Peer Recovery Specialist (Infectious Disease)

The Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 30,000 - 45,000; Part time

Job summary

The Johns Hopkins University is seeking a Peer Recovery Specialist in Baltimore, Maryland. This role involves supporting individuals recovering from substance use disorders and engaging them with community resources for treatment. The PRS will manage client caseloads, provide resource navigation, and act as a bridge between clients and healthcare services. Qualifications include a high school diploma and two years of related experience. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential. Additional training in substance use and related health issues is preferred.

Qualifications

• Two years of related experience required.
• Understanding of HIV, hepatitis, mental health issues, and substance use disorders preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of clients.
• Support client navigation of resources.
• Engage individuals released from incarceration.

Skills

Client engagement

Resource navigation

Communication skills

Understanding of social determinants of health

Documentation skills

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Epic (JH EMR)

REDCap

Qualtrics

Job description

The Center for Substance Use & Infectious Disease Care Integration is dedicated to promoting healthy outcomes for people who use substances, with a focus on prevention and treatment of infectious disease and other unintended consequences of substance use. We are seeking a casual Peer Recovery Specialist (PRS) who will support people released from hospitalization, released from jails and prisons, receiving care in skilled nursing facilities or outpatient clinics, and those in the general community to link to and engage in low-threshold, stigma-free treatment for substance use disorders and infectious diseases. The PRS will simultaneously address social determinants of health, e.g., housing, transportation, and health insurance access, by interacting with clients and assisting with access to resources. The individual will be trained to support engagement and retention of individuals in treatment. The PRS will identify community-based substance use and infectious disease care and recovery supports, and support engagement of program participants with community resources closest to them. The PRS will identify targeted areas in the community for outreach and engagement. The PRS will contribute to a productive, collaborative work environment and consistently hold clients and coworkers, clinic staff, community partners, available resources, and providers in positive and respectful regard.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of clients using project-specific registries to ensure that no one falls through the cracks.
• Follow a standardized protocol to engage with referred participants, including conducting an initial evaluation to assess needs related to social determinants of health.
• Use protocol goals to support a care plan agreed upon by the treatment team.
• Support client navigation of resources related to substance use disorder and infectious diseases treatment, e.g., overdose prevention, drug treatment services, medications for treating substance use disorder and infectious diseases, transportation, nutrition, health care, housing, medical insurance, employment opportunities, etc.
• Independently, and with supervisor and team support as needed, identify and connect with people slated for release from incarceration, meet them at the time of release, and engage them in ongoing care.
• Navigate resources required for stability post-incarceration.
• Identify local resources required for stability; maintain and share knowledge of current service availability.
• Identify and support access to housing resources, health insurance (linkage to local health department-based Maryland Health Connection sites), and transportation to appointments.
• Act as a bridge of trust between clients, local resources, and medical care for substance use disorders and infectious diseases. Provide proactive support to program clients for adherence to prescribed medications.
• Maintain a good working knowledge of all assigned protocols and reporting requirements. Maintain paper and computerized files as indicated in protocols.
• Prepare for and participate in weekly scheduled treatment team meetings.
• Collaborate with clinicians at designated Hopkins and community-based sites across Maryland to assist with patient linkage to care and engagement.
• Administer questionnaire to assess drug use practices, social networks (friends and family) characteristics, and health care access. Travel to intervention sites and community locations where clients are located.
• Participate in fundamental and ongoing training in evidence-based skills and interventions, treatment, and medication options for participants living with HIV, hepatitis, mental health issues, and substance use disorders.
• Maintain professionalism in interactions with clients/patients, medical providers, and staff, community-based organizations, and resources.
• Work with clients according to specific project protocols and client-developed goals.
• Complete documentation of interaction with program clients correctly and within one business day of interaction. Use a provided work phone and be available to assigned patients in caseload during Monday-Friday working hours. Maintain healthy professional boundaries and self-care.
• Consistently adhere to COVID-19 and other infectious disease safety requirements.
• Gain facility and use various programs to complete work, e.g., Epic (the JH EMR); REDCap, Qualtrics, and other software programs needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Two years of related experience.
• Additional education may substitute for required experience, and additional related experience may substitute for required education beyond a high school diploma/graduation equivalent, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.