Nurse

Health Promotion Specialist, RN (Registered Nurse)

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Services

South Lane Mental Health

Last reviewed: 03/03/2025

Salary: $82,005 – $96,081.93

Depending on relevant years of experience

About South Lane Mental Health:

Located just south of Eugene Oregon in the beautiful and historic city of Cottage Grove, South Lane Mental Health is a non-profit community mental health agency guided by an enduring commitment to providing individualized mental health services with compassion and respect. South Lane Mental Health’s staff of nearly 100 provides a variety of therapeutic services to over 2,000 individuals annually in Cottage Grove and the surrounding community. Our employees have a wide range of backgrounds, educational attainment, and skill sets. We strive to create an agency community characterized by empowerment, compassion, and innovation.

Benefits of Working for South Lane Mental Health:

• 100% employer paid health insurance premiums for the employee.
• 100% employer paid coverage of in-network copays, deductibles, and pharmaceutical expenses.
• 100% employer paid dental and vision premiums.
• Possibility to earn up to 5 weeks paid time off per year with full time employment
• 9 paid holidays per year (including Indigenous People’s Day and Juneteenth)
• Up to 12 weeks of paid family/medical leave through the Paid Leave Oregon program plus paid bereavement and civic duty leave.
• Employee assistant program, including gym and wellness discounts and resources for legal and financial advice.
• Supplemental insurances (disability, life, etc.)
• Office set up budget
• Exceptional community where employees are supported, trusted, and treated as professional adults

About the position:

South Lane Mental Health is looking for a Registered Nurse to join our team and fulfill the role of a Health Promotion Specialist to aid our Assertive Community Treatment team in supporting ACT program participants to maintain health, wellness, and stability in the community. ACT team members provide support to individuals with severe and persistent mental illness living in the rural communities of Cottage Grove and south Lane County.

Health Promotion Specialists manage our participants ongoing prescriptions and medical needs, coordinate with PCP’s, Specialists, and Psychiatric Prescribers while building supportive relationships with participants to help them implement individual care plans to support the management of daily physical health challenges while working towards long-term health goals.

This is a full-time position that may include some weekend and/or holiday days.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Manage ACT Participant Medications

• Administer non-IV medications to ACT participants (e.g., IM, SQ, PO routes)
• Maintain medication administration records
• Coordinate medication delivery with staff
• Deliver medications to ACT participants
• Advise ACT participants on medication (e.g., correct dosage, side effects, answer questions)
• Observe ACT participants taking medications
• Coordinate medications with pharmacy (e.g., initial, refill, changes)
• Maintain medication storage and lock safety (e.g., boxes, lockers, safes)
• Comply with clozapine REMS program requirements (e.g., labs, pharmacy coordination)
• Support ACT participants with packing personal medications
• Reconcile ACT participant medications (e.g., clarify medication orders, assess supply)
• Report ACT participant response to medication to prescriber (e.g., effectiveness, side effects)
• Dispose of sharps containers per agency protocol
• Assist with disposal of ACT participant medications (e.g., expired, discontinued)
• Support ACT participants in developing medication autonomy (e.g., adherence, dosage/timing, benefits/side-effects)

Perform ACT Participant Assessments

• Conduct initial ACT nursing assessments (e.g., in-home/on-site, environmental, ADL)
• Perform medication side-effect assessment (e.g., AIMS, Glasgow)
• Perform ongoing safety assessments (e.g., housing, mobility, self/team/ community)
• Perform routine assessment of vital signs
• Conduct health screenings (e.g., STI, diabetes)
• Conduct focused health assessments (e.g., wound, skin condition, acute need)
• Conduct mental health assessments (e.g., suicide, MH (Mental Health) status, depression)

Assess ACT participant health needs (e.g., need for treatment, intervention)

Monitor change in ACT participant behavior (e.g., affect, situational awareness, social appropriateness)

Assess ACT participant living spaces (e.g., hazards, basic needs/ ADL, heat/power/ water)

• Recommend ACT participant care based on assessment results • Analyze diagnostic or laboratory tests

Coordinate Care for ACT Participants with ACT Treatment Team

• Participate in ACT team meetings (e.g., daily, staffing)
• Hold regular consultations with ACT prescriber
• Provide team members info about client medical concerns (e.g., medical, rx side effects, health status)
• Update treatment team on med changes/increased symptoms/LMP plans
• Consult with LMP (Licensed Medical Practitioner) on specific med/ symptom (e.g., provide med lists, narcotic counts)
• Obtain prior authorizations for services and treatment
• Schedule appointments with ACT prescribers
• Assign tasks to other team members (e.g., schedule appts, prepare paperwork, deliver meds)
• Provide treatment support/coverage as team member
• Participate in afterhours crisis coverage rotation
• Participate in development and updating of treatment plans (e.g., goals/ objectives, with team & ACT participant)
• Review ACT participants' treatment progress
• Participate in discharge/step

Provide Client Centered ACT Nursing Interventions

• Conduct regularly scheduled nursing contacts with ACT participants and provide direct medical evaluation, first aid and ongoing maintenance consistent with their medical treatment plans to ACT participants in the community
• Provide basic first aid care
• Provide basic nail and foot care
• Provide basic personal care (e.g., physician-ordered, limited mobility, short term)
• Recommend nonpharmacological treatments (e.g., heat packs, elevate feet)
• Provide therapeutic communication (e.g., CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), mindfulness, MI (Motivational Interviewing))
• Provide health skills coaching to ACT participants, families, and groups
• Provide crisis intervention Provide social skills/cues training

Facilitate implementation of harm-reduction programs (e.g., syringe exchange, smoking cessation)

Obtain information from ACT participants for treatment plan development (e.g., treatment goals, health outcomes)

• Respond to urgent nursing needs and requests (e.g., health interventions, provide nursing expertise, client calls)
• Provide client centered therapeutic interventions according to treatment plan

Provide Health Education to ACT Participants, Family, and Staff

• Support ACT participants in developing health medical literacy
• Educate ACT participants on harm reduction strategies (e.g., safer sex practices, substance abuse)
• Coach ACT participants on diabetes management and skills (e.g., finger sticks, CBG values, equipment)
• Educate ACT participants on fluids/ hydration
• Educate ACT participants on weather-related/ environmental risks (e.g., flood risks, hypo/hyperthermia, impact on medication)
• Educate ACT participants on mental/physical health topics (e.g., handouts, videos, pamphlets)
• Educate ACT participants on health crises interventions (e.g., s/s stroke, airway obstruction, overdose)
• Educate ACT participants on disease prevention and wellness
• Provide training on overdose prevention and response (e.g., use of Narcan, emergency response)
• Coach staff on health crises interventions (e.g., overdose, suicide prevention)
• Educate staff on medication and s/s of side effects (e.g., potential risks, response) • Provide cross training to staff

Perform Case Management for ACT Participants

• Track participants' providers to identify gaps in care
• Coordinate care with outside providers to address ACT participant goals (e.g., ophthalmology, dental, medically assisted treatments)
• Advocate for ACT participants during interactions with outside organizations (e.g., community providers, local organizations, court hearings)
• Accompany ACT participants to medical appointments
• Support ACT participants in obtaining benefits and entitlements (e.g., SNAP, Honored

Citizen, OHP (Oregon Health Plan)) G.6 Schedule appointments for ACT participants

Develop ACT participant appointment reminder system

Troubleshoot issues in ACT participant insurance coverage (e.g., lapses, denied claims)

Facilitate ACT participants in obtaining supplemental supports (e.g., vouchers, med samples, equipment)

• Manage ACT participant care schedule (e.g., reminders, transportation, work with partners)
• Facilitate ACT participant transition within levels of care (e.g., from BH unit, from subacute, from ER (Emergency Room))
• Obtain ROI consent from ACT participants
• Provide consultation to home care providers for ACT participant care (e.g., home health, respiratory providers)
• Support ACT participants in obtaining authorization for companion animals
• Consult with professionals on complex cases (e.g., specialty physicians, ortho, psychiatric)

Perform Administrative Tasks

• Manage professional communications (e.g., email, voicemail, text)
• Maintain ACT required documentation (e.g., activities, encounters, treatments)
• Develop medical forms/templates
• Create tracking systems (e.g., labs, injection dates, providers)
• Maintain supply inventory
• Maintain time and attendance reports
• Maintain productivity logs (e.g., contacts, locations, direct service hours)
• Complete expense/ reimbursement reports
• Manage transportation use/ acquisition (e.g., fleet vehicle, mileage logs)
• Manage work schedule (e.g., appointments, coverage, PTO)
• Participate in quality assurance activities (e.g., staff chart audits, fidelity review, service codes)
• Participate in staff hiring processes (e.g., screening applicants, interviews)
• Draft BH policies/ procedures for review and approval
• Provide input into development of BH policies/procedures
• Contribute data to tracking population health trends (e.g., CDC (Centers for Disease Control), Oregon Health Authority)
• Complete authorization documentation for restorative services to secure housing

Participate in Personal Professional Development

• Participate in annual ACT conference
• Maintain professional certifications and licensures
• Participate in agency/department ACT retreats
• Participate in required training activities
• Participate in supplemental/interest -based training activities
• Participate in personal performance review process
• Participate in annual RN retreat

Participate in ACTRN Network activities

• Provide precept/ shadowing opportunities for nursing students
• Participate in peer reviews
• Participate in cross training/ transdisciplinary training activities (e.g., universities, other medical professions)
• Collaborate with academic institutions to improve population health outcomes
• Participate in leadership/stretch assignments (e.g., ONA activities, board activities, advisory committees)
• Advocate on behalf of profession (e.g., labor organizations, related fields)
• Implement quality assurance processes (e.g., ACT fidelity review requirements, safety committee)

Position Requirements:

• This position requires a Registered Nursing Degree or LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) with a direct track to becoming an RN (a modified pay scale is available for an LPN).

Preferred Experience:

• Some experience in the field of mental health and/or substance use treatment, with a focus on the SPMI (Serious and Persistent Mental Illness) population, proffered but not necessary.

Preferred Skills and Knowledge (trainable):

• Understand mental health assessment, treatment, and service terminology, and apply these concepts.
• Experience working with individuals with severe and persistent mental illness.
• Ability to respond calmly and professionally in high-stress situations and respond constructively to clients in a mental health crisis.
• Ability to balance clinical, cultural, and ethical values, particularly as relates to client and staff needs.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to interact with people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. • Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Sound computer and typing skills.

Essential Job Functions

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, move, talk, hear, and manipulate equipment, as well as lift and move objects, equipment, and

supplies. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Lift up to 40-50 pounds may occasionally be required, depending on the specific style or type of care provided. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. The employee must travel using a personal vehicle to locations throughout the community, including client homes.

The employee works in well-lit, clean environments. The noise level in the work environment is quiet to moderate. May work evenings or weekends. The employee may occasionally work with angry or hostile clients or members of the public, work with toxic substances and biohazards, and be exposed to infectious illnesses.

Equal Opportunity Statements

South Lane Mental Health provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

We encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQIA community members. The strength of our organization lies in the diversity of our workforce and the perspectives our employees bring to their work at South Lane Mental Health.

Additional Information

This description is intended to provide a snapshot of the work performed and is not designed to contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required for the position.