Peer Recovery Specialist - Project Bridge Year 2

Job Summary:

The Peer Recovery Specialist operates within the Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) Adult Outpatient Program, with clinic locations in Denver, Aurora, and Arvada. The ARTS Adult Outpatient Program is within the School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. ARTS Adult Outpatient clinics provide drug and alcohol assessment, psychosocial and pharmacological treatment for adults. Programs in various clinic locations include traditional outpatient, intensive outpatient and may contain specialty services for clients referred by the criminal justice system, county departments of human services, and services for pregnant women, individuals who are HIV-positive and gender-responsive services.

The person in this position is an individual with lived substance use disorder (SUD) experience to support positions providing drug and alcohol assessment, psychosocial, and pharmacological treatment for adults with substance use disorder (SUD), who first enter into care at the CU Health Emergency Department (ED) at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, and then transition into SUD treatment at the ARTS Potomac Street Center, in collaboration with STRIDE Community Health Center Potomac Street.

This position provides activities to engage, educate, and offer support to adults with SUD, their family members, and caregivers to connect patients to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up sessions. This position is also responsible for conducting outreach activities with patients, staff, community partners, subcontracted agencies, and/or other entities as appropriate, travel to various sites, and perform other duties as assigned or required.

Working hours will be based on a standard 40-hour work week, which may be worked as follows (to include breaks):

· 10:30am – 9:00pm on any day of the week.

Locations vary and will include the ED, ARTS, STRIDE, community, and other outreach sites. Working hours and locations are subject to change according to the needs of the project and/or the agencies concerned, and this position will be required to work Saturdays/Sundays as well.

This full-time position is supported by grant funds, whose funding will be reviewed on a periodic basis. Accordingly, the position’s status may be affected over time by any applicable variations in the grant and/or funding amounts. Therefore, this position is contingent on grant funding and is term limited.

Key Responsibilities:

· Coordinate the assessment and treatment for individuals living with substance use disorder (SUD) who first enter into care at the University of Colorado (CU) Health Emergency Department.

· Communicate, facilitate, and collaborate among the CU Health Emergency Department, ARTS Potomac Street Center, and STRIDE Community Health Center Potomac Street to ensure a smooth and timely transition for individuals to enter into outpatient SUD and/or Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) treatment at the ARTS Potomac Street Center.

· Leverage their own lived experience with, and recovery with supports from, SUD to encourage and support individuals who may be reluctant or hesitant to enter into treatment.

· Coordinating communication and collaboration efforts among the CU Health Emergency Department, ARTS Potomac Street Center, and STRIDE Community Health Center Potomac Street.

· Be responsive to, and affirmative of, the individualized and differing needs of each patient under their care.

· Follow up and outreach all patient participants, including those referred to the project but not admitted.

· Work with project staff to appropriately track project data and peer contacts.

· Facilitate peer-led groups to support patient recovery.

· Track referrals and follow up/outreach, regardless of which treatment agency patient is referred to by the Emergency Department, in an effort to engage them in treatment and offer recovery resources.

Work Location:

Onsite – this role is expected to work onsite and is located in Auora, CO.

Why Join Us:

This position at the University of Colorado/ Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) provides a very unique opportunity for individuals with lived experience and recovery from SUDs to use, in turn, their specialized knowledge and experience to provide care, assistance and support of individuals currently living with SUD. The individual in this position, through their words and actions, will have a direct influence on helping others with SUD to set themselves on a path to recovery and make health lifestyle choices. In addition, by joining ARTS, employees will be actively engaged in a supportive, professional, and nurturing environment where individuals with various backgrounds and experiences converge and collaborate to provide an evidence-based, multi-faceted approach to provide the best treatment and care to every patient who comes into care at ARTS clinics.

Why work for the University?

We have AMAZING benefits and offer exceptional amounts of holiday, vacation, and sick leave! The University of Colorado offers an excellent benefits package including:

· Medical: Multiple plan options

· Dental: Multiple plan options

· Additional Insurance: Disability, Life, Vision

· Retirement 401(a) Plan: Employer contributes 10% of your gross pay

· Paid Time Off: Accruals over the year

o Vacation Days: 22/year (maximum accrual 352 hours)

o Sick Days: 15/year (unlimited maximum accrual)

o Holiday Days: 15/year

· Tuition Benefit: Employees have access to this benefit on all CU campuses

· ECO Pass: Reduced rate RTD Bus and light rail service

There are many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

· High School diploma or General Education Diploma (GED).

· One (1) year of professional experience with connecting individuals in SUD treatment or addictions recovery to resources directly associated with SUD treatment, MAT, or addictions recovery.

Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications: