Peer Support Specialist, Harm Reduction Program

Job Description

Job Description

Community health is about more than just vaccines and checkups. It’s about giving people the resources they need to live their best lives.

At Neighborhood, this is our vision : a community where everyone is healthy and happy. We’re with you every step of the way, with the care you need for each of life’s chapters.

At Neighborhood, we are Better Together.

As a private, non-profit 501(C) (3) community health organization, we serve over 506,563 medical, dental, and behavioral health visits from more than 96,867 people annually.

We do this in pursuit of our mission to improve the health and happiness of the communities we serve by providing quality care to all, regardless of situation or circumstance.

Since 1969, our employees have been making this mission a reality. Regardless of the role, our team focuses on being compassionate, having integrity, being professional, always collaborating, and consistently going above and beyond.

If this sounds like an organization you would like to be a part of, we would love to meet you.

The Peer Support Specialist has responsibility of a broad range of activities related to the Harm Reduction Program, including collaboration and coordination with multi-agencies and interdisciplinary staff comprised of internal and external stakeholders.

This role will provide field-based outreach, education, assessment, and linkages to healthcare, recovery, social support services, and case management to individuals experiencing substance use disorders (SUD) and possible mental illnesses.

Additionally, this role will interact closely with the interdepartmental treatment team of behavioral health clinicians, consumers, community partners, program leadership and staff.

Responsibilities

• Identifies, engages, collaborates, and links underserved populations with SUD and behavioral health services
• Provides harm reduction education and referrals
• Participates in outreach events for the purpose of engagement and consumer linkage
• Participates in case conferences for consumers receiving services to ensure ongoing treatment needs are connected with appropriate community-based treatment programs
• Ensures the confidentiality of consumer information and health records
• Provides trauma informed approaches and culturally competent consumer services
• Provides comprehensive social service assessments and develops treatment plans to address individual recovery needs and provide linkages to internal and external resources / programs
• Supports homeless consumers with accessing and navigating community resources
• Works to increase level of cultural sensitivity, awareness, and competency regarding person centered and peer delivered services
• Provides public education on harm reduction services, recovery services, and other psychosocial service needs
• Provides Good Samaritan laws education and naloxone kit training
• Engages consumers, both in-person, in the field, and on the phone, in a manner that utilizes evidence-based approaches, such as motivational interviewing
• Promotes collaboration between the consumer and the medical / behavioral health team to increase the consumer’s sense of control over their whole health
• Assess for substance use recovery support services and treatment options and provides navigation and linkages to substance use programs, detox services, and sober living housing options
• Provides referrals to Neighborhood’s medication assisted treatment (MAT) program, naloxone kit training, and kit distribution, as needed
• Promotes hope through positive self-disclosure, demonstrating that improved behavioral and physical health / recovery is possible
• Encourages consumers to identify personal goals, overcome barriers, build protective factors, and pursue future goals towards an enhanced quality of life
• Serves as a role model of self-care and the effective use of behavioral health and recovery skills
• Aids consumers with overcoming discrimination, stigma and / or trauma by serving as an example of recovery and / or overcoming challenges
• Reports any serious or unusual incidents to supervisor
• Shares accountability for overall consumer health outcomes
• Operates to instill confidence in our care and in our facilities to consumers, fellow employees, and other stakeholders
• Works in the field as needed, to meet consumers with substance use where they are
• Documents in ECW for all care coordination and other services or teaching provided in a timely manner
• Prioritizes activities according to intensity, need, and required follow-up
• Provides accurate and timely reports to supervisor and site staff, as required

Qualifications

Education / Experience

• High School diploma / GED required
• Personal experience with injection drug use or other street drugs in recovery required
• Experience working with community health centers or community-based organizations preferred
• Experience working with underserved populations preferred
• Bilingual (English / Spanish) strongly preferred

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities)

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including superior composition, typing and proofreading skills
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form
• Ability to successfully manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Excellent planning and organizational ability
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as independently
• Ability to work with highly confidential information in a professional and ethical manner

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift / carry 20 lbs / weight
• Ability to stand for long periods of time

Pay range : $22.67 - $27.01 per hour, depending on experience.