Director of Psychiatry

City of New York•New York City, NY

15d

About The Position

THIS IS A PART TIME POSITION OF 21 HOURS PER WEEK AND THE SELECTED CANDIDATE WILL BE OFFERED AN HOURLY RATE OF $128.00 AN HOUR. The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of New York City’s children and families by providing child welfare, juvenile justice, and early care services. In child welfare, ACS contracts with private nonprofit organizations to support and stabilize families at risk of a crisis through preventive services and provides foster care services for children not able to safely remain at home. Each year, the agency’s Division of Child Protection responds to more than 50,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. In juvenile justice, ACS manages and funds services including detention and placement, intensive community-based alternatives for youth, and support services for families. ACS is also a key part of NYCs early childhood and education continuum, providing childcare assistance to thousands of child welfare involved and low-income children so they can access safe, affordable, quality care. The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) Office of Child and Family Health (OCFH) delivers direct medical services to children entering foster care and ensures that the health care provided is comprehensive and appropriate. OCFH also offers individualized case consultations and training to ACS staff and foster care agencies on a variety of health-related topics and provides clinical expertise in developing medical and mental health policies that support best case practice agency-wide. The Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Unit (PBHU) within the Office of Child and Family Health (OCFH) is responsible for promoting best Mental Health practice principles to guide decision-making, program and policy development, and development of resources to ensure that children known to ACS are receiving the best possible care to address psychiatric and behavioral health conditions. The PBHU is also responsible for providing direct assistance to all ACS Divisions and contracted agencies in promoting best practices and ensuring that children have timely access to high-quality mental health care. The Unit works to ensure that psychiatric medications are used and monitored appropriately. The New York City Administration for Children’s Services’ OCFH is seeking a Medical Director to provide clinical and administrative oversight for the PBHU. The Medical Director will report to the ACS Chief Medical Officer. Specific duties for this position include but are not limited to the following:

Requirements

Possession of a valid license to practice medicine in the State of New York plus valid Board Certification issued by the appropriate American Specialty Board in an approved medical specialty; and four years of medical practice including one year of experience in an administrative or supervisory capacity; or
A combination of education and/or experience equivalent to that listed in "1" above. However, all candidates must have a valid license to practice medicine in the State of New York, and one year of medical practice in an administrative or supervisory capacity.

Responsibilities

Manage and oversee all Unit activities, including psychiatric medication consents, tracking and technical assistance for psychiatric inpatient admissions and case audits
Provide clinical and administrative supervision to the Assistant Director of Psychiatry and the [psychologist]
Provide administrative oversight for mental health services at the Nicholas Scoppetta Children’s Center
Implement and modify standards for prescribing and monitoring treatment of psychiatric diagnoses and respond to questions and feedback from the community, practitioners, and foster care agency administrators
Review requests for consents and overrides for pharmacological treatment of psychiatric diagnoses for children and youth in foster care
Collect data, develop reports and recommend database modifications related to completing required reports on the psychotropic medication use, prescription, and consent approvals and reviews for any and all children and youth under the care and custody of the ACS Commissioner
Develop and update audit and monitoring tools for assessing agency consent procedures for psychiatric medications
Provide case-specific consultation for issues involving management of psychiatric illnesses for children under the care and custody of the ACS Commissioner
Participate in a behavioral research review committee that will evaluate and approve mental-health related studies in which children and youth in foster care will be invited to enroll
Work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders and represent OCFH on issues surrounding pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of psychiatric diagnoses for children in foster care, juvenile detention, close to home, and preventive care
Develop and update ACS practices, policies and procedures related to mental health and behavioral health
Provide guidance and training to all ACS staff on topics related to mental health and behavioral health
Provide partial oversight to the Medical Audit Team in developing and updating auditing and monitoring tools for assessing agency procedures for pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment of psychiatric diagnoses in foster care children and youth
Represent ACS on citywide functions and activities related to mental health and behavioral health
Perform other duties and tasks as assigned