BEST Criminal Justice Diversion Police Co-Responder (Sunday-Thursday 3pm-11pm)

Boston Medical Center•Boston, MA

18d•Onsite

About The Position

The Boston Emergency Services Team (BEST) Criminal Justice Diversion Police Co-responder provides direct services to children, adolescents, and adults in crisis. This clinician will work collaboratively with the Boston Police and be available to assist BPD officers with calls for individuals exhibiting signs of mental distress, to provide assessments on-site, in the community, or at the police district and deliver rapid access to community mental health, substance abuse and psychiatry services, including urgent linkage to other components of the BEST system. Boston Medical Center (BMC) is more than a hospital. It´s a network of support and care that touches the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in need each year. It is the largest and busiest provider of trauma and emergency services in New England. Emphasizing community-based care, BMC is committed to providing consistently excellent and accessible health services to all—and is the largest safety-net hospital in New England. The hospital is also the primary teaching affiliate of the nationally ranked Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and a founding partner of Boston HealthNet – an integrated health care delivery systems that includes many community health centers. Join BMC today and help us achieve our Vision 2030 which is a long-term goal to make Boston the healthiest urban population in the world.

Requirements

Master’s Degree in social work, counseling, or related field required by start date
LCSW/ LICSW or LMHC license eligible required

Nice To Haves

Experience in crisis response across all age ranges is a plus.
Clinical counseling experience with individuals experiencing behavioral health crises preferred
Experience working with crisis intervention services and community resources desirable
Experience working with first responders is desirable
Bilingual or multi-lingual skills (beyond that of English) appropriate to the patient population served is a plus.
Preference given to applicants who reflect the cultural and language diversity of the Boston Medical Center patient population.

Responsibilities

Respond to 911 calls with the Boston Police Department, where behavioral health concerns have been identified.
In collaboration with first responders, identify the factors contributing to the individuals crisis, and complete a crisis evaluation.
Determine the most appropriate clinical level of care necessary, and communicate these recommendations to first responders, the individual, and as relevant, their family or community providers.
Develop and maintain a liaison relationship with community providers in the area of mental health, substance use, homelessness, etc.
Refer patients to appropriate outpatient services if appropriate, and engage in a warm hand-off to receiving providers.
Complete thorough and accurate documentation in a timely manner.
Provide case consultation as necessary, to first responders and community providers.
Maintain documentation and records for all cases in accordance with program requirements.
Attend all individual supervisions, and clinical and staff meetings.
Maintain competency in the field via ongoing continuing education and by maintaining applicable licenses up-to-date.
Perform other related duties as needed.