Tamara Bruce
Summary
Results oriented Social Work professional with over 25 years of working experience. A data analytic, quantitative, and qualitative information seeker for solution results of services. Reliable candidate with demonstrated strengths in the continuity of patient care, system navigation, and complex care coordination. Adept at troubleshooting and building successful solutions. Excels in service delivery by leveraging analytical abilities and specialized knowledge in healthcare systems, crisis intervention, and trauma-based care. Cultivating positive relationships and exceeding goals is paramount.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Social Worker
State of Alabama
03.2025 - Current
- Risk assessment implementation for immediate crisis intervention including child removals into emergency foster care settings ensuring child safety.
- Hospital and community emergency response provider for children experiencing life threatening events of abuse and neglect.
- Investigations of allegations of physical abuse, sexual abuse and childhood neglect.
- Immediate safety plan interventionist, eradicate potential safety threats to children.
- Maintained regular contact with clients by calling and visiting clients' homes.
- Implementation and executor for in home and out-of-home safety plans for abused and neglected children.
- Precise and factual documentation of professional court reports, providing professional recommendations in juvenile justice court proceedings.
- On-going case management of a forty-capacity caseload.
- Updated client documentation for accurate, compliant and current records.
Utilization Review Social Worker
SEARHC-Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center
02.2022 - 06.2025
- Increased client engagement in treatment plans by building trusting relationships through empathetic listening and consistent support.
- Developed inpatient, outpatient, and emergency comprehensive care plans, evaluations, and needs assessments.
- Completed Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, Social Security and Veteran Administration benefits enrollment ensuring continuity of care coverage.
- Increased healthcare literacy for patients admitted into the hospital from birth to end of life.
- Led quality improvement initiatives focused on enhancing patient care and reducing inefficiencies within the healthcare system.
- Vice chair for social determinants of health committee specifically identifying environmental impediments to health in the state of Alaska.
- Evaluated clinical data related to diagnosis, prognosis, treatments options, preventative measures ensuring safe and appropriate discharge planning.
- Completed daily swing bed assessments and admissions into subacute rehabilitation services. Participated in daily and weekly (Swing Bed) multidisciplinary team meetings.
- Aided patients’ completion of Advanced Directives, Power of Attorney, and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) documentation.
- Managed administrative oversight of Utilization Review Team in the absence of Utilization Review Nurse Manager.
- Developed and maintained a physician referral database for twenty-one outlying islands for patients requiring critical social services and psychiatric emergency care access.
- Created and operated a dispatch communication platform for patients requiring Medevac and Angel Flight transportation throughout Alaska minimizing transportation barriers for medical care.
- Initiated state appointed guardianship for incapacitated patients. Participated in court proceedings and hearings for the enactment of guardianship and conservatorship.
- Collaborated with inpatient psychiatric emergency services for behavioral health and substance abuse patients by completing biopsychosocial and ASAM assessments.
- Referral submissions from inpatient acute care to long term care, skilled nursing facility, outpatient, and residential behavioral health and substance abuse treatment programs.
- Facilitated weekly patient and family care conferences for accurate patient and family understanding of the plan of care, provided guidance in navigating the health care system and ensuring optimal safe discharges.
- Educated patients and families on available community resources, connecting them with essential services such as housing assistance, financial aid, durable medical equipment or healthcare providers.
- Maintained accurate case documentation, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
- Point person for patients transferring from hospitalization into bed-to-bed recovery support program for adults engaging in addiction treatment services following hospital detox.
- Advocated for patients' rights, navigating complex healthcare systems to secure necessary services and resources.
- Implemented evidence-based practices to improve patient outcomes in complex cases.
- Expanded community partnerships by establishing relationships with local organizations and participating in outreach events, increasing awareness of available resources for patients.
- Contributed to departmental goals setting process by analyzing current trends in medical social work practice and identifying areas for growth or enhancement.
- Increased patient satisfaction with hospital stays by conducting assessments and identifying strategies to address psychosocial concerns.
- Reduced hospital readmission rates by coordinating post-discharge care plans, including referrals to community agencies and follow-up appointments.
- Promoted patient autonomy through education on advance directives, living wills, and other end-of-life care options.
- Conducted timely discharge planning meetings with multidisciplinary teams to facilitate smooth transitions of care for patients returning home after hospitalization.
- Provided patient escort services via seaplane and commercial air to outlying islands following hospital discharge.
- Provided crisis intervention services to individuals facing medical, emotional and mental health challenges in critical access hospital setting.
- Monitored clients' progress and adapted treatment plans to meet changing needs.
Health Home Care Manager
University of Rochester Medical Center
10.2017 - 08.2021
- Implemented embedded Health Home Care services delivery model for primary care practice under the guidance of New York State DSRIP (Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program).
- Spearheaded patient outreach initiatives in conjunction with primary care medical providers within the safety net practice generating a one hundred and fifty patient waiting list for new enrollees to receive Health Home Care Management services within six months of employment.
- Collaborated with primary care physicians, nursing staff, and clinical care manager for medication prior authorization completion, durable medical equipment access, biopsychosocial assessment plans, comprehensive care plans, crisis intervention plans of care, motivational interviews to obtain medical and social history, and assess intake needs and identify barriers to care.
