Recovery Specialist (Suffolk County Jail Project)

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Recovery Specialist will support the needs of patients in a new, 45-bed men’s behavioral health unit operated by Boston Medical Center (BMC) located in the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department’s (SCSD) Jail. The position will provide milieu management on the unit, including assisting clinical staff in providing day to day direct care to individuals. This role requires practicing non-judgmental patient-centered care and cultural humility in order to care for an impacted patient population who is often marginalized within the healthcare and justice systems. Bilingual or multi-lingual skills (beyond that of English) appropriate to the patient population served, is preferred. Ability to work evenings (12:30-8:30pm) and Saturdays (8am-4:30pm) necessary.

As part of this innovative new collaboration between BMC and SCSD, this role will report into the BMC Department of General Internal Medicine (GIM), under the Recovery Supervisor. Work will be completed within office and clinical settings, both housed within a setting of incarceration. This is a full time position with various shifts available. The person who fills this position must adhere to all of BMC’s RESPECT behavioral standards.

Position: Recovery Specialist (Suffolk County Jail Project)       

Department: Psychiatry

Schedule: Full Time

ESSENTIALRESPONSIBILITIES / DUTIES:

• Help maintain a therapeutic and trauma-informed milieu on acute care unit
• Provides programmatic direct care services, instructing and assisting patients who struggle with addiction and/or mental illness to engage in unit services 
• Assists professional staff in the implementation of behavioral health and recreational programs by reporting observations about patient behavior, needs, desires and problems, providing information and making recommendations concerning the patient and their treatment plan.
• Organizes, provides, and encourages patients to participate in active treatment/leisure activities, including working on goals identified on their treatment plan.
• With support from clinical staff, facilitate recreational activities on unit including things such as sports, art activities, movie screenings, etc.
• Utilize interpersonal skills and desire to help to build rapport with patients to create a supportive environment.
• Participate in staff meetings as an important member of the multidisciplinary care team.
• Conforms to hospital and jail standards of performance and conduct, including those pertaining to patient rights and privacy
• Utilizes hospital and jail policies and standards as the basis for decision making and to support the hospital’s mission and goals.
• Performs other duties assigned or as necessary.

(The above statements in this job description are intended to depict the general nature and level of work assigned to the employee(s) in this job. The above is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of accountable duties and responsibilities required).

JOB REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:

High school diploma or equivalent

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED:

None

EXPERIENCE:

At least 2+ year of experience working in a health care/substance use treatment setting preferred, interest in expanding knowledge of behavioral health is a requirement

Preference for individuals with experience in utilizing de-escalation skills

Value is placed on individuals who bring lived experience to their work

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES (KSA):

• Empathic understanding of patients faced with complex social and clinical situations
• Strong interpersonal skills which will allow for establishing rapport with patients and working on multidisciplinary health care team
• Ability to utilize person centered de-escalation skills
• Bilingual or multi-lingual skills (beyond that of English) appropriate to the patient population served, is preferred.
• Demonstrated flexibility with client’s priorities, evolving needs, and goals.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Disabled/Veterans