also for the patients," Schengel said. "Ultimately, I want Kaweah Health to be the premier provider of healthcare in the Central Valley." With her strong background in health sciences and educational leadership, Schengel looks forward to contributing her experience, perspective, and commitment to supporting the mission and future of Kaweah Health. Kaweah Health is the community name for the Kaweah Delta Health Care District, a public hospital district serving the greater Visalia area. The district covers 183 square miles, encompassing all of Visalia and Goshen and parts of Ivanhoe and Farmersville. The district is divided into five equally populated zones, each represented on the board by a locally elected member. Board members serve four-year terms and may run for re-election without limit.

KVPR
Jan 29th, 2026
Kaweah Health graduates nursing staff as shortage plagues county

Kaweah Health graduates nursing staff as shortage plagues county. VISALIA, Calif. - Kaweah Health has graduated an inaugural class of nurses under a new partnership that seeks to address a shortage in Tulare County. In 2020, the hospital partnered with Unitek College, an institution that offers higher education in medicine and nursing throughout the country. It has physical campuses in California, Nevada, and New Mexico. Thirteen graduates received their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees this month. The new nurses come at an opportune time, as there has been a decline in the number of people working in hospitals across the nation and the Central Valley. The COVID-19 pandemic left significant impacts in the medical field - like stress and excessive workloads - which made the nursing shortage worsen... Kaweah Health officials say the hospital faced a 25% nursing shortage in 2021. That figure sparked the urge to close the gap and improve nurse capacity in the county. The college proposed creating a program within Kaweah Health for prospective nurses who are interested in studying and working at the same time. Dianne Cox, chief human resources officer at Kaweah Health, says the nursing shortage at its hospital is now 7%. "We have 70 vacancies of registered nurses and about 1000 direct patient care registered nurses positions available. We're doing very well with recruitment and retention," Cox said. "We really believe that we will have solved our nursing shortage in Visalia and Tulare County." The program is primarily available to hospital employees, though there are some exceptions. To apply, employees must go through a testing process and provide references. Currently, 160 employees are enrolled. After the 13 graduates who completed the program this month, the hospital expects roughly 50 participants will graduate each year after. Interim Chief Nursing Officer Scott Baker says this program has great potential, especially since it could help fill vacancies by nursing staff who will soon retire. "As we grow this program, and as we hire more of these nurses, this is going to feed the hospital," Baker said. "Having this pool of nurses to pull in will refresh that, and as we grow them into clinical experts, it really balances out what we're going to be losing." Kaweah Health has also partnered in recent years with Porterville College and San Joaquin Valley College's radiologic technology program to boost training and medical staffing.

YourCentralValley.com
Feb 27th, 2025
WATCH: Kaweah Health and Award Winning Spine Surgery in the Central Valley

FRESNO, Calif. (KGPE) - Kaweah Health was recently recognized as being a top 100 hospital in the nation for spine surgery by Healthgrades.

The Valley Voice, LLC
Oct 6th, 2023
Kaweah Health named in employment discrimination case

Kaweah Health named in employment discrimination case.

Exeter Chamber
Sep 25th, 2023
Kaweah Health's Open House Journey to Care

You'll learn first-hand why so many have picked Kaweah Health to pursue their career in healthcare, and why Kaweah Health was named Healthgrades® America's 100 Best Hospitals™ for 2023.