Peer Support Specialist

**Working title**: Certified Peer Support Specialist **Classification title**: Community Member **Division**: Community Health Center **Program**: Healthcare for the Homeless **Reports to**: Community Partnerships Program Manager **FLSA status**: Non-Exempt: Full Time **Schedule:** Monday-Friday; 7am to 4pm **Wage Range:** $20.32 to $25.35 hourly; depending on number of years and transferrable experience ### Organizational Overview Serving the Yellowstone County community and south-central Montana for nearly 50 years, RiverStone Health is an essential provider of personal and public health services. Health, Education, Leadership and Protection – HELP is what we do. From medical, dental and behavioral healthcare; home care and hospice; public health services like immunizations, WIC, health promotion and restaurant inspections; and educating the next generation of health professionals, our expertise spans all ages and stages of life. Underlying principles of access, affordability, compassion and quality in all interactions, RiverStone Health improves life, health and safety for all the communities we serve. ### Division and Program Overview: Coordinates, monitors and works closely in conjunction with the Patient Care Team in a Patient Centered Medical Home model, to ensure effective quality and coordination of services. Managing patient care is a team effort that involves clinical and nonclinical staff (e.g. physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, medical assistants, educators, front desk staff, schedulers, etc.) interacting with patients to achieve stated objectives. ### Job Summary: The Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS) is a person in recovery who uses their lived experience to support, mentor, and encourage high-risk patients who are at risk for poor health outcomes and those living without housing. The CPSS will act as a member of the Patient Care Team for coordination of care, identify barriers to care, assess their individual needs and providing education on understanding the interplay between physical health, mental health, social issues and resource needs. Under the supervision of licensed behavioral health and medical providers, the CPSS position will provide strengths-based, trauma-informed, person-centered support following the Montana Peer Network code of ethics and state certification requirements. This position will be housed at the Healthcare for the Homeless location 21 S 29^th^ Street. ### Essential Functions/Major Duties and Responsibilities: A. Certified Peer Support Specialist Duties 80% - Meeting patients where they are, includes street medicine and community outreach for the unhoused population. - Provide emotional, informational, instrumental, and affiliation support services to patients. Assist patients in setting recovery and goals and action plans. - Work with each patient to identify and develop individualized personal long term and short-term goals such as improving therapeutic outcomes and development towards independence. - Provides crisis assistance to patients while in clinic and street medicine by accessing local programs, Community service providers and agencies to meet patient’s needs. - Coordinate communication between patients, family members, medical staff, administrative staff, criminal justice, or regulatory agencies. - Identify and refer clients to appropriate community resources and programs to ensure a full array of services are available to all patients. - Respond to patient’s questions and comments in a courteous and timely manner. - Explain policies, procedures, or services to patients using medical or administrative knowledge. - Provides guidance for patients that need help navigating the healthcare system and who may not qualify for health insurance or financial assistance programs. - Maintains proficiency in computer skills to include eCW, HIMIS, email, word, excel programs. Utilize an electronic medical record to retrieve patient information and to…