Harm Reduction Outreach Specialist

POSITION SUMMARY:

This position is a special role designed for the Public Health programs. This position is for a Harm Reduction Outreach Specialist (OS) who conducts their services in the field as well as in the hospital. The OS will work across all programs and interventions primarily to outreach and engage clients who use substances and are unable to engage in traditional healthcare settings to provide harm reduction supplies, education, and linkages. Performs outreach and works with clients in their community location. They will work with the medical providers, the BMC lab, and program management to ensure that these positive patients receive appropriate interventions such as disease risk reduction, partner notification services, further testing, needs assessments, MDPH/CDC/BPHC funded interventions, and any other necessary services. The OS will conduct outreach on the BMC campus and in the community when necessary to follow-up and engage positive cases for linkage to care. All positive STI patients will be followed by the OS through medical engagement up until treatment completion. The OS will link other patients to public health navigation services. The position will conduct individual HIV/HCV/STI/TB prevention testing and counseling sessions. Within these sessions, the OS will be required to educate and refer any high risk patients to biomedical prevention strategies such as PrEP and nPEP. The OS will track all work in the EMR as well as an internal database. The OS will also receive referrals from BMC and community staff for HIV/HCV/STI/TB testing and navigation services. Conducts all activities within the standards and regulations of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and any other funders.

Position: Harm Reduction Outreach Specialist

Department: Infectious Diseases

Schedule: Part Time

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES / DUTIES:

Conducts street, hospital, and community outreach to provide harm reduction supplies, education, and linkages

• Provides harm reduction education and supplies within the drop-in and during outreach to promote safe drug consumption
• Completes targeted outreach in the community and drop-in to provide harm reduction education including safe injection practices, HIV/HCV/STI prevention strategies, and overdose prevention
• Engages patients in risk reduction sessions in the community/street
• Performs follow-up risk reduction/counseling sessions as necessary
• Tailors outreach strategies based on the target population
• Must be able to travel across the BMC campus and throughout the city of Boston to community outreach sites when necessary

Conducts HIV/HCV/STI/TB testing, counseling and education sessions

• Provides patient education on HIV, STI, and Hepatitis, and TB
• Performs HIV tests by finger stick & blood draw methods
• Performs HIV, Hepatitis, TB, syphilis test by blood draw
• Performs Chlamydia and Gonorrhea test by urine specimen collection.
• Educates patients on self-collection methods for anal, rectal, throat and vaginal swabs. Refers all positive patients to care and services
• Works with the Department of Public Health field epidemiologists on cases
• Assist patients with insurance issues, this will mostly be for positive patients
• Will utilize any future testing method required by the funder
• All testing session information will be documented in the EMR
• Able to conduct chart reviews in the EMR to make decisions about the linkage to care process and follow-up until treatment completion including tracking all the steps in the EMR so the treatment team can view notes

Links high risk patients to HIV prevention clinical services, public health navigation, and case management services

• Communicate effectively, professionally, and in a timely manner with navigators to link patients
• Write accurate notes in the BMC EMR and in the other tracking systems for a specific contracts
• Follows-up with relevant providers and navigators as needed
• Responds to the EMR messaging system in a timely manner
• Effectively work in a team with community outreach sites and within BMC when necessary

Collects all programmatic data

• Able to input data into computer systems, including the BMC EMR
• Respond in a timely manner to deadlines and program management
• Tracks and monitors referral from various client referrals sources.
• Be able to report basic level data to program management

Attends all necessary trainings to become proficient in prevention and education methods and for continuing maintenance of proficiency. Maintains established department standards for prevention and education service delivery Attends meetings as requested by the program manager to represent BMC as needed. Attends staff meetings and communicates progress and problems to Program Manager. Attends clinical supervision staff support group. Participate in regular public health program implementation team meetings. Participate in CDC/MDPH/BPHC meetings with other grantees if requested. Remains knowledgeable of, and follows, appropriate policies, procedures, and work standards, including but not limited to, those regarding hours of work, absenteeism, and tardiness. Maintains competency in appropriate areas of responsibility to ensure quality of care. Maintains patient confidentiality; is comfortable handling sensitive personal information. Follows established hospital infection control and safety procedures Utilizes hospital values as basis for decision making and to facilitate BMC missions. Models the ability to set professional boundaries. Performs other duties as assigned or as necessary.

Must adhere to all of BMC's RESPECT behavioral standards.

OTHER DUTIES:

Other duties as specified by supervisors

(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:

Minimum of a High School diploma or GED required

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED:

None.

EXPERIENCE:

• Lived experience with substance use preferred

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Bilingual-bicultural preferred.
• Sensitivity to ethnic, cultural, gender, and sexual orientation diversity, values, beliefs, and behaviors.
• Demonstrated ability to be flexible with client's priorities, evolving needs, and goals.
• Demonstrated empathic understanding of patients who are diagnosed with HIV, mental illness, and substance abuse.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Demonstrated critical thinking and problem solving ability.
• Computer competency, including Microsoft Outlook, Work, and Excel.
• Organizational skills to multi-task, set priorities, and efficiently complete assigned work.
• Effective interpersonal skills to facilitate communication with various members of the health care team, patients, and their families.
• Physical ability to meet the core job responsibilities in accordance with practice setting demands for the patient populations regularly served.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Disabled/Veterans