Description
Under the supervision of the Program Manager, the Health Navigator will provide counseling and supported referrals for people who use drugs (PWUD) who are at high-risk of infection or are HIV/HCV/STI positive, while delivering harm reduction services in a drop-in setting. This includes: providing prevention and screening services to clients who use drugs, syringe exchange, safer use supply distribution, overdose prevention training, emergency response and overdose response, conflict de-escalation, motivational interviewing, crisis counseling, data collection and entry, and individual and group-level interventions aimed to reduce infectious disease transmission and increase access to care and treatment. The Health Navigator will seek to engage and empower clients with a focus on their strengths, dignity, and lived wisdom.
Representative Duties:
Provide accessible and low threshold services to PWUD that operate within the harm reduction framework.
- Assist PWUDs with warm connections to support services such as primary care, MAT and behavioral health, homeless shelters, housing, and legal advocacy.
- Connect PWUDs to HCV testing and treatment through relationship building, viral hepatitis education, and motivational interviewing.
- Conduct risk assessments and risk reduction plans. Provide harm reduction counseling on safer injection and vein care strategies, wound care, overdose prevention, sexual health and HIV/HCV/STI transmission.
- Train PWUDs in overdose prevention and how to use Naloxone. Distribute Naloxone and other safer use supplies and complete all associated MDPH data collection and internal data collection.
- Collect and distribute syringes from PWIDs. This includes safely handling, storing and disposing of syringes, and general biohazard and infection control protocols
- Administer Naloxone during overdose events and support revival efforts by way of calling 911 and using a bag valve mask/ambu bag until help arrives on scene.
- Escort clients to the building’s bathroom, ensuring that all precautions, protocols and safety checks are performed.
- Conduct periodic sweeps of the outside perimeter to ensure that there are no discarded materials and ensure community safety.
- Work with team to organize daily operations and programs in the drop-in center, including opening and closing procedures to help ensure facilities are clean, safe and welcoming; creating and distributing harm reduction kits; and restocking and organizing supplies in the drop-in center.
- Assist in maintaining inventory levels of harm reduction supplies and work with leadership to adjust par levels as needed throughout the year.
- Coordinate with leadership to maintain organization of back supply closet and needle room.
- Participate in restorative justice protocols and support the community advisory board.
- Attend community meetings as necessary.
Effectively Carry-Out Administrative Duties
- Complete appropriate and accurate documentation in a timely manner, including electronic data collection and forms as required.
- Participate in one-on-one supervision with supervisor, monthly clinical supervision, and team meetings.
- Collaborate with internal and external colleagues by performing related work
- Attend and participate in AAC/Fenway Health trainings.
Participate in Planning and Implementation of New Interventions
- Participate in program planning through interdisciplinary team meetings
- Collaborate with clinical and non-clinical providers to provide quality care and seamless continuum of services
- Attend continuing education seminars, staff in-services, and stay abreast of relevant literature to maintain familiarity with trends in prevention services among people who inject drugs.
Meet agency participatory expectations:
- Adhere to all agency and departmental policies and procedures
- Participate in quality assessment and improvement activities as requested
- Adhere to the highest principles of client confidentiality
- Adhere to established safety policies, procedures and precautions; enforce agency’s policies and clinical procedures, including safety and crisis procedures.
- Attend all required meetings, in-services and professional trainings
- Maintains professional competence necessary to perform job responsibilities; maintains and provides agency with records of continuing education activities
- Perform related duties and projects as required
Requirements
- BA/BS or two years harm reduction work/lived experience.
- Commitment to practical harm reduction strategies, philosophy, and support the rights and dignity of PWUD.
- Support the program’s outreach efforts in cross-training and periodically joining the mobile services as needed.
- Ability to manage clinically and emotionally challenging situations with utmost professionalism, care and discretion
- Ability to work effectively with diverse groups of individuals and communities at risk for HIV — especially injection drug users, men who have sex with men, transgender people, people of color, those who are not U.S. born and may be undocumented, and those who are homeless or unstably housed.
- Self-directed, motivated and flexible with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Commitment to collecting and entering accurate data as required by our funders and state partners.
Preferred qualifications:
- Possesses significant knowledge of health-related social issues faced by PWUD.
- Previous experience implementing support groups and trainings.
- Previous experience conducting street level outreach with at-risk populations a plus
- Strong organizational, interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
- Spanish language proficiency
- Experience in conflict resolution, crisis de-escalation, and milieu management.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office and experience with electronic data collection.
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to meet the following physical requirements with or without reasonable accommodations:
- Sit at a computer station for extended periods of time
- Ability to keyboard for extended periods of time
- Ability to occasionally lift and move up to 15lbs.
- Work environment involves exposure to potentially dangerous materials, including bloodborne pathogens, and situations that require following extensive safety precautions and may include the use of personal protective equipment.
We offer competitive salaries, and for those who qualify, an excellent benefits package; including comprehensive medical and dental insurance plans, and a retirement plan with employer match. We also provide 12 paid holidays, paid vacation, and more.
LGBTQIA+ identified persons, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC), and individuals from other historically underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
This is a union position in a Fenway Health bargaining unit represented by 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.
Salary Description$23.74- $26.10 /hour
