Access: Drug User Health provides STI/HIV/Hep C testing and prevention services to people who use drugs. Funded primarily by MA Department of public health, services include syringe exchange, safer use supplies, Narcan, safety planning, and health navigation. The Access Program conducts a walk-in medical clinic twice weekly where clients can see a doctor, nurse, case manager, or behavioral health clinician. Under the supervision of the Program Manager, the Clinic Coordinator plays a key role in supporting the clinic by managing the general flow of the clinic and by providing care coordination and navigation services to clients of the Drug User Health program. Coordination activities may include treatment access, retention, and ongoing adherence support to clients in order to engage in PrEP uptake, HIV, HCV and STI screening and treatment.
Representative Duties:
- Provide PrEP navigation services that are culturally competent for HIV negative clients, with specific focus on men who have sex with men (MSM) transgender women (TW), and people who inject drugs (PWID)
- Provide navigation services for Hepatitis C (HCV) positive clients to engage in and adhere to HCV treatment
- Maintain clinic flow with an eye for operational efficiencies and the patient experience
- Maintain detailed records of all contact attempts, navigation attempts, referrals, medical visits, and medication refill timelines in the EMR. Collect data for public health funder reporting requirements.
- Build and maintain relationships with Fenway Health medical providers, Public Health staff from all programs, and community based service providers.
- Discuss basic HIV/HCV/STI prevention information and the importance of accessing care with all clients.
- Develop a strong rapport with clients to offer support, provide referrals, identify potential barriers and address any immediate needs to help create a seamless process for PrEP, and HCV treