Community Outreach Coordinator

The Johns Hopkins University ACCESS Telehealth care at reentry program seeks to reduce gaps in linkage to substance use and viral infectious disease services for people reentering the community from jails in Allegany, Washington, Frederick, Harford, Cecil, Dorchester, St. Mary's, and Wicomico counties. The program is seeking to hire a motivated and proactive Community Outreach Coordinator who will support people being released from jails and prisons to link and engage in low threshold, stigma free treatment for opioid use disorders and infectious diseases while simultaneously addressing social determinants of health (housing, transportation, and health insurance access).

The Community Outreach Coordinator (COC) will be a motivated and proactive individual who will support warm linkage and retention in care for people who are transitioning from jails and prisons to receive opioid use disorder and infectious disease (viral hepatitis and HIV) care. The individual will be trained using existing protocols to support engagement of individuals referred to the ACCESS Telehealth program. The COC will utilize a standardized protocol to engage with referred participants including an initial evaluation at referral while the client is incarcerated to assess for needs related to social determinants of health (housing, health insurance and transportation). The COC will identify and support access to housing (completion of housing assistance applications), health insurance (linkage to local/local health department-based Maryland Health Connection sites), and transportation to appointments. The COC will cover 2 counties and work to identify community-based substance use and infectious disease care and recovery supports and support engagement of program participants to community resources closest to them.

The COC will contribute to a productive, collaborative work environment and consistently hold clients and coworkers, clinic staff, community partners, available resources, and providers in positive and respectful regard.

The COC will be supported with protected time and coverage of costs to earn Certification as a Peer Recovery Specialist.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of clients using project-specific registries so that no one falls through the cracks.
• Use protocols goals to support a care plan agreed upon by the Treatment Team.
• With supervisor and team support and independently, identify and connect with persons slated for release from incarceration, meet them at the time of release, engage them in ongoing navigation of resources required for stability post-incarceration: overdose prevention, harm reduction services, medications for treating opioid use disorder, transportation, health care, housing, medical insurance, employment opportunities, etc.
• Identify local resources required for stability post-incarceration; maintain and share knowledge of current service availability, provide ongoing warm linkage to care with protocol-driven engagement support.
• Demonstrate ongoing commitment to working as a part of a patient/person-centered treatment team based on a structured, protocol-driven, team approach to collaborative care.
• Act as a bridge of trust between clients, local resources, and medical care of substance use disorders and infectious diseases.
• Provide proactive support to program clients for adherence to prescribed medications.
• Maintain a good working knowledge of all assigned COC protocols and reporting requirements.
• Maintain paper and computerized files as indicated in protocols.
• Prepare ahead for and participate in weekly scheduled treatment team meetings.
• Collaborate with clinicians at designated Hopkins and community-based sites across Maryland to assist with patient linkage to care and engagement, as needed.
• Administer questionnaire to assess drug use practices, social network (friends and family) characteristics, and health care access.
• Travel to intervention sites in nearby counties.
• Participate in fundamental and on-going training in evidence-based skills and interventions, treatment and medication options for patients living with HIV, hepatitis, mental health and substance use disorders.
• Maintain professionalism in interactions with clients/patients, medical providers and staff, community-based organizations and resources.
• Work with clients according to specific project protocols and client-developed goals.
• Complete documentation of interaction with program clients correctly and within one business day of interaction.
• Use a provided work phone in order to be available to assigned patients in caseload during Monday-Friday working hours.
• Maintain healthy professional boundaries and self-care.
• Consistent adherence to COVID-19 and other infectious disease safety requirements.
• Perform related duties as assigned and as project evolves.

Additional Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrably strong organizational skills with attention to detail and independent follow through.
  
• Ability to work with computer software (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Teams), general computer and communications skills including telecommunications (e.g. Zoom meetings).
  
• Ability to manage multiple tasks.
  
• Patience working with multiple systems and the persons employed in those systems (e.g. healthcare, jails, community organizations, addictions care).
  
• Capacity to consistently work from a Harm Reduction perspective, and to support evidence-based treatment (training provided).
  
• Knowledge of or capacity to quickly gain facility with EPIC (the JH EMR); REDCap, Qualtrics and other software programs as needed.
  
• Flexibility with evolving research and/or clinical protocols.
  
• COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations as required by Johns Hopkins.
  
• Consistent adherence to general infectious safety requirements including COVID-19.
  
• Commitment to culturally humble care for medically vulnerable populations including but not limited to people who use drugs and alcohol, people living with/at risk for infectious diseases, Black and Indigenous persons, LGBTQ+ persons, people experiencing current and or intergenerational poverty and/or trauma.
  
• Able to positively contribute to a workplace where people of varied and diverse backgrounds and experiences work together and are served by the Center.
  

Physical Requirements

• Sitting, standing and walking for extended period.
• Driving for extended period.
  
• Reaching by extending hand(s) or arm(s) in any direction.
  
• Finger dexterity required to manipulate objects with fingers rather than with whole hand(s) or arm(s).
  
• Ability to move standard equipment through a hospital or clinical environment.

• High School diploma or graduation equivalent.
• Two years related experience.
• Completion of certification as a Peer Recovery Specialist with Maryland State within 13 months of hire date with plan determined for completion at the time of hire. Employer to cover cost of required courses, exam fee, and time for taking required classes.
  

• Additional education may substitute for required experience, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.
  
• Reliable transportation (employer coverage of mileage reimbursement in accordance with FLSA and at the Federally determined rate).

• Bachelor's Degree in related field.
• Certification as a Peer Recovery Specialist.

• Lived experience of substance use, HIV/viral hepatitis, incarceration are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Residency in/strong familiarity with Allegany, Washington Frederick, Harford, Cecil, Dorchester, St. Mary's, or Wicomico County.

Classified Title: Community Outreach Specialist
Role/Level/Range: ACRO37.5/02/CC
Starting Salary Range: $15.70 - $26.25 HRLY ($43,680 targeted; Commensurate with experience)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm
Exempt Status:Non-Exempt
Location:School of Medicine Campus
Department name: SOM DOM Infectious Disease
Personnel area: School of Medicine