Early Intervention Specialist

Job Location

Main Office

Salary Range

$17.50 – $19.00 per hour

Classification

Full-Time

Exemption Status

Non-Exempt

Hours

M-Th – 8:30am – 5pm

F – 8:30am – 4pm

Education Level

High School Diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED)

For more than three decades, Friends For All (formerly Friends For Life) has been preventing the spread of HIV and helping those affected by HIV/AIDS live well. Our holistic, client-centered approach provides a variety of services coordinated through one centralized model. We strive to address the roots of need—including stigma and inequality—to improve health and wellness for everyone we serve. Our goal is to eliminate new transmissions of HIV in Memphis and the Mid-South and empower those living with HIV to become their healthiest, happiest selves.

• A commitment to work-life balance with: (up to 38 Days Off)
  1. 12 accrued vacation days per year
  2. 12 accrued sick days per year
  3. 14 paid holidays, including Your Birthday!
  4. Sick Bank allows employees to donate sick time to other employees with a serious health condition who have no remaining sick or vacation
  5. Flex Schedule may be available based on position after introductory period
• Employer-sponsored health, dental, and vision insurance with two PPO medical and Dental plans. Costs for employee per pay period (bi-weekly)
  1. BCBS PPO Plans
     • PPO Gold premium = $28.88
     • PPO Platinum premium = $56.15
  2. Dental Plans

• PPO Low = $ 1.14
• PPO High = $5.81

• 401k program with up to 3% employer match starting immediately
• Employer-paid basic life insurance valued at $50,000
• Employer-paid Short-term disability
• Voluntary Life and AD&D, Long-term disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare and dependent care
• Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
• Employee Assistance Program with in person counseling options

The Friends For All Early Intervention Specialist (EIS) will serve as a primary person of contact to provide support for persons newly diagnosed with HIV, persons with HIV/AIDS who have been lost from care, persons with HIV/AIDS who have been recently released from incarceration, and persons who are in medical care, but have identified issues that adversely impact their retention in care. EIS will work closely Medical Case Management to provide treatment adherence counseling to ensure readiness for, and adherence to, complex HIV/AIDS treatments. Treatment adherence counseling is defined as a consumer’s successful initiation and compliance to HIV medications resulting in viral suppression.

The successful EIS Specialist will perform the following:

Client Engagement and Follow-Up:

• Directly interacts with and provides support for persons living with HIV/AIDS.
• Provides mentoring services to newly diagnosed persons, persons lost to care, and persons at risk of falling out of care.
• Provides risk reduction and treatment adherence counseling and HIV education.
• Establishes a trusting relationship with people living with HIV/AIDS.
• Initiates and maintains regular supportive contact with assigned clients at least one time per week.
• Attending medical appointments with clients on an as needed basis.
• Adhere to and follow the EIS HIV Continuum of Care to assist clients with linkage to care and obtaining viral suppression.
• Acts as an information resource to HIV/AIDS positive individuals and their families.
• Maintains all client related information under strict confidentiality.
• Track receipt of referrals for all persons supported.
• Update and share weekly job postings to clients and agency.
• Maintain FFA clothing closet.

Community Engagement:

• Research, develop, plan, and coordinate community outreach program activities and events.
• Provide information and referrals regarding activities, services and resources available through the department or within the community
• Coordinates initiatives designed to promote the organization and its services to the community.
• Meets with health care providers, local law enforcement and/or community organizations to develop collaborative prevention and/or education efforts
• Participate and/or conduct needs assessment analysis to identify community outreach needs
• Develops relationships with community leaders.
• Develop and prepare well written materials and professional presentations.
• Attend community meetings and serve on committees or boards as the department's representative;
• Works with health providers and other partner agencies and community members to promote healthy lifestyle choices and control spread of communicable diseases.