- Provided monthly and quarterly fiscal reporting monitoring for the efficacy of delivered services within the safety net practice.
- Completed weekly home visits and crisis intervention services.
- Created a referral tool utilizing data analytics identifying patients with care gaps within the safety net practice increasing patients access to care by 50% within one year.
- Substantially increased patients’ usage of telehealth services, SMS, chat, language interpreter services, captioned call services, and telephonic access by 60%. Thereby, minimizing primary care providers no show rate to less than 3% within eighteen months.
- Completed daily patient monitoring and oversight of patient care documentation.
- Initiated and provided on-going in-home technology training for patients unable to physically connect with primary care providers prior, and post covid-19 pandemic crisis ensuring patient access and continuity of health care.
- Increased patient and primary care physician connectivity with five out of six primary care providers within the practice by 70% within ten months of employment.
- Interfaced with electronic health record platforms assisting primary care physicians decrease gaps of care for patients with complex chronic illnesses, behavioral health conditions, substance abuse, as well as, providing social work intervention methodologies.
- Decreased hospital inpatient stays and non-emergent emergency room visits for primary care practice patients by 65% within one year of employment.
- Recruitment, enrollment, and service provider for New York State Medicaid enrollees diagnosed with complex chronic medical conditions, mental health conditions, substance abuse, and social service challenges promoting optimal health care.
- Created a weekly healthy food access and distribution program within the practice. Individually delivering healthy food to patients’ homes and communities. Thereby, assisting patients decrease food insecurities. Resulting in lowering A1C levels for patients with 6.5% or better decreasing to 35% of patient population for providers within two years. Bringing the population group to an average A1C of 5.5% from 6.5% or higher.
- Instituted Narcan training availability for home and community-based care providers throughout the Primary Care Network.
- Ensured compliance with all federal, state, and county regulations governing the delivery of services.
- Supported patients in complex healthcare system navigating.
- Completed comprehensive crisis plans, Medicaid enrollment, comprehensive assessments using patient centered practices for each patient highlighting and supporting patient goals, care management objectives, intended interventions to increase self-efficacy, and increase engagement with community providers that supported the achievement of patient’s goals.
- On boarded and trained new hires.
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Advocate
Baldwin County Lighthouse Family Violence Shelter
06.2011 - 12.2016
- Client admissions into safe shelter for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors of Baldwin County.
- Operated overnight crisis hotline for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors.
- Provided crisis counseling and immediate interventions to individuals affected by domestic violence and sexual assault.
- Collaborated with law enforcement officers, medical personnel, and counselors ensuring comprehensive care for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.
- Assisted survivors in developing safety plans, understanding their rights, and accessing community resources.
- Participated in interdisciplinary team meetings within the shelter or hospitals where victims had been admitted following a domestic violence and sexual assault event.
Social Worker/Individualized Care Coordinator
Hillside Family of Agencies
11.2000 - 05.2011
- Clinical oversight, monitoring, and coordination for caseload of forty children and adolescents at imminent risk for long-term residential treatment care or psychiatric inpatient care.
- Provided New York State Office of Mental Health Home and Community based Waiver Medicaid services for Monroe and surrounding counties.
- Completed daily home visits for crisis intervention, care plan evaluations and monitoring.
- Executed solution focused, client-centered care to children and adolescents minimizing out-of-home long-term psychiatric treatment placements and residential care.
- Provided emergency on-call crisis intervention and prevention utilizing community-based wrap around services and out of home placement.
- Member of New York State Office of Mental Health SPOA (Single Point of Access) strategic planning committee, determining verifiable eligibility and level of care for program services within New York State.
- Completed Medicaid enrollment establishing no parental deeming for implementation of Home and Community Based Services Waiver.
- Maintained accurate documentation of clinical activities, including progress notes, incident reports, and discharge summaries.
- Provided home and community based direct case management services to individuals and families in need of assistance.
- Supported clients in navigating complex social service systems.
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams coordinating care between agencies and providers.
Education
Bachelor of Social Work -
University of North Carolina
Greensboro, North CarolinaBachelor of Science - Biology
St. John Fisher College
Rochester, New YorkSocial Work Licensure
AlaskaSkills
- Complex health care system navigation
- Social determinants of health
- Integrated care
- Treatment planning
- Comprehensive care continuation
- Data collection and management
- Cerner
- Epic
- Google Drive
- Microsoft Office
- Netsmart
- InterQual
Timeline
Social Worker
State of Alabama
03.2025 - Current
Utilization Review Social Worker
SEARHC-Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center
02.2022 - 06.2025
Health Home Care Manager
University of Rochester Medical Center
10.2017 - 08.2021
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Advocate
Baldwin County Lighthouse Family Violence Shelter
06.2011 - 12.2016
Social Worker/Individualized Care Coordinator
Hillside Family of Agencies
11.2000 - 05.2011
Social Work Licensure
Bachelor of Social Work -
University of North Carolina
Bachelor of Science - Biology
St. John Fisher College