Peer Recovery Specialst - Patient Services

The University of Colorado Anschutz seeks two full-time, University Staff (non-classified) Peer Recovery Specialists 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.

This is a full-time, University Staff (non-classified) position that 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 are based on a standard 40-hour work week, to include breaks, as follows:

• 6:00am-2:30pm on Mondays to Fridays

Note: The above working hours and locations may be subject to change according to the needs of the clinic, and this position may be required to work periodically on some weeknights and/or some Saturdays or Sundays, to represent ARTS at outreach events for example

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as a Peer Recovery Specialist and peer educator to improve health outcomes for patients who enter care at ARTS Adult Outpatient Program (AOP) clinic locations in Denver, Arvada, Aurora, and/or the ARTS Medication Mobile Unit, and are identified for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorder (SUD).

• Use a strengths-based, patient-focused approach with patients to identify any problems or challenges.

• Conduct case management activities for patients, especially around social determinants of health such as issues of housing, transportation, Medicaid and/or Medicare enrollment, food/nutrition, access to health care, provide referrals to necessary, appropriate resources such as those offered through community/partner agencies.

• Conduct structured, Peer-led individual and group interventions that focus on health education, care coordination, identifying and reducing barriers to care for patients, and conduct outreach activities in the community in order to engage patients into SUD treatment and/or MAT treatment.

• Actively collaborate with supervisor and clinic staff to coordinate and provide timely, effective efforts to ensure successful delivery of services to patients and monitor their progress with respect to their care plan and/or treatment plan.

• Attend and actively participate in all clinic meetings, huddles, trainings, etc.

• Continuously maintain accurate and up-to-date records and/or notes as required by agency policy.

• Use electronic health record systems to ensure timely documentation, recording and tracking of communications, interventions, and patient data.

• Schedule and maintain multiple, internal, and external appointments, and

• Gather, analyze, and report patient statistical data.

• Maintain personal contact with patients that is respectful, empathetic, and aligns with the patient’s preferences for such communications (e.g., phone, text, email, in-person, or a combination of these, etc.)

• Respond courteously to queries and provide excellent customer service to patients, staff, internal and external stakeholders, and other individuals associated with ARTS Adult Outpatient Program goals and projects.

• Work comfortably among patients with or without substance abuse disorder, who are referred from city and county parole/probation departments, department of social services, and other relevant agencies.

• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor and/or other AOP Management Team members.

ARTS promotes the continued development of its employees and assists in the CCAR Recovery Coach Academy training and the Colorado Peer and Family Specialist (CPFS) certification.

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 servi

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

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.

o Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.

Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate’s degree or higher in psychology, social work, counseling, human services, or related field from an accredited institution.

• Prior experience in Patient Navigation, enrolling patients for required services such as Medicaid or Medicare, or other resources available to patients.

• Possess certification as a Colorado Peer and Family Specialist (CPFS), Peer Recovery Specialist, or Peer Recovery Coach.

• Experience with motivational interviewing techniques.

• Experience working with clients who are involved with the criminal justice system, drug courts, recovery courts, probation/parole offices, city and county departments of human/family services, and/or other similar referral sources.

• Experience providing administrative support to clients, families, staff, and other stakeholders in a SUD or MAT treatment setting.

• Experience working with individuals with a variety of cultural, socio-economic, ethnic, racial, and/or spiritual backgrounds.

• Experience working with individuals from the LGBTQ+ community.

• Experience working with electronic health records.

• Current, valid registration with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) as Certified Addiction Technician (CAT) license or higher.

• Multilingual, i.e. English and other language(s).

Competencies: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA’s)

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

• Excellent written communication skills, which includes the ability to check for typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees at all levels throughout the institution.

• Ability to effectively manage difficult behaviors.

• Ability to engage patients in treatment for substance use disorder treatment.

• Ability to comply with established rules, policies, and procedures.

• Ability to be open-minded and nonjudgmental.

• Ability to develop healthy relationships with clients.

• Ability to exercise discretion and maintain patient confidentiality.

• Knowledge of basic care coordination, medical/hospital, and/or community resources.

• Knowledge of basic therapeutic confrontation and structures.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, Outlook etc.).

• Excellent data entry skills.

• Critical thinking skills with the ability to successfully meet deadlines and multitask in a high-pressure environment.

Conditions of Employment

• Must possess personal, lived experience with SUD or addictions, and maintain continuous recovery with existing sobriety supports.

• Must be willing and able to obtain the one of the following certifications within six (6) months of hire; Colorado Family and Peer Specialist (CFPS), Peer Recovery Specialist, or Peer Recovery Coach..

o In order for services delivered to be reimbursable, Peer Recovery Specialists must either be certified or in the process of becoming certified.

o More information on certification can be found here:

o Costs associated with certification training may be covered by the University/ARTS. Costs associated with the exam and continuing education will be the responsibility of the candidate

• The employee must successfully complete the CCAR Recovery Coach Academy training within 12 months of the hire date (training costs will be borne by employer) if the employee has not completed the training already.

• Must agree to fingerprinting and criminal background check prior to being hired. Required background checks include a review with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

• Subject to pre-employment, post-accident, incident, and/or drug and alcohol testing per UCAMC Addiction Research and Treatment Services policies.

• Possession of valid driver’s license and automobile insurance per State of Colorado requirements.

• The individual in this position may be required to work periodically on some weeknights and/or Saturdays and Sundays, for example, to represent the University/ARTS at events, stakeholder meetings, etc.

• The individual in this position may be required to be available occasionally to be on-call for emergency purposes.

For full consideration, please submit the following document(s):

1. A letter of interest describing relevant job experiences as they relate to listed job qualifications and interest in the position. This letter must adequately describe how the applicants work/life experiences satisfy the SUD, addictions, and continuous recovery with sobriety supports Condition of Employment. If candidates do not satisfy this condition and/or fail to attach a cover letter to their application, then their application will be removed from consideration.

2. Curriculum vitae / Resume

3. Three to five professional references, including name, address, phone number (mobile number if appropriate), and email address.

Questions should be directed to: Heidi McKinnon - heidi.mckinnon@cuanschutz.edu

The starting salary range (or hiring range) for this position has been established as $43,812 – $50,830.

The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. This position may be eligible for overtime compensation, depending on the level.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.

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