Outreach

• Provide HIV Counseling, Testing and Referrals to at-risk populations in compliance with standards of the Shelby County Health Department and Friends For All.
• Conduct targeted outreach to high-risk Black individuals, including people living with HIV/AIDS and men who have sex with men in the TGA.
• Engage individual in their own neighborhoods or venues where they typically congregate to provide HIV related health information, education referrals and linkage to services.
• Assist individual in receiving medical care for HIV infection and other support services. Verify that services were accessed post-referral. Distribute condoms to target HIV-infected persons and persons at highest risk of acquiring HIV.
• Maintain accurate and current process, procedural, and program, and inventory logs of specific outreach and testing activities, health materials, condoms/lube, OraQuick Temperature log (Control storage area); Test result, and OraQuick control.
• Maintain and reconcile accurate forms: Outreach Logs; reactive test result form; reactive rapid test; ID form; testing forms; Order Form/Testing Supplies.
• Conduct street outreach to people living with HIV/AIDS who have been lost to care, have a detectable viral load and/or present barriers to care.
• Maintain accurate and complete field notes and logs including number and type of contacts made, demographic information about the client, materials distributed, health education or group sessions conducted and number of participants in a timely manner

• Conduct education and supportive groups for clients needing support.
• Participates in workshops and in-service training at agencies, prisons, and other facilities.

Digital Health Literacy

• Implement selected Digital Health Curriculum for eligible participants.
• Assist in assessing clients’ needs around computer literacy, access to computer, cell phone, internet services, and access to medical care services.
• Provide group and individual digital literacy classes at our facility and/or in client home per selected curriculum.
• Utilize internal and external referral sources to recruit eligible clients for program.
• Ensure clients complete Digital Literacy program and are properly transitioned into Wellness University and linked to consistent medical services.
• Ensure participants ability to utilize telehealth or telemedicine options such as; video medical visits, navigating electronic health record, utilizing mobile health apps, emailing/texting your medical provider, and ect.
• Provide ongoing client follow up via Tovuti, Teams or Zoom one time per month to ensure client ongoing utilization of telehealth and overall computer literacy skills for 3 months after completion of digital literacy training sessions. Early Intervention Services will continue monthly follow up visits for 3 months via telehealth.
• Provide accurate, complete and timely data entry and reporting of all relevant program and consumer data into CAREware, Apricot, and/or other reporting systems as requested by supervisor.

Data Entry and Documentation

• Performs data entry in the appropriate Database system.
• Provides accurate, complete and timely data entry and reporting of all relevant program and consumer data into CAREware, HMIS, and/or other reporting systems as requested by supervisor.
• Submit weekly tracking documentation on client tracking log.

Chart/File Management:

• Maintains accurate, up-to-date written records of all client contracts.
• Maintain all files in accordance with funding source and agency standards.

Client Plans and Assessments:

• Provides intake, assessment, and service planning to individuals referred or self-referred to services at FFA on a walk-in or appointment basis.
• Complete Global Assessment and Care Plans for all client receiving Early Intervention Services from Friends For All.

Administrative Support:

• Answer incoming telephone calls on an as needed basis.
• Performs light clerical work.

• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
• Participate in weekly or biweekly coaching sessions with supervisor

N/A

What you can bring to Friends For All to be successful:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• High School Diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED)
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience working with people living with HIV/AIDS preferred
• Good strategic/critical thinker, self-starter, goal-oriented
• Excellent verbal and written communications.
• Ability to operate with purpose, urgency and accuracy in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment -- with particular attention to detail and organization
• Strong relationship-builder both with team and clients(internal and external)
• Competence in Excel and other Microsoft applications as well as Adobe
• Competence in SharePoint and other applications

• Regular and predictable attendance is necessary.
• Maintain confidential information and adhere to all Friends For All policies and procedures regarding Protected Health Information (PHI).

Must have a valid State Driver’s License, provide proof of automobile insurance coverage to employer at all times and have an automobile to be used daily.

MISSION DRIVEN:

We’re a mission driven organization made up of people committed to cultivating growth and learning. We believe in providing care for all of our clients while providing a welcoming, balanced environment for all of our employees. By joining our team you are joining a group of community focused professionals who connect people with care.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

• Must be sensitive to the culturally and racially diverse nature of clients, patients, employees, and visitors.
• Must be able to interact with everyone in a friendly, helpful manner.

ADA SPECIFICATIONS:

Physical demands that must be met in order to successfully complete the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Requires ability to speak audibly and listen actively.
• Requires ability to use computers, telephones and other office equipment.
• Requires ability to sit for extended periods.
• May require occasional bending and lifting up to 25 pounds.
• May require periodic local travel.

OSHA CATEGORY:

This position performs tasks that may involve exposure to blood, body fluids, or tissues. Training will be provided per Standard Operating Procedure for your area of operation. All FFA employees are offered the opportunity to receive the Hepatitis B vaccination series.

Friends For All (FFA) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind: FFA is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with an equitable and inclusive work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at FFA are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by all applicable federal, state and local laws or regulations. FFA will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.