Peer Recovery Specialist – Medication Mobile Unit

University of Colorado•Aurora, CO

28d•Onsite

About The Position

The ARTS Adult Outpatient Program (AOP) within Addiction Research and Treatments Services (ARTS) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is seeking a full-time University Staff (non-classified) Peer Recovery Specialist. The position operates within the Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) Adult Outpatient Program (AOP), with clinic locations in Denver, Aurora, and Arvada, as well as a Mobile Medication Unit (MMU). 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. The Peer Recovery Specialist utilizes lived experience with SUD and recovery with existing sobriety supports to provide peer support and recovery services to those who enter into Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment with ARTS Adult Outpatient Program. This position provides activities to engage, educate, and offer support to adults with SUD, their family members, and caregivers as well as connect patients to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up sessions. The Peer Recovery Specialist is also responsible for conducting outreach activities with organizations, patients, staff, community partners, subcontracted agencies, and/or other entities as appropriate. This position will also travel to various sites, and perform other duties as assigned or required. This position is assigned to the ARTS Mobile Medication Unit (MMU), which will operate and provide SUD services across the greater Metro Denver area and may also work from time to time at the ARTS Clinics in Denver, Arvada, or Aurora or at other ARTS locations. This position is fully on-site working 40 hours per week, typically Monday through Friday, 6:00am to 2:30pm. This position may be required to work some weeknights, Saturdays, and/or Sundays depending on the needs of the clinic . Working hours and locations are subject to change according to the needs of the project and/or the agencies concerned. This full-time position is supported by grant funds, whose funding will be reviewed on a periodic basis. This position is contingent on grant funding and is time-limited. The position’s status and viability may be affected over time by any applicable variations in the grant and/or funding amounts.

Requirements

High school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED).
One (1) year of experience in working closely with patients and connecting them to resources.
Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.
Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.
Successful completion of the CCAR Recovery Coach Academy training within thirty (30) days of hire date.
Must obtain Colorado Peer and Family Specialist (CPFS) certification within four (4) months of hire date.
Must possess a valid driver’s license, and automobile insurance per State of Colorado requirements, or obtain within 30 days from date of hire.
Must be willing and able to drive as part of daily responsibilities.
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 University/Addiction Research and Treatment Services Department Policies.
This position may be required to work periodically on some weeknights and/or Saturdays and Sundays (for example, to represent the University/ARTS at events, stakeholder meetings, etc.).
This position may be required to occasionally be on-call for emergency purposes.
Must possess personal, lived experience with SUD or addictions, and maintain continuous recovery with existing sobriety supports.
Must be able to work comfortably amongst patients with substance abuse disorders, who may be referred from city and county parole/probation departments, department of social services, and other relevant agencies.

Nice To Haves

Associate’s degree or higher in psychology, social work, counseling, human services, or another related field from an accredited institution.
Certification as a Peer Specialist (for example, Colorado Peer and Family Specialist/CPFS).
Current, valid registration with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) as Certified Addiction Technician (CAT) license or higher.
Experience with motivation interviewing techniques.
Prior experience in Patient Navigation and connecting patients to required services or resources.
Experience working with electronic health records.
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.
Prior experience in sexual health education and/or with people living with HIV.
Bilingual in English/Spanish.
Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to establish and maintain rapport and positive relationships.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Proficiency utilizing Microsoft Excel to create, revise, update and maintain spreadsheets and macro-enabled reports.
Proficiency utilizing Microsoft Outlook to create, send and receive e-mail communication.
Proficiency utilizing Microsoft Word to create documents, tables, mail merge, reports, etc.
Ability to effectively and accurately check for typographical, grammatical and/or spelling errors in documents.
Ability to accurately and timely perform data entry.
Ability to successfully multi-task in a high-pressure environment.
Demonstrated critical thinking skills.
Ability to manage difficult behaviors.
Ability to be open-minded and nonjudgmental.
Knowledge of basic care coordination, medical/hospital, and/or community resources.
Knowledge of basic therapeutic confrontation and structures.
Ability to engage successfully with substance dependent clients in treatment.
Ability to comply with established rules, policies and procedures, and established deadlines.
Ability to develop healthy relationships and boundaries with clients.
Ability to exercise discretion and maintain patient confidentiality.

Responsibilities

Serve as a Peer Specialist and educator to implement interventions to improve outcomes for patients who enter care via the ARTS Medication Mobile Unit and/or ARTS Clinics.
Identify any problems, challenges, or obstacles in coordination of services for patients, and in a timely and effective manner, as well as ensuring all duties and responsibilities are performed for effective and appropriate benefit of patients to whom care and/or services are being provided.
Conduct structured, Peer-led individual and group interventions that focus on health education, care coordination, identifying and reducing barriers to care for patients, and conduct outreach activities in the community in order to engage pregnant and postpartum patients in SUD treatment.
Conduct case management for patients, provide referrals of necessary, appropriate resources to patients as needed, implement standardized intervention, track patients for engagement, and connect patients to prenatal treatment and care.
Actively collaborate with supervisor and staff, and coordinate efforts to ensure successful delivery of services, attend and participate in trainings, team/staff meetings, and other events as needed, be willing to drive to meetings and CU Emergency Department for care coordination, ensure confidentiality of patient health information and/or health records, attend and actively participate in all project advisory committee meetings, etc.
Continuously maintain accurate and up-to-date records and/or notes as required by agency policy, use electronic health record systems to ensure timely documentation, recording and tracking of communications, interventions, patient data, s chedule and maintain multiple, internal, and external appointments, and gather, analyze, and report patient statistical data.
Work comfortably among patients with or without substance abuse disorder, who are referred from city and county parole/probation departments, department of social services, and other relevant agencies, and perform other duties as assigned by supervisor and/or other AOP Management Team.