Peer Recovery Specialist - Ryan White Project

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

School of Medicine | Department of Psychiatry | Addiction Research & Treatment Services (ARTS)

Official Title: Health Care Tech II

Working Title: Peer Recovery Specialist - Ryan White Project

Position: #00218252 - Requisition: #30545

Job Summary:

The University of Colorado Denver seeks a full-time, University Staff (non-classified) Health Care Technician II within the Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) Adult Outpatient Program, with clinic locations in Denver, Aurora, and Arvada. The ARTS Adult Outpatient Program is within the School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. ARTS Adult Outpatient clinics provide drug and alcohol assessment, psychosocial and pharmacological treatment for adults. Programs in various clinic locations include traditional outpatient, intensive outpatient and may contain specialty services for clients referred by the criminal justice system, county departments of human services, and services for pregnant women, individuals who are HIV-positive and gender responsive services.

This position supports drug and alcohol assessment, psychosocial, and pharmacological treatment for HIV-positive adult substance abuse clients at the Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) Parkside Clinic and Specialized Outpatient Services (SOS) Clinic, which are both located in Denver. ARTS is a part of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. This is a full-time, grant-funded, University Staff (non-classified) position that provides activities to engage, educate, and offer support to HIV-positive patients, their family members, and caregivers to connect patients to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up sessions. This position is responsible for conducting outreach activities with patients, staff, community partners, subcontracted agencies, and/or other entities as appropriate, travel to various sites, and perform other duties as assigned or required. Standard working hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 4:30pm, and this position may be required to work on some Saturdays/Sundays (for events/clinic coverage), as well.

This position is a full-time position partially supported by Ryan White Care Act grant funds, whose funding levels will be reviewed on a periodic basis. Accordingly, the position's status may be affected over time by any applicable variations in the grant and/or funding amounts.

Key Responsibilities:

• Under general supervision, receive training and serve as a Peer Educator to implement peer-led interventions to improve outcomes for HIV-positive patients in opioid medication-assisted and traditional outpatient treatment.
• Conduct structured, peer-led individual and group interventions that focus on health education, care coordination, as well as identifying and reducing barriers to care for patients.
• Conduct outreach activities in the community to engage HIV-positive patients in substance use treatment.
• Identify any problems, challenges, or obstacles in coordination of services, identify potential solutions, and resolve such problems, challenges, or obstacles in a timely manner.
• Ensure all duties and responsibilities are performed for effective and appropriate benefit of patients to whom care and/or services are being provided.
• Ensure confidentiality of patient health information and/or health records.

Work Location:

Onsite - this role is expected to work onsite and is located in the Metro Denver area, Colorado.

Why Join Us:

This position at the University of Colorado/ Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) provides a unique opportunity for individuals with lived experience and recovery from SUDs to use, in turn, their specialized knowledge and experience to provide care, assistance and support of individuals currently living with SUD. The individual in this position, through their words and actions, will have a direct influence on helping others with SUD to set themselves on a path to recovery and make health lifestyle choices. In addition, by joining ARTS, employees will be actively engaged in a supportive, professional, and nurturing environment where individuals with various backgrounds and experiences converge and collaborate to provide an evidence-based, multi-faceted approach to provide the best treatment and care to every patient who comes into care at ARTS clinics.

The University of Colorado offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes health insurance, life insurance, retirement plans, tuition benefits, ECO pass, paid time off - vacation, sick, and holidays and more. To see what benefits are available, please visit: https://www.cu.edu/employee-services/benefits-wellness.

Diversity and Equity:

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse student body, faculty and administrative staff. The university strives to promote a culture of inclusiveness, respect, communication and understanding. We encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, persons within the LGBTQ community and all veterans. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED).
• Minimum of two (2) years of sobriety with existing sober support from SUD or addictions recovery.
• One (1) year of experience in working closely with patients and connecting them to resources.
  • A combination of education and related technical/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for the experience on a year for year basis.
• Prior experience in sexual health education and/or with people living with HIV.

Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with basic care coordination, medical/hospital and/or community resources.
• Certification as a Peer Specialist (for example, Colorado Peer and Family Specialist/CPFS).
• Prior experience in Patient Navigation and connecting patients to required services or resources.
• Experience with motivational interviewing techniques.
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with an Associate's degree or higher in psychology, social work, counseling, human services, or another related field.
• Experience working with clients who are involved with the criminal justice system, probation/parole, human services, and/or other similar referral sources.
• Experience providing administrative support to clients, families, staff, and other stakeholders in a substance abuse treatment setting.
• Experience managing financial paperwork including creating invoices, tracking expenditures, and gathering statistical data.
• Experience working with electronic health records.
• Experience working successfully with multiple tasks in a high-pressure environment.
• Current, valid registration with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) as Certified Addiction Technician (CAT) license or higher.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish.

Conditions of Employment:

• The employee must successfully complete the CCAR Recovery Coach Academy training within 6 months of hire date.
• The employee must obtain the Colorado Peer and Family Specialist (CPFS) certification within 1 year of hire date.
• Must agree to fingerprinting and criminal background check prior to being hired. Required background checks include a review with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Central Registry of Child Protection (Trails).
• Subject to pre-employment, post-accident, incident, and/or reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing per UCD Addiction Research and Treatment Services Department Policies.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent communications and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to manage difficult behaviors.
• Ability to engage successfully with substance dependent clients in treatment.
• Ability to comply with established rules, policies and procedures and meet deadlines.
• Ability to be open-minded and nonjudgmental.
• Ability to develop healthy relationships and boundaries with clients.
• Ability to exercise discretion and maintain patient confidentiality.
• Ability to effectively and accurately check for typographical, grammatical and/or spelling errors in documents.
• Experience of utilizing Microsoft Word to create documents, tables, mail mergers, reports, etc.
• Experience utilizing Microsoft Excel to create, revise, update and maintain spreadsheets and macro-enabled reports.
• Experience using Microsoft Outlook to create, send and receive e-mail communication.
• Experience with accurate and timely data entry.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain rapport, positive relationships, and critical thinking.
• Knowledge of basic therapeutic confrontation and structures.

How to Apply:

For full consideration, please submit the following document(s):

1. A cover letter describing relevant job experiences to the position.
2. Curriculum vitae / Resume
3. Three to five professional references, including name, address, phone number (mobile number if appropriate), and email address.

Questions should be directed to: Michael Sullivan, Program Director of Quality Assurance, ARTS Adult Outpatient Program, at michael.d.sullivan@cuanschutz.edu

Screening of Applications Begins:

Screening of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled.

Anticipated Pay Range:

The starting salary range (or hiring range) for this position has been established as $41,700 - $48,377.

The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. This position may be eligible for overtime compensation, depending on the level.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.

Total Compensation Calculator: http://www.cu.edu/node/153125

ADA Statement:

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at hr.adacoordinator@cuanschutz.edu.

Background Check Statement:

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

Vaccination Statement:

CU Anschutz strongly encourages vaccination against the COVID-19 virus and other vaccine preventable diseases. If you work, visit, or volunteer in healthcare facilities or clinics operated by our affiliated hospital or clinical partners or by CU Anschutz, you will be required to comply with the vaccination and medical surveillance policies of the facilities or clinics where you work, visit, or volunteer, respectively. In addition, if you work in certain research areas or perform certain safety sensitive job duties, you must enroll in the occupational health medical surveillance program.