COMMUNITY SUPPORT WORKER -

About the role

COMMUNITY SUPPORT WORKER at UNMH is a Full Time position within the Psychiatric Center, treating both adults and children with a variety of services including addiction/recovery, forensics, senior programs, native American programs, and psychosocial rehabilitation.

Responsibilities

• Patient Centered Medical - Adhere to and promote the core expectations of the Patient Centered Medical Home or Patient Centered Specialty Practice as applicable
• Navigating/Patient Advocacy - Work to eliminate barriers to access to culturally competent medical services for all patients. Assist patients to access community resources, and financial assistance programs and services that are needed
• Collaboration - Collaborate with medical providers, multidisciplinary team members and community resource providers to assist patient to meet above described treatment goals
• Lifeskills - Facilitate and encourage the development of skills in the following areas: activities of daily living, interpersonal coping, socialization, & community functioning. Based on the needs of the individual, this function could include facilitating adaptation to the home, school, work, recreational, and social environments; pro-active self-care, nutrition, & money management
• Development - Plan for professional growth related to professional goals based on self-assessment, evaluation and feedback; assume responsibility for acquiring knowledge and experiences to meet goals
• Wellness - Offer information and resources to provide patient information on their specific mental “condition”; serve as a mentor to promote recovery and resiliency and instill hope; teach symptom monitoring, symptom management, and relapse prevention skills
• Service Plans - Assist in the development and coordination of the individual’s service plan based on his/her identified strengths and goals. The plan will include a recovery/resiliency management plan, crisis management plan and if requested, advanced directives concerning the individual’s behavioral healthcare
• Resource Coordination - Assist the client in obtaining access to and coordination of necessary rehabilitative, medical and other services to include assistance in obtaining financial and medical benefits/entitlements; assist in obtaining and maintaining safe affordable and stable housing, and provision of support and mentoring to behavioral health consumers involved in the Judicial System
• Suport Services - Encourage the development and eventual succession of natural supports in the workplace, school, family, and community environments
• Assessment - Work with the individual/family to identify personal strengths, needs and barriers to attaining self-identified goals; conduct ongoing assessments to determine if the services accessed are meeting or have adequately met the individual’s needs
• Crisis Intervention - Assess, support and intervene in crisis situations including the facilitation of the development and use of individual crisis management plans that recognize the early signs of crisis/relapse and use natural supports. Identify & encourage use of alternatives to hospital emergency departments and inpatient hospital services
• Tracking - Coordinate and monitor use of services, including comprehensive tracking of client activities in relation to care plan such as attendance to all scheduled appointments, reviewing documentation of other in-house providers, and maintaining contact with external providers. Conduct post discharge follow-up contact as appropriate
• Documentation - Document all client encounters and those made on behalf of clients; complete and submit billing documentation as appropriate; maintain current and comprehensive client files. Files may contain documents held for safe keeping on behalf of a client
• Statistics - Maintain and report applicable statistics regarding programs and client services
• Professional Growth - Enhance professional growth and development through participation in educational programs, reading current literature, attending in-services, meetings and workshops
• Patient Safety 1 - Follow patient safety-related policies, procedures and protocols
• Patient Safety 2 - Demonstrate proactive approach to patient safety by seeking opportunities to improve patient safety through questioning of current policies and processes
• Patient Safety 3 - Identify and report/correct environmental conditions and/or situations that may put a patient at undue risk
• Patient Safety 4 - Report potential or actual patient safety concerns, medical errors and/or near misses in a timely manner
• Patient Safety 5 - Encourage patients to actively participate in their own care by asking questions and reporting treatment or situations that they don't understand or may "not seem right"

Qualifications

• Education: Essential - Bachelor's Degree
• Experience: Essential - 1 year directly related experience
• Specialization: Essential - Related Discipline
• Credentials: Essential - CPR for Healthcare/BLS Prov or Prof Rescuers w/in 30 days, Valid New Mexico Driver's License, UNM Vehicle Operator's Permit w/in 60 days
• Physical Conditions: Light Work