Job Title: Program Assistant

Qualifications: May have education/experience in the field of human service (e.g., associate or bachelor’s degree in human services or experience as an inpatient unit clerk or in a medical clinic), or office management or both. Pass drug screening and criminal background check. Must have a valid driver’s license for the state in which the program operates.

Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 am until 4:30 pm. Other times may be required with the job or adjusted by your supervisor.

Summary of Job Duties: This support member to the ACT multidisciplinary team is responsible for organizing, coordination and monitoring all nonclinical operation of ACT under the direction of the team leader; providing receptionist activities including triaging calls, coordinating communication between the team and clients, deescalating situations with clients who have increase of symptomatology, and assisting clients, their families and agencies to get answers to question; maintaining accounting and budget records for client and programs expenditures; and operating and coordinating the management information system.

This position reports directly to the Team Leader/Supervisor.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Prepare the monthly work schedule and recommend and revise policies and procedures pertaining to these schedules in accordance with labor contract agreements.
• Maintain records of time staff worked and leave time.
• Maintain and review with the team leader the unit budget for operation of the ACT facility and assure that all purchases of supplies and equipment remain within that budget.
• Order and maintain unit supplies, equipment, and furniture; arrange for repair of office furniture and equipment; record mileage logged on program vehicles; and arrange for maintenance of program vehicles.
• Assist nurse in ordering medication for clients from pharmacies according to state purchasing regulations.
• Record admissions and discharges to provide a source of information for statistical reports.
• Maintain ACT client charts according to the standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and other certifying bodies, including the following: set up charts for newly admitted clients; file materials in client charts and files to assure current, accurate information is available; and monitor ACT clinical charts in coordination with the team leader, to assure that they are being maintained in accordance with unit policies and procedures.
• Inform and consult with ACT staff for proper maintenance of ACT clinical charts and conduct in-service training for ACT staff regarding clinical charting requirements.
• Update and maintain a policies and procedures manual to assure that current and accurate information is available to staff.
• Type letters, memos, and reports using word-processing equipment.
• Prepare letters to request medical records and client authorizations and maintain log of requests and records received.
• Design and maintain forms to obtain and maintain insurance information regarding all ACT clients.
• Collect necessary data and prepare reports.
• Sort, route, and prioritize incoming mail with distribution to appropriate staff.
• Greet people at ACT headquarters and answer telephone calls including performing the following: (1) triage and coordinate communication between the team and clients; (2) get answers to questions for clients, families, community resources, and agencies; (3) work with callers to relieve urgent situations or to temporarily manage them until other staff are available; (4) attend to symptomatic behavior (shouting and pacing) of clients who come into the ACT office for appointments with staff or of those who come in without a clear purpose (persons without something to do or who come in because of distress); and (5) decide when and how quickly to refer calls to other staff.
• Assess and report clinical behaviors and information (such as poor self-care, medical problems, and increased overt symptoms such as agitation) that are out of the ordinary for that particular client.
• Manage and operate a system to disperse money to clients according to individual client budgets in accordance with clients’ treatment plan case managers.
• Manage and maintain an account with a local bank for deposits and withdrawals of client budgets.
• Communicate regularly with financial guardians and protective payees of clients to coordinate individual patient budgets between the ACT program and guardians or payees.
• Manage and operate the system to document all cash transactions with receipts signed by clients upon receiving cash.
• Manage and operate the system to receive money from guardians or payees, maintaining a record of receipt and the current balance for each client.
• Communicate with landlords regarding client rental agreements and payment of rent.
• Operate and coordinate the computer and management information systems for the program.

Required Job Skills:

• The person must have people and problem-solving skills to assist and support clients with severe and persistent mental illnesses and their families.
• Solid organizational skill and ability to make contacts and establish relationships to get information necessary for the program to function within the larger system.
• Knowledge of computers and software; simplified bidding, contracting, billing, and accounting procedures; medical records management; and personnel policies and procedures is required.
• Must have a strong commitment to the right and ability of each person with a severe and persistent mental illness to live in normal community residences; work in market jobs; and have access to helpful, adequate, competent, and continuous supports and services.
• Skills and competence to establish supportive trusting relationships with person with severe and persistent mental illnesses and respect for client rights and personal preferences in treatment are essential.

Additional Responsibilities:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations must be made to enable the individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Physically able to reach, push, pull, stoop, bend, stand, walk and lift up to 20 pounds.
• Possess a valid Driver’s License and maintain a safe driving record if required for job performance.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in outside weather conditions, may be off-site from normal office location or placed at a Residential Program.

The noise level in the work environment is mild to moderate.

Environmental Data and Job Hazards:

• Hours of work are structured 7.5 to 8.0 hour blocks of time but may be subject to irregular and/or flexible hours based on needs or demands.
• Position may require duties to include routine or reasonable anticipated tasks or procedures where there is a degree of actual or potential exposure to blood or other infectious materials.
• All staff is required to participate in yearly trainings regarding infection control and safety in the environment including hazardous waste and blood borne pathogens.
• All new staff must attend training regarding handling physical, verbal threats, acts of violence, or other escalating and potential dangerous situations including when police need to be summoned.

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