REPORTS TO: Director of Behavioral Health
FLSA Status: Non – Exempt
Organizational Overview:
Manet Community Health Center (Manet) serves the broad health needs of patients and residents across our service areas by delivering high quality, individualized, culturally sensitive primary care, behavioral health and supportive services for families and individuals of all ages. Manet is a federally qualified health center (FQHC), fully licensed by the Department of Public Health, accredited by The Joint Commission, recognized by the National Committee for Health Assurance (NCQA) as a Patient-Centered Medical Home, and certified for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support. A multi-site community-based health center, Manet ensures that our patients have unfettered access to all levels of the health care system and is especially committed to providing services for the medically underserved. Manet has four locations in Quincy, two in Taunton and one each in Hull and Attleboro, Massachusetts. Manet’s two newest sites opened in late 2023: a school-based health center in Taunton and a clinic within a Housing Resource Center in Quincy for homeless and housing insecure individuals. Manet is committed to providing community leadership and collaboration to improve health outcomes for the residents and communities we serve.
This position exists in partnership with South Shore Hospital and South Shore Health, the largest independent health system in Southeastern Massachusetts, offering primary and specialty care, hospital care, home health and community care, emergency and urgent care, and preventative and wellness services.
General Definition and Scope of Job:
The Community Health Specialist – Addiction and Recovery (CHS) will work within the Emergency Department and closely with the Addiction Consult Service (ACS) and Bridge Program at South Shore Health and serve as navigator and recovery coach to link people using drugs and/or alcohol with community resources, such as SUD treatment, primary care, housing assistance, child welfare, etc. A focus will be on engaging drug users and helping them access outpatient evidence-based addiction treatment through medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) or office-based addiction treatment (OBAT) programs, such as the Bridge Program or Manet’s Medication Assisted treatment (MAT) program. The CHS will conduct outreach to engage black, indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) communities in treatment options and provide culturally/linguistically appropriate referrals for SUD treatment and address wrap around services (primary care, housing, emergency aid, etc.) that present barriers to engagement in care.
The CHS will work closely with the Addiction and Recovery Team at Manet, as well as with care managers and providers, to facilitate smooth and timely access for patients to Manet programs and services.
Core Responsibilities
• Document care/intervention in the EMR for coordinated care across the system. Daily rounding with Addiction Medicine and CHWs improves patient care integration.
• Provide a combination of Community Liaison/Peer Recovery support. The CHS works with patients referred from the ACS to ensure delivery of care/treatment beyond the hospital.
• Develop knowledge of community-based MOUD programs providing evidence-based treatments and maintain relationships with those programs to facilitate care coordination and access to these programs (ex: Bridge Program, Manet MAT/OBAT)
• Performs an intake in the ED, when possible, assesses the barriers to accessing treatment and care, and provides appropriate referrals in the patient’s preferred geographic, cultural and/or LGBTQ-friendly setting.
• Conducts patient outreach and engagement activities including face-to-face, mail, electronic and phone contact.
• Supports patient continuity of care, including re-engaging patients in care if they miss appointments and/or do not follow up on treatment.
• Supports the development and execution of patients’ care plans, including assisting patients in understanding care plans and instructions and tailoring communications to appropriate health literacy levels.
• Provides informal counseling and promotes patient treatment adherence through assisting patients in making changes to daily routines, identifying barriers and assisting patients with developing strategies to address barriers.
• Assists patients with navigating health care and social service systems including arranging for transportation and scheduling patient appointments.
• Assists care managers in monitoring and evaluating patients’ needs, including for prevention, wellness, medical, specialist, and behavioral health treatment, care transition and social and community service needs.
• Identifies available community-based resources and actively manages appropriate referrals, engagement, follow-up and coordination of services and access to the basic determinants of health (e.g. food, clothing, shelter, utilities).
• Collects and reports on data for program evaluation.
• Provides information on patients to care managers, other care team members, and providers.
• Documents in medical record patient information and interventions.
• Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Skills, Experience and Educational Requirements
Education:
• High School diploma or GED required. Associate’s degree preferred in Human Services field.
• 1-3 years related work experience preferred.
• Minimum 2 years of related work experience without a related associate’s degree
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. • Experience with computer systems required, including web-based applications and some Microsoft Office applications which may include Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Access.
• Lived experience with MOUD such as buprenorphine or methadone is preferred.
Critical Demands of the Job
- Bi-lingual capacity preferred for outreach to underserved and hard to reach populations, including Chinese, Portuguese and Arabic speakers.
- Manage multiple requests and prioritize appropriately.
- Must be able to consistently demonstrate integrity, compassion and respect, diversity and teamwork, excellence and innovation in work activities and interactions.
- Ability to function in a fast paced setting with a variety of patients and staff.
- Attention to details and prompt follow up.
- Includes walking and standing for long periods of time, sitting for short periods of time, hand dexterity, clear hearing and speaking ability. Must be able to lift a minimum of 1/3 of their body weight.
- Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
Required Certifications and Licenses
- Community Health Worker Certification is required, and certification training will be provided for successful candidate if not already acquired.
- Valid driver’s license, frequent local and occasional state-wide travel.
Working Conditions
- Works in well-lighted environment with comfortable surroundings.
- Stressful at times due to competing demands, including attention to multiple patients and staff.
- Will comply with all applicable laws, and will cooperate with the Manet Community Health Center compliance program rules and regulations.
Required Availability
May be required to work evenings, holidays or weekends