Peer Recovery Coach

Appalachian Regional Healthcare • Martin, KY

5d

About The Position

The Peer Recovery Coach provides non-clinical services to help patients address high-risk alcohol and drug use and establish recovery. Working as part of the Emergency Department team or in a designated area, the coach provides peer support and motivation to patients seeking treatment for alcohol or drug dependency and addiction. The role helps patients complete referrals to treatment services and develop service plans that support successful connections to care. Services are provided in the Emergency Department or designated area, with appropriate follow-up. The coach will cover Martin and McDowell ARH facilities.

Requirements

• High school education or equivalent.
• Actively engaged in a personal recovery program, with at least three years of demonstrated personal recovery and sustained abstinence from alcohol and/or drug use.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to relate to patients and health professionals and build professional working relationships with partner agencies.
• Excellent listening, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Good problem-solving skills.
• Ability to read and interpret documents and write routine reports.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to demonstrate patience and tact when working with patients, families, and staff.
• Ability to apply Continuous Quality Improvement principles to improve services and organizational work.
• Ability to work with people of varied social, economic, and cultural backgrounds.
• Flexibility, open-mindedness, adaptability to change, and ability to develop collaborative relationships with physicians, families, patients, interdisciplinary teams, and community agencies.
• Willingness to learn and interest in acquiring new skills.

Responsibilities

• Conduct brief interventions with patients who screen positive for alcohol and/or drug use.
• Identify patients’ histories of drug and alcohol use, treatment, motivation to change, and needs for community support services.
• Assess readiness to change and use motivational interviewing and other communication skills to support plans to reduce or eliminate harmful substance use.
• Work with Emergency Department staff and social workers to identify community support services.
• Help patients and families understand how to use community services.
• Help patients connect with community support and substance treatment services, including arranging appointments and transportation.
• Provide peer support during hospitalization and after discharge, as appropriate, to help patients attain their goals.
• Provide family members with recovery support materials.
• Conduct telephone outreach to support service connections and ongoing peer support.
• Model coping techniques and self-help strategies.
• Meet productivity requirements established in accordance with program goals.
• Participate in training to continually develop skills.
• Attend required staff and other meetings.
• Complete required documentation and reports.
• Serve as a recovery-support resource for other clinical team members.
• Consult with nursing staff and social workers as requested, including when a patient does not screen positive.
• Notify the patient’s nurse before visiting the patient.
• Contact treatment providers to verify whether patients attended appointments and follow up by telephone with patients who miss appointments.
• Demonstrate position competencies within the first 90 days of employment.
• Satisfactorily meet position requirements during periodic and annual evaluations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: High school or GED