Associate Director of Mental Health

About the Organization

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the United States. We provide essential outpatient, inpatient and home-based services to more than one million New Yorkers every year across the city’s five boroughs. Our large health system consists of ambulatory centers, acute care centers, post-acute care/long-term care, rehabilitation programs, Home Care, and Correctional Health Services. Our diverse workforce is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers. At NYC Health + Hospitals, our mission is to deliver high quality care health services, without exception. Every employee takes a person-centered approach that exemplifies the ICARE values (Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence) through empathic communication and partnerships between all persons.

About the Role

The Critical Operations & Response (COR) unit will provide support for high-priority and/or emergency initiatives. This unit will fill a gap for NYC Health + Hospitals and the City of New York in a sustainable way that will allow for more comprehensive, efficient, and timely responses to urgent needs. Specifically, the COR Unit will be positioned to respond to future emergencies that must be sustained longer than a traditional emergency response but are not intended to continue indefinitely. The COR Unit will also support critical operations within H+H such as Bridge to Home (BTH) between activations as a way to expand the overall operational infrastructure and drive forward new initiatives.

BTH is a new innovative program developed by NYC Health + Hospitals that will provide treatment, social and professional skill building, and temporary housing to patients with serious mental illness (SMI) who are ready for discharge from the hospital but do not have immediate access to stable housing. The Referral Lead will primarily support the BTH program day-to-day but will also support larger COR initiatives such as Special Medical Needs Shelters (SMNS) and Hotel Quarantine Isolation Program (HQIP) and other projects as they arise. The Referral Lead will report to the Executive Director of COR and have a dotted line to the Office of Behavioral Health Complex Needs team for clinical support.

Responsibilities

• Develop standard workflow for reviewing and accessing incoming referrals to the BTH program
• Interview potential guests for the program to see if they are interested and suitable for the program
• Work closely with the BTH local Site Directors to understand the differences in site capabilities in order to better triage referrals to sites
• Liaise with referring staff from NYC Health + Hospitals facilities including: Inpatient Psych, Expended Care Unit, Correctional Health, Safety-net and PORT clinics to develop a continuous pipeline of referred patients and actively maintain waiting list
• Run regular in-service trainings with BTH Site Directors and Psychiatrists to help facility staff better understand the program and what will make a successful candidate
• Work closely with COR data team and Program Director to monitor and evaluate program
• Advise COR leadership on policy and procedures for the Bridge to Home program from a clinical lens
• Support Epic referral enhancements as needed
• Work with the COR team to build out preparedness models to support future citywide or tactical activations, including, but not limited to Special Medical Needs Shelters and Hotel Quarantine Isolation Program
• Support coordination as needed with hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory sites, shelters of all kinds, and community partners during emergencies to ensure continuity of care
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Possession of a valid license and current registration to practice in a mental health discipline issued by the New York State Education Department (NYSED)
• Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in a health care setting or regulatory agency administration, with an emphasis on development and evaluation of mental health delivery services; one (1) year of which must have been in an administrative, managerial or supervisory capacity

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with patients with SMI
• Experience working with patients with housing instability
• Experience working with Epic