Alternative Response Unit II Case Manager

Position Summary: 

The Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) and the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD) Emergency Medical Services Division have established an Alternative Response Unit (ARU) to work in the epicenter or the Opioid epidemic. The ARU will consist of a Coordinator, Paramedic Lieutenant, and a Case Manager, working primarily within the PFD response system. The team will respond to persons who are treated For opioid overdoses who may refuse treatment, Family members or any individual who are interested in treatment and require assistance with linkage. The ARU Case Manager will have the knowledge, resources and information of available treatment modalities and connections to social services. This position will support individuals on (heir road to recovery.

The ARU Case Manger will be supervised by the ARU Coordinator and work in conjunction with the team to engage, assess, link and conduct follow-up. Should the individual refuse transfer to an emergency department, the ARU Case Manager and learn will engage with the individual and provide information related to accessing drug treatment, harm reduction services (i.e., syringe exchange), overdose education and naloxone distribution. If the individual is amenable to services, the social worker will collect contact information to ensure linkage. When not responding to a call, the ARU staff will be following up with people who were previously resuscitated and refused transport. The case manager, in conjunction with the PFD will be responsible for engaging with community organizations and members. The case manager will also provide overdose education and training to individuals and families,

Duties and Responsibilities:

Provide outreach and engagement to the individuals in the epicenter of the opioid epidemic. Works on-site collaboratively with the PFD-EMS services when dispatched for a possible overdose. Attends periodic staff meetings and serves as a representative on Opioid-related work groups; confers with coordination difficult problems; prepares reports and correspondence; keeps records of all assigned cases, completes documentation for follow up and data collection. AR2 Case Manager is expected to augment services through the Philadelphia Fire Department’s Alternative Response Unit 2 (ARU-2) by performing services to promote harm reduction strategies, including training clients on naloxone use, overdose prevention and reversal, safer practices, assessing individuals for level of care, and finding them placement. Duties will also include naloxone distribution to high-risk individuals and providing general support by enrolling clients in treatment and assisting navigating administrative challenges such as insurance issues. AR-2 case manager will have the cxpenence addressing housing and transportation barriers and will ensure access to services are equitable by completing assessments with individuals and then connecting individuals to care based on their specific needs. Emphasis for this role swill be made on providing follow-up services after initial linkage to treatment to increase linkage and re-engagement in care for clients previously served by the unit. The Case Manager is expected to work with AR-2 staff to establish processes for post-linkage to care follow-up and identify and perform data collection for evaluation metrics This position may also participate in AR-2 community engagement and awareness events to promote services and distribution of harm reduction resources.

Skills Required:

Knowledge of:

• Behavioral health and addictions services (inpatient detoxification, medicated assisted treatment (MAT) ambulatory detoxification, etc)
• American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria
• basic medical terminology

Ability to::

• Ability to work a flexible schedule (likely non-traditional morning/evening hours and potential weekends)
• Maintain confidentiality of records and information
• Ability to navigate treatment with various insurance companies, as well as those who are uninsured
• Work collaboratively with members of other city agencies, specifically the Fire Department
• Develop specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish work - Establish and maintain effective working relationships with public and private social service officials, representatives of community organizations, associates, and the public
• Evaluate program quality and effectiveness, recommending modifications when appropriate
• Assess and recommend possible interventions for individuals and families affected by substance use
• Advocates for individuals and families affected by substance use disorder
• Maintains individual’s files and case notes in compliance with professional standards
• Maintain current information on available resources (i.e., educational material, treatment options, treatment availability)
• Collaborate with hospital (ER) social worker to ensure continuity or care (warm hand-off) Provide coordination, linkage, monitoring, and advocacy for individuals and families
• Provide outreach, engagement and assessment with individuals identified in need of services

Education and Experience: 

• A high school diploma required with seven years of experience or a bachelor’s degree in a recognized Behavioral Health field,
• Minimum of five years of case management field experience with an emphasis on drug and alcohol.
• Bilingual Preferred

Equal Opportunity Employment: 

PMHCC, Inc. is committed to equal opportunity. It is our policy to support equal employment for all employees and applicants without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual preferences, age, national origin, disability, behavioral health status, military status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Americans with Disabilities Act:

Employees as well as applicants who are currently, or become disabled, must be able to perform the functions of the job with either reasonable accommodation or unaided. PMHCC, Inc. will examine reasonable accommodations on a case by case basis in accordance with the law.