Peer counselor job description

About NYC Health + Hospitals

MetroPlusHealth provides the highest quality healthcare services to residents of Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island through a comprehensive list of products, including, but not limited to, New York State Medicaid Managed Care, Medicare, Child Health Plus, Exchange, Partnership in Care, MetroPlus Gold, Essential Plan, etc. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health system in the United States, MetroPlusHealth network includes over 27,000 primary care providers, specialists and participating clinics. For more than 30 years, MetroPlus has been committed to building strong relationships with its members and providers to enable New Yorkers to live their healthiest life.

Position Overview

Under the direct supervision of the Senior ETE Advisor, the Peer Counselor is part of a dynamic team of staff, known as the Ending the Epidemic (ETE) Team, who are focused on dramatically improving HIV care outcomes and reducing new HIV infections in New York State. This position works in tandem with other care managers as well as the primary clinical team and community-based organizations to support members living with HIV to stay in care and virally suppressed using a health coaching model and a strengths-based approach. The Peer Counselor will employ a combination of strategies to effectively engage members, including phone outreach and deployment to facilities throughout the boroughs of New York City to provide face-to-face case management. This is a grantfunded
position.

Job Description

• Provides direct care management by coordinating the delivery of comprehensive, quality healthcare services for members who are living with HIV.
• Performs member assessment, plan of care development, and care coordination to ensure optimal health outcomes.
• Conducts telephonic and face-to-face member engagement, and inclusion, where appropriate, of collateral contacts including family members (with appropriate consent of the member), primary care provider, and other community and case managers to identify and address the needs and barriers of members living with HIV to promote the health and wellness of the member.
• Provides health education using coaching and motivational interviewing techniques to promote improved health outcomes for HIV engagement in care and viral load suppression, engagement with behavioral health and substance use services and, to a more limited extent, effective management of other co-morbid illnesses, such as hepatitis C, diabetes, hypertension, and asthma/COPD.
• Participates in special outreach and quality improvement projects as assigned.
• Documents all care management activities for each member in the DCMS system and other applicable software programs and ensures that such documentation is in compliance with professional standards and regulatory guidelines.
• Follows departmental workflows as assigned, including the return to care and adherence interventions.
• Attends and prepares for case conferences and occasional conferences on special topics and/or with other departments. To review, identify and assess the member's Plan of Care and recommend changes in order to promote the health and wellness of the member.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School graduation or evidence of having satisfactorily passed a High School Equivalency Program; and
• 1 year of HIV Peer training or experience.
• Knowledge of the concerns and challenges of persons living with HIV/AIDS.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) is preferred. Fluency in other languages is welcomed
• New York Certification as a Peer Specialist preferred

Professional Competencies

• Excellent interpersonal, organizational communication and analytical skills.
• Computer literacy with proficiency with Microsoft Office products is required.

NOTE: All applicants must comply with ICL"s vaccination policy. Individuals selected for employment cannot begin working until they provide verification that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (with an FDA-authorized vaccine).

Peer Counselors are former residents who have moved from Transitional Residence and who are successfully employed and living in permanent housing. They participate in the coordination of services and model the behaviors needed to move to permanent housing. They provide advocacy and counseling support to the residents.
ESSENTIAL TASKS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty listed satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions unless this causes undue hardship to the agency.

* Encourage and assist residents to participate in physical, social, recreational, educational, and other rehabilitation goals to facilitate the residents' recovery/healing and their fuller participation in the life of their family and community.
* Assist the Recovery Specialist/Social Worker staff and Case Managers in running wellness and community integration groups.
* Assist residents with applications for services such as: Access-A-Ride, HRA, Social Security, MTA half-fare cards and other benefits and entitlements in collaboration with the Entitlements Counselor.
* Assist the Recreation Specialist and Unit Counselors in using neighborhoods for recreational-based incentive programs.
* Provide motivational interviewing to residents as needed.
* Participate in length-of-stay reviews.
* Help residents to identify and access community resources both prior to and after moving into non- transitional housing.
* Encourage resident socialization both in and out of Transitional Residence.
* Facilitate self-help groups.
* Assist the recovery Specialists/Social Workers in the facilitation of gender-specific groups that address gender-related community reintegration and adaptation issues that include gender role identity, socialization skills development, family relationship, intimacy, and sex education issues.
* Advocate on behalf of residents in the facility and in the community.
* Escort residents to appointments if they want such support to maintain service continuity.
* Participate in wellness self-management and other recovery-oriented groups.
* Interact with residents in assigned neighborhoods.
* Assist residents in the neighborhood with meeting their daily living needs; assist in developing the spirit, values and culture of the neighborhoods.
* Responsible for all communication to residents.
* Welcoming new residents, introducing them to their neighbors and orienting them to the values, rules, expectations and tasks of the neighborhood.
* Assist with assigning tasks, including light cleaning, maintenance of a neighborhood message board, meal service and wake-up call to residents a daily neighborhood meeting.
* Select one or two residents from the neighborhood to serve as Neighborhood Guardians, assistants in looking after the needs of the neighborhood.
* Assist in the orientation of new personnel when requested.
* Observe residents' behavior and specific responses to services and report observations orally and/or in writing, including computer entries, as instructed and in accordance with applicable standards; maintain up-to-date, accurate individual paper and electronic case records on peer-counselor-related activities.
* Comply with attendance and timekeeping rules and report reliably and regularly to work on an on-going basis.
* Attend regularly scheduled clinical meetings, case conferences, staff meetings and supervision as well as in-service training and development activities.
* May have on-call responsibilities.
* Comply and promote compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and agency policies helping to strengthen and maintain an ethical organizational culture.
* Perform other job-related duties that may be assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

* Knowledge of how disabilities can adversely affect functioning and ways to cope with or overcome such effects
* Ability to read and write at least at a 12th grade level and to follow written and oral instructions
* Ability to work with residents, families, and staff in a caring and respectful manner, and with due understanding of and consideration for cultural differences
* Ability to complete written forms and reports in an accurate and timely manner, manually and by computer.
* Ability to communicate effectively with staff, consumers/residents, families, and the public.
* Ability to accompany or transport residents (some assignments may require possession of a valid driver's license).
* Ability to be empathetic and supportive to residents instructing, demonstrating, modeling, and encouraging appropriate behavior and skills
* Ability to secure and maintain certification for Standard First Aid and CPR.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATIONS:

* Completion of an internship or comparable training in peer advocacy; experience in providing pure advocacy services to people who are homeless and/or who have disabilities
* Past or current recipient of mental health, substance services or homeless services.

Peer Counselor - FT - 40hrs per week - Mukilteo, WA

Compass Health is currently looking for a Full-Time Certified Peer Counselor for our E&T Facility in Mukilteo. The E&T is an inpatient psychiatric facility and requires continuous contact with patients. The team is a close knit, supportive group that works to provide the best possible care for clients needing evaluation and treatment.

What you will be performing

As a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team, the Peer Counselor will provide services to patients including assistance with stabilization, recovery, self-advocacy, development of natural supports, and the development and maintenance of community living skills.

What you will be carrying along

High School Diploma or equivalent required. AA or BA Degree in a related field preferred.
Current Peer Counselor Certification preferred.
Personal experience receiving community services as a consumer, and/or experience as a caregiver of a child as a consumer.
Experience as a Peer Counselor preferred.

What you will be sharing

Some knowledge of child development, behavior management and parenting techniques, and culturally diverse families.
Thorough knowledge and understanding of rehabilitation and recovery.
Knowledge of mental illnesses and chemical dependency, and effective strategies for dealing with its effects.
Ability to collaborate, provide peer support, and help facilitate services for families receiving high intensity services.

What we will be offering

As the region's largest non-profit community behavioral healthcare organization, we have been serving our clients and our communities for over 110 years. Our commitment to care doesn't stop with our clients though, as we take pride in offering our employees the opportunity to work in a culture that promotes learning, growth, and advancement as well as a focus on employee satisfaction and work/life balance.

(benefits pro-rated for part time employees)

Medical, dental, and vision insurance at NO COST to Full-time employees
16 days of paid vacation the first year
12 sick days with great wellness day
13 paid holidays - 11 regular and 2 that you choose
Professional funds and paid education leave
Up to 2% match for the 403B Retirement plan after the first year
Automatic additional pay raises when you have your 1st & 3rd anniversary with Compass!
And much, much more!!

ABOUT US
Compass Health is the region's largest private, non-profit organization providing mental health and chemical dependency services in Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties of Western Washington. We provide quality creative services to children, families and adults in a variety of outpatient, residential and inpatient settings. We have been serving our clients and our communities for over 110 years, though our commitment to care doesn't stop with our clients as we take pride in offering our employees the opportunity to work in a culture that promotes learning, growth, and advancement. We maintain a focus on employee satisfaction and work/life balance, which includes competitive compensation and benefits programs. Please visit our website for more information: www.compasshealth.org.

Compass Health promotes equal treatment and equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, marital status, sexual minority status, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification.

POSITION SUMMARY

Job Title: Peer Counselor

Program: 450-5600 E&T

Location: Mukilteo

Hours: Full-time (40 hours/week)

Wage: $17.15-$30.01/hr DOE