Behavioral Health Discharge Analyst (MA4/DBHR)

State of Washington • Thurston County – Olympia, WA

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Behavioral Health Discharge Analyst focuses on collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, collecting, interpreting, and presenting data to professionals and program managers to improve how people transition out of State hospitals and behavioral health facilities into safe and stable living situations. This position serves as an expert on the discharge planning process statewide with a focus on state hospitals, state-contracted hospitals, and contracted long term civil commitment beds. The position leads strategy, project management, and performance measurement efforts while coordinating across multiple teams, agencies, and community partners to identify gaps and drive policy improvements. Collaborative professionals with experience in behavioral health systems, discharge planning, or reentry services are encouraged to apply. All HCA employees will apply an equity lens to their work, which may include but is not limited to all analyses of core business and processes. The Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR) is part of a cross-agency, interdisciplinary team of policy, community engagement, performance measurement, communications, and other specialists responsible for ensuring that Washington residents have access to continuum of prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. Programs promote strategies that support healthy lifestyles by preventing the misuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, supporting recovery from substance use, promoting recovery and resiliency, reducing stigma, mitigating the effects of problem gambling on the individual and family. DBHR brings operational elements such as medical assistance, substance use and mental health into closer working relations to serve individuals more effectively and efficiently. The Behavioral Health Discharge Analyst (Management Analyst 4) is part of the Civil Community Reentry (CCR) team in the Diversion and Reentry (DAR) section within DBHR, reporting to the CCR Supervisor. This position acts as the subject matter expert related to development, planning, implementation, process improvement, and project management of activities related to stable transitions from state hospitals, state-contracted hospitals, long term civil commitment beds, and other behavioral health facilities statewide. The position holds a lead role in the development and oversight of performance measures, accountability structures, and new initiatives that improve transitions into safe and stable living situations. This position leads the strategic planning and project management processes, provides analysis and reports on federal, state, and local policies related to this work, and works with program managers, their provider teams and staff, and other internal and external partners to improve connection between hospitals and outpatient housing and behavioral health programming. This position is eligible to telework and is typically not required to report onsite. The default assigned work location of all Health Care Authority (HCA) positions – both on-site and telework eligible positions – is within the State of Washington. This position reports to Olympia, WA. Frequency of onsite work will vary based on business and operational needs. All agency employees are required to report on-site in Olympia on their first and last days of employment to pick up and return state-issued equipment, regardless of telework status or location.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher public administration, philosophy of human rights, law, writing, grant writing, public health, health administration, behavioral health, social work or a related field AND four (4) years of experience conducting research that includes data analysis and interpretation.
• Associate degree in in public administration, philosophy of human rights, law, writing, grant writing, public health, health administration, behavioral health, social work or a related field AND six (6) years of experience conducting research that includes data analysis and interpretation.
• Eight (8) years of related experience conducting research that includes data analysis and interpretation.
• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of or experience with discharge practices from behavioral health settings and or housing supports.
• Knowledge of or experience with recovery support programs and/or evidence-based practices of supportive housing.
• Experience with continuous quality improvement approaches and change management techniques and practices.
• The ability to comprehend, describe, and actively participate in discussions regarding public health, health care administration, program administration, and allied fields in behavioral health, mental health, and substance use disorder programming.
• The ability to comprehend, describe, and actively participate in discussions regarding housing and behavioral health support settings after discharge.
• The ability to comprehend, describe, and analyze policies, laws, rules, and regulations
• The ability to conduct program logic modeling and analysis and to develop programmatic changes along with other subject matter experts
• The ability to lead projects and pull teams together to successfully complete a shared goal
• Policy research, data analysis and interpretation.

Responsibilities

• Ensure webpages and public facing documents are accurate and updated regularly including the Discharge Planners’ Toolkit by engaging with necessary program leads at IT and/or COMMS on a regular (at least quarterly) basis.
• Develop presentation materials including PowerPoints and give presentations to audiences at the national, state, and local levels, including key stakeholders, program managers, their provider teams and staff, leadership, and other external and internal partners.
• Manage the GHHI program concurrently with BH-ASO Contracts Team.
• Manage, continuously update, and work with IT to maintain and keep the Discharge Planners Toolkit both relevant to and utilized by community partners.
• Provide research, analysis, and strategic planning to develop policy and services related to statewide discharge practices, ensuring alignment with broader social determinants of health needs.
• Utilize data and information to provide analyses on key civil discharge agreement-related metrics, connecting directly with community-based programs at both DSHS and HCA, as well as their program manager(s) to share and develop strategies that might increase the chances of successful discharges.
• Provide leadership in the development and monitoring of processes and performance accountability, data analysis, research and reporting.
• Serve as the lead for provisos that effects patients discharging from state and/or other hospitals as well as implementation of related policies and procedures.
• Provide training and technical assistance to stakeholders on key policies, new initiatives, and use of funding from current and future provisos related to discharge practices and safe and stable transitions from state funded systems of care.
• Manage multiple projects and assignments concurrently with a considerable degree of self-directed initiative.
• Develop process improvement strategies and solutions for behavioral health transitions.
• Lead projects that support the implementation of behavioral health care policies that promote and improve quality, access, cost-effectiveness, and increase provider accountability for behavioral health care services. Projects can include cross-systems logic modeling, identifying service gaps, and program design and service integration.
• Lead and facilitate internal and external, cross-system, state and stakeholder workgroups focused on topics related to safe and stable transitions from hospitals and other behavioral health facilities.

Benefits

• Meaningful work with friendly co-workers who care about those we serve
• A clear agency mission that drives our work and is person-centered
• A healthy work/life balance, including alternative/flexible schedules and mobile work options.
• A great total compensation and benefit package
• A safe, pleasant workplace in a convenient location with restaurants, and shopping nearby.
• And free parking!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level