OD2A Substance Use Navigator

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Time Type:

Full time

Department:

East Boston Recovery Services

All Locations:

1601 Washington Street, East Boston

Description:

Education, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required

Educational Requirements

• A High School diploma or GED required, Associate’s Degree or higher preferred.
• Preference of minimum 1-year experience in SUD treatment

Experience Requirements

• Knowledge of the standard of practice of SUD treatment and harm reduction
• Ability to use data to evaluate outcomes related to grant.
• Working knowledge and experience with the Epic electronic medical record systems, performance dashboards, database products, and analysis tools preferred
• 2 years’ experience in community work or health and human service, desired.
• Knowledge of community, neighborhoods served by EBNHC /SECHC desired
• Must work independently, have excellent interpersonal, communication and teaching skills.
• Bilingual preferred
• Demonstrate cultural competency working with the OD2A priority populations (homeless/unhoused, Black and Latinx, people who are incarcerated or transitioning out of incarceration)

SKILLS/ABILITIES:

• Strong advocacy skills along with knowledge of community-based services, resources, and local recovery community
• Empathic understanding of patients, including the ability to assess multicultural needs, sensitivity to ethnic, cultural, gender, and sexual orientation diversity, values, beliefs, and behaviors.
• Demonstrated flexibility with client’s priorities, evolving needs, and goals.
• Organizational skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, e-mail, and the internet; requires the ability to research community resources independently and to access and enter data
• Bilingual in Spanish and English strongly preferred.
• Willingness and ability to travel within the community

This exciting new position, funded through the OD2A (Overdose Data to Action) grant, through the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) emphasizes harm reduction, linkage to care via navigation programs, public safety partnerships. It involves outreach by people with lived experience to communities they represent to close gaps in access to care and services. OD2A is guided by a data-to-action framework which uses different types of data to select, improve, and scale-up drug overdose prevention programs and policies. The Substance Use Navigator (SUN) would be an integral part of the Recovery Services team and to help our patients maintain progress, have ongoing support, and receive services in the community that we are unable to provide within the clinic walls. This role is crucial to provide linkage to and retention in care through during more high-risk times such as at hospitals, ED discharges, release from criminal justice settings, when someone is unhoused, or when someone experiences a loss/major stressor or relapse. The SUN will assist in developing overdose and relapse prevention plans and provide education to patients, family members, and the community at large. This could include distributing or helping patients locate naloxone, drug testing strips, clean supplies and syringe programs. The SUN will work closely with BPHC to fulfill grant requirements and their initiatives, focus on ways to build relationships and trust with law enforcement, create new partnerships, and promote inclusion and diversity within our health center and the community.

Responsibilities:

• Meet all OD2A grant deliverables including maintaining ongoing and professional communication with BPHC, attending meetings, and data reporting
• Participates in expanding evidence-based interventions in the health center and community and seeks to reduce overdoses and use data to better serve populations at high risk
• Upholds the mission to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of Boston residents, especially those impacted by racism and systemic inequity
• Collaborate with City government and other community partners to uphold substance use navigation services and extend their reach, and establish referral pathways
• Make patient referrals to medical, behavioral health and human services providers at the health centers for needed services such as primary care, medicine for opioid use disorder, and other substance use and mental health care
• Partner with BPHC and Boston Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to respond to emerging substance use trends according to data, preventing overdoses among patients and other residents of the City of Boston
• Make warm referrals to needed services with other community healthcare and social service providers, including hospitals, substance use treatment programs, providing transportation support to patients, as needed
• Support retention in care, long-term recovery management, and re-engagement in care through ongoing follow-ups and tracking
• Disburse overdose prevention supplies (e.g., naloxone, fentanyl test strips, prevention literature) within the health center and at community sites

Miscellaneous

• Maintain excellent punctuality and attendance.
• Ability to work and solve problems independently and know when to seek consultation.
• Displays outstanding customer service skills when interacting with all EBNHC customers and appropriately representing the organization with stakeholders and community members/businesses.
• Adheres to all EBNHC and departmental policies and procedures.
• Participate in required departmental activities and meetings.
• Exhibit an aptitude for thinking creatively in engagement and support of individuals as they navigate through the challenges of substance use and recovery.
• Perform other related duties related to position and grant changes.

Other Duties & Responsibilities

• Reads, understands and complies with all Standards of Conduct, Joint Commission policies, requirements set forth by the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration pursuant to Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act, applicable State regulations and guidelines, and all laws related to position responsibilities and employment at EBNHC.
• Upholds procedures and systems to safeguard the confidentiality of all patient and employee information. 
• Upholds safety policies, practices, and procedures including safety, fire safety, electrical safety, proper body mechanics and material handling, office/ergonomic safety and other employee safety measures.
• Reads, understands and complies with all standards and guidelines related to the MGB SUD Equity Grant