Title: (HCV) Hepatitis C Treatment Engagement Specialist
Department: Center for Healing (Opioid Treatment Program)
Reports To: Chief Medical Officer
Job Location: 190 Mercer Street
FLSA: Exempt
Job Status: Full-Time
Availability: Monday - Friday 6:15am-1:45pm
Number of Positions: 1 
Benefits: Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance, Commuter Benefits, Flexible Spending Account, 403b Retirement Plan, Worker’s Compensation, Short- & Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life Insurance, Holidays, Personal Time Off, Vacation Leave, Sick Leave, Competitive Remuneration. 

About Greenwich House: 

Founded in 1902 as a settlement house to help New York’s increasing immigrant population adjust to life in a new country, Greenwich House today offers a variety of programs and approaches that continue to provide thousands of New Yorkers with health and wellness supports, education and personal enrichment, and skills building and cultural experiences.

Position Summary:

The Hepatitis C Treatment Peer Engagement Specialist will use lived experience with hepatitis C (HCV) to engage individuals in HCV treatment and to educate all patients on HCV prevention, infection, and treatment. The peer will work with an interdisciplinary team comprised of on-site HCV treatment providers, counselors, and a care coordination nurse to ensure all patients with HCV are offered treatment. The peer will connect patients to community-based recovery supports consistent with their recovery goals. Responsibilities also include tracking patient progress in HCV treatment, assisting the medical team with acquiring HCV medications, coordinating referrals for treatment, and coordinating general medical care for patients engaged in HCV treatment.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Use lived experience to motivate and encourage individuals to access and engage with hepatitis C treatment and recovery services, including teaching and modeling relapse prevention skills and effective coping mechanisms.
• Provide outreach and education to patients on HCV prevention, infection, treatment, and harm reduction.
• Support individuals considering HCV treatment and facilitate medical appointments for HCV treatment.
• Provide navigation supports to access healthcare services and accompany patients to appointments if desired by the patient.
• Lead or co-lead recovery-based groups focused on HCV education and prevention.
• Provide harm reduction counseling to patients with the goal of reducing overdose deaths, infectious disease, and hepatitis C reinfection.
• Provide outreach/recruitment in community locations where prospective clients congregate to connect them to Greenwich House for MAT and HCV treatment.
• Outreach to addiction treatment programs, harm reduction programs, and community-based organizations that support people who use drugs.
• Assist individuals in the development of a personal self-directed recovery plan.
• Work with individuals to identify strengths.
• Provide individuals with information on existing community supports and services that meet their goals and interests.
• Provide community escorts, including treatment clinics, inpatient treatment, and medical offices.
• Advocate for individuals to obtain effective services.
• Teach and model self-advocacy skills. Effectively communicate with medical providers and with program treatment staff.
• Enter HCV treatment recipients in the AIRS system and participate in creation of monthly summaries.
• Assist the chief medical officer and HCV care coordination lead nurse in the development of HCV treatment policies and protocols.
• Provide oral and written communication when interacting with multidisciplinary treatment teams, completing plans and providing input at case conferences.
• Interacts with all levels of personnel within the organization.
• Prepare for and participate in individual and group supervision.
• Complete trainings to meet funder and agency mandates.
• Participate in agency-wide and program staff meetings.
• Participate in monthly meetings with HCV treatment team.
• Adhere to city, state, and federal confidentiality regulations.
• Other tasks as assigned by supervisor.

Qualifications:

• High School or Equivalency Diploma, with 2 years’ work or volunteer experience in a recovery-oriented setting.
• NYS Certified Recovery Peer Advocate or trainee.
• Firsthand knowledge of Hepatitis C infection and treatment, substance use disorders, and the recovery process, including Medication as Addiction Treatment (MAT).
• Experience working with persons with substance use disorders and/or mental health issues and documenting services rendered.
• Knowledge and experience with Electronic Health Records.
• Comfortable using lived experience in recovery to help others.
• Computer competent; Windows, Microsoft Word, etc.

Inter-Relationships:

• Interacts with all levels of personnel within the organization and maintains external business relationships within the social services community.
• Listens, understands and appreciates the worth/value of clients.
• Establishes rapport and trusting relationships with clients and counselors.
• Provides a positive role model.
• Inspires confidence, determination and trust in clients and counselors.
• Establishes working relationships with other staff members, and work as a member of an interdisciplinary team.

Vaccination Requirement:

Greenwich House requires all new hires to be vaccinated and recommends all employees, interns, volunteers, and on-site contractors stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines (including booster shots). 

Reasonable Accommodations Statement:

To perform this job successfully, a successful candidate must be able to perform satisfactorily each essential duty. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified candidates with disabilities to perform these duties.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO):

Greenwich House is strongly committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all individuals. All employment decisions and administration of all personnel policies are without regard to an applicant or employee’s actual or perceived race, religion, sex, age, national origin, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation or affectation, gender identity or expression (including transgender status), predisposing genetic characteristic, genetic information, pregnancy, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, alienage, military or veteran’s status, physical or mental disability, status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking offense and sex offenses, marital status, partnership status or any other status protected by federal, state or local law. For more information regarding Greenwich House and our EEO statement, please visithttps://www.greenwichhouse.org/about/