Peer Recovery Specialst - Patient Services

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Aurora (CO); On-site; USD 42,000 - 63,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus seeks two full-time University Staff Peer Recovery Specialists for the ARTS Adult Outpatient Program, with clinics in Denver, Aurora, and Arvada. You will engage adults with SUD, provide support, and connect patients to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-ups.

Responsibilities include outreach, case management, data entry in EHR, collaboration with staff, and ensuring confidentiality while coordinating care for MAT and SUD services.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• At least 1 year of professional experience connecting individuals in SUD treatment to resources.
• Education may substitute for experience on a year-for-year basis.
• Must meet minimum qualifications at hire.
• Must obtain CPFS/CFPS or Peer Recovery certification within 6 months of hire.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a Peer Recovery Specialist and peer educator to improve health outcomes for ARTS Adult Outpatient Program patients.
• Conduct case management focused on housing, transportation, Medicaid/Medicare enrollment and access to care.
• Schedule and maintain multiple appointments; maintain accurate records.
• Use electronic health records to document communications, interventions, and patient data.
• Engage patients in treatment and connect to MAT when appropriate.
• Travel to clinic sites as needed and collaborate with staff.

Skills

Excellent communication

Excellent written communication

Multilingual

Microsoft Office

Data entry

Critical thinking

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate's degree or higher (preferred)

Colorado DORA CAT/CFPS/CPFS certification (preferred)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

University of Colorado Anschutz

Department: Psychiatry – Addiction Research & TreatmentServices (ARTS) – Adult Outpatient Program

Job Title: Peer Recovery Specialist – Patient Services

Position #: 00828232 – Requisition #: 39490

Job Summary:

The University of Colorado Anschutz seeks two full-time, UniversityStaff (non-classified) Peer Recovery Specialists within theAddiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) Adult OutpatientProgram, with clinic locations in Denver, Aurora, and Arvada. TheARTS Adult Outpatient Program is within the School of Medicine,Department of Psychiatry. ARTS Adult Outpatient clinics providedrug and alcohol assessment, psychosocial and pharmacologicaltreatment for adults. Programs in various clinic locations includetraditional outpatient, intensive outpatient and may containspecialty services for clients referred by the criminal justicesystem, county departments of human services, and services forpregnant women, individuals who are HIV-positive andgender-responsive services.

This is a full-time, University Staff (non-classified) positionthat provides activities to engage, educate, and offer support toadults with SUD, their family members, and caregivers to connectpatients to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-upsessions. This position is also responsible for conducting outreachactivities with patients, staff, community partners, subcontractedagencies, and/or other entities as appropriate, travel to varioussites, and perform other duties as assigned or required.

Working hours are based on a standard 40-hour work week, to includebreaks, as follows:

• 6:00am-2:30pm on Mondays to Fridays

Note: The above working hours and locations may be subject tochange according to the needs of the clinic, and this position maybe required to work periodically on some weeknights and/or someSaturdays or Sundays, to represent ARTS at outreach events forexample

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a Peer Recovery Specialist and peer educator to improvehealth outcomes for patients who enter care at ARTS AdultOutpatient Program (AOP) clinic locations in Denver, Arvada,Aurora, and/or the ARTS Medication Mobile Unit, and are identifiedfor medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorder(SUD).
• Use a strengths-based, patient-focused approach with patients toidentify any problems or challenges.
• Conduct case management activities for patients, especiallyaround social determinants of health such as issues of housing,transportation, Medicaid and/or Medicare enrollment,food/nutrition, access to health care, provide referrals tonecessary, appropriate resources such as those offered throughcommunity/partner agencies.
• Conduct structured, Peer-led individual and group interventionsthat focus on health education, care coordination, identifying andreducing barriers to care for patients, and conduct outreachactivities in the community in order to engage patients into SUDtreatment and/or MAT treatment.
• Actively collaborate with supervisor and clinic staff tocoordinate and provide timely, effective efforts to ensuresuccessful delivery of services to patients and monitor theirprogress with respect to their care plan and/or treatmentplan.
• Attend and actively participate in all clinic meetings, huddles,trainings, etc.
• Continuously maintain accurate and up-to-date records and/ornotes as required by agency policy.
• Use electronic health record systems to ensure timelydocumentation, recording and tracking of communications,interventions, and patient data.
• Schedule and maintain multiple, internal, and externalappointments, and
• Gather, analyze, and report patient statistical data.
• Maintain personal contact with patients that is respectful,empathetic, and aligns with the patient's preferences for suchcommunications (e.g., phone, text, email, in-person, or acombination of these, etc.)
• Respond courteously to queries and provide excellent customerservice to patients, staff, internal and external stakeholders, andother individuals associated with ARTS Adult Outpatient Programgoals and projects.
• Work comfortably among patients with or without substance abusedisorder, who are referred from city and county parole/probationdepartments, department of social services, and other relevantagencies.
• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor and/or other AOPManagement Team members.

Work Location:

Onsite – the person in this position is expected to work onsite andis located in Denver, Aurora, or Arvada, Colorado.

Why Join Us:

ARTS promotes the continued development of its employees andassists in the CCAR Recovery Coach Academy training and theColorado Peer and Family Specialist (CPFS) certification.

Why work for the University?

We have AMAZING benefits and offer exceptional amounts of holiday,vacation and sick leave! The University of Colorado offers anexcellent benefits package including:

• Medical: Multiple plan options
• Dental: Multiple plan options
• Additional Insurance: Disability, Life, Vision
• Retirement 401(a) Plan: Employer contributes 10% of your grosspay
• Paid Time Off: Accruals over the year
• Vacation Days: 22/year (maximum accrual 352 hours)
• Sick Days: 15/year (unlimited maximum accrual)
• Holiday Days: 15/year
• Tuition Benefit: Employees have access to this benefit on all CUcampuses
• ECO Pass: Reduced rate RTD Bus and light rail servi
• There are many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.

Diversity and Equity:

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is committed torecruiting and supporting a diverse student body, faculty andadministrative staff. The university strives to promote a cultureof inclusiveness, respect, communication and understanding. Weencourage applications from women, ethnically minoritizedindividuals, persons with disabilities, persons within the LGBTQ+community and all veterans. In addition, the Anschutz Campus hasalso been recognized as an Age-Friendly University. The Universityof Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education andemployment.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED).
• One (1) year of professional experience with connectingindividuals in SUD treatment or addictions recovery to resourcesdirectly associated with SUD treatment, MAT, or addictionsrecovery.
• Additional appropriate education will substitute for the requiredexperience on a year-for-year basis.
• Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time ofhire.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate's degree or higher in psychology, social work,counseling, human services, or related field from an accreditedinstitution.
• Prior experience in Patient Navigation, enrolling patients forrequired services such as Medicaid or Medicare, or other resourcesavailable to patients.
• Possess certification as a Colorado Peer and Family Specialist(CPFS), Peer Recovery Specialist, or Peer Recovery Coach.
• Experience with motivational interviewing techniques.
• Experience working with clients who are involved with thecriminal justice system, drug courts, recovery courts,probation/parole offices, city and county departments ofhuman/family services, and/or other similar referral sources.
• Experience providing administrative support to clients, families,staff, and other stakeholders in a SUD or MAT treatmentsetting.
• Experience working with individuals with a variety of cultural,socio-economic, ethnic, racial, and/or spiritual backgrounds.
• Experience working with individuals from the LGBTQ+community.
• Experience working with electronic health records.
• Current, valid registration with the Colorado Department ofRegulatory Agencies (DORA) as Certified Addiction Technician (CAT)license or higher.
• Multilingual, i.e. English and other language(s).

Competencies: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's)

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written communication skills, which includes theability to check for typographical, grammatical, and spellingerrors.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationshipswith employees at all levels throughout the institution.
• Ability to effectively manage difficult behaviors.
• Ability to engage patients in treatment for substance usedisorder treatment.
• Ability to comply with established rules, policies, andprocedures.
• Ability to be open-minded and nonjudgmental.
• Ability to develop healthy relationships with clients.
• Ability to exercise discretion and maintain patientconfidentiality.
• Knowledge of basic care coordination, medical/hospital, and/orcommunity resources.
• Knowledge of basic therapeutic confrontation andstructures.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, Outlooketc.).
• Excellent data entry skills.
• Critical thinking skills with the ability to successfully meetdeadlines and multitask in a high-pressure environment.

Conditions of Employment

• Must possess personal, lived experience with SUD or addictions,and maintain continuous recovery with existing sobrietysupports.
• Must be willing and able to obtain the one of the followingcertifications within six (6) months of hire; Colorado Family andPeer Specialist (CFPS), Peer Recovery Specialist, or Peer RecoveryCoach..
  
  o In order for services delivered to be reimbursable, Peer RecoverySpecialists must either be certified or in the process of becomingcertified.
• More information on certification can be found here: https://hcpf.colorado.gov/peerservices
• Costs associated with certification training may be covered bythe University/ARTS. Costs associated with the exam and continuingeducation will be the responsibility of the candidate
• The employee must successfully complete the CCAR Recovery CoachAcademy training within 12 months of the hire date (training costswill be borne by employer) if the employee has not completed thetraining already.
• Must agree to fingerprinting and criminal background check priorto being hired. Required background checks include a review withthe Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Federal Bureauof Investigation (FBI).
• Subject to pre-employment, post-accident, incident, and/or drugand alcohol testing per UCAMC Addiction Research and TreatmentServices policies.
• Possession of valid driver's license and automobile insurance perState of Colorado requirements.
• The individual in this position may be required to workperiodically on some weeknights and/or Saturdays and Sundays, forexample, to represent the University/ARTS at events, stakeholdermeetings, etc.
• The individual in this position may be required to be availableoccasionally to be on-call for emergency purposes.

Note: This section preserved as part of the job description content. For brevity, some items have been reformatted into lists where appropriate.

How to Apply:

Removed per refinement guidelines.

Screening of Applications Begins:

Applications will be accepted until finalists are identified, butpreference will be given.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with allapplicable federal, state, and local laws governingnondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating aworkplace where all individuals are treated with respect anddignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds toapply, including protected veterans and individuals withdisabilities.

ADA Statement:

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicantswith disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans withDisabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADACoordinator at [e-mail].

Background Check Statement:

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated toensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff,students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conductbackground investigations for all prospective employees.

Vaccination Statement:

CU Anschutz strongly encourages vaccination against the COVID-19virus and other vaccine preventable diseases . If you work, visit, or volunteerin healthcare facilities or clinics operated by our affiliatedhospital or clinical partners or by CU Anschutz, you will berequired to comply with the vaccination and medical surveillancepolicies of the facilities or clinics where you work, visit, orvolunteer, respectively. In addition, if you work in certainresearch areas or perform certain safety sensitive job duties, youmust enroll in the occupational health medical surveillance program.