Community Health Worker, Substance Use Services

University Health Network; Toronto; On-site; CAD 66,000 - 82,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive offer packages

HOOPP pension plan

Transit access

Flexible work environment

Development opportunities

Corporate discounts

Job summary

University Health Network is seeking a Community Health Worker to join the SUIT team at the Centre for Mental Health. You will work in emergency and inpatient settings, providing direct support, system navigation, and connections to community resources.

You will collaborate with physicians, nurses, social workers, and community partners to develop individualized care plans and advance substance use care pathways. A diploma in health or related field is required with 2–3 years of experience.

Qualifications

• At minimum, completion of a diploma program in a relevant health or social service field.
• Registration with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers preferred.
• Minimum 2–3 years of related practical experience working with people who use substances.
• Strong knowledge of community resources addressing social determinants of health.
• Trauma-informed, anti-racist, anti-discriminatory, anti-oppressive practices.
• Strong decision-making, problem-solving and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate discussions regarding patients’ substance use goals.
• Engage patients early in their care journeys to support progress toward goals.
• Build rapport and therapeutic relationships to coordinate care with SUIT and other teams.
• Provide hospital and system navigation support to ensure smooth transitions.
• Support housing, transportation, employment, food, and other social determinants of health.
• Contribute to interdisciplinary care planning discussions and program growth.
• Accompany patients to internal and external programs and resources.

Skills

Strong communication

Trauma-informed

Team collaboration

Public speaking

Education

Diploma in health or social services

OCSWSSW registration preferred

Job description

UHN is Canada’s #1 hospital and the world’s #1 publicly funded hospital. With 10 sites and more than 44,000 TeamUHN members, UHN consists of Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, The Michener Institute of Education and West Park Healthcare Centre. As Canada's top research hospital, the scope of biomedical research and complexity of cases at UHN have made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. UHN has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in neurosciences, cardiology, transplantation, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. UHN is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto.

UHN’s vision is to build A Healthier World and it’s only because of the talented and dedicated people who work here that we are continually bringing that vision closer to reality.

www.uhn.ca

Union:Non-Union
Number of vacancies:1
New or Replacement Position:New
Site:Toronto General Hospital/Toronto Western Hospital
Department:Center for Mental Health
Reports to:Manager
Salary Range: $33.80 - $42.25 per hour
Hours:37.5 hours per week
Shifts:10 hours - evenings, weekends
Status:Permanent Full-Time
Closing Date: September 8, 2026

Job Summary

Working with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), UHN hasestablisheda world-first partnership with a shared vision to integrate physical and mental health and advance brain health science. This collaboration unites Canada’s leading mental health research hospital with Canada’s leading academic health sciences centre to deliver comprehensive, coordinated care and drive world-class research and education on the connection between brain and body health.

As part of theUHN-CAMH Partnership, UHN isparticipating inOntario Health’sSubstance Use Disorder Integrated Care Pathway (SUD ICP)initiative, with the goal of establishing integrated care pathways for patients presenting to hospital emergency departments at high risk of alcohol and/or opioid-related morbidity and mortality to connect people to care that addresses their needs, both in hospitals and communities.The SUD ICPrepresentsan expansion of theUHN Mental Health Program’sexistingSubstance Use Intervention Team (SUIT), a consult service that ensures patients who use substances receive high quality care in hospital and upon discharge into community.

TheCommunity Health Worker(CHW)will be a key member ofSUIT,an interdisciplinary team thatwillincludephysicians, nurse practitioners, registerednurses,andcase managers.Working in both emergency department and inpatient settings, theCHWwill collaborate with cliniciansand community-led organizations on the development of a comprehensive plan to help address individualpatient’ssubstanceuse goalsand otherrelatedneeds.The CHW willprovidedirectone-on-onesupport topatients, advocate for high quality substance use care, and provide system navigationthroughout patients’ care journeys.TheCHWwill support thedevelopment andprovision of informationandresources, as well asparticipatein case discussions and debriefs. TheCHWwillcontribute to the growth and improvement of SUITandUHN’s broader Substance Use Services within the Mental Health Program.Additionally, the rolewillsupport building, growing, and sustainingrelationships with community partners, including CAMH and The Neighbourhood Group (TNG).

Duties:

• Facilitate supportive discussionsregardingpatients’ substance use goals
• Engage patients early and oftenin their care journeys tosupport progress towardtheirsubstance use goalswhile inhospital(emergency department, inpatient units, other settings)
• Build rapport and therapeutic relationships with patients tofacilitatecare deliveryand coordinationin collaboration withSUIT and other care teams
• Provide hospital and system navigation supportsto ensure smooth care transitions and improve access to services
• Support patients’ social determinants of health and related needs, such asassistingwith housing, transportation, employment, food, health insurance, government documents, etc.
• Contribute to interdisciplinary care planning discussions
• Accompany patients to internal and external programs and services (e.g., Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinic, Social Medicine Program, CAMH, TNG, etc.)
• Support patients’ immediate post-discharge needs and goals (e.g., appointment reminders, connection to external resources, arranging long-term supports and case management)
• Provide patients and hospital staff with education on substance use, harm reduction, and community resources
• Employ a harm reduction approach; advocate for stigma reduction at individual, program, and system levels
• Participate in program development and quality improvement initiatives to bolster substance use care capacity across the organization
• Liaise with external partners to support patients’ care goals and to foster stronger partnership relationships and system integration
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge and awareness of substance use care, community resources, hospital policies/procedures, and legislative environment

• At minimum, completion of adiploma programin a relevanthealth or socialservicework field, or recognized equivalent of lived or work experience
• Registration with theOntario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workerspreferred
• Minimum 2-3 years ofrelatedpracticalexperienceworking with people who use substances
• Strong knowledge of, and familiarity with, community resources to addresssubstance use issues andthe social determinants of health, including housing, poverty, and food insecurity
• Dynamic knowledge of community engagement principles
• Experience with the provision of trauma-informed care and anti-racist, anti-discriminatory, anti-oppressive practices
• Well-developed decision-making, problem-solving, and judgement skills
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
• Well-developed public speaking abilities
• Facilitation and/or teaching experience
• Proven ability to work as a team member and independently
• Ability tohave and use diplomacy and tact at all times
• Strong understanding of acute care setting and ability to navigate hospital systems an asset
• We encourage anyone who has lived experience of structural marginalization including homelessness or substance use to apply

In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.

• Competitive offer packages
• Government organization and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP https://hoopp.com/)
• Close access to Transit and UHN shuttle service
• A flexible work environment
• Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organization
• Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including: travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance discounts, on-site gyms, etc.)

Current UHN employees must have successfully completed their probationary period, have a good employee record along with satisfactory attendance in accordance with UHN's attendance management program, to be eligible for consideration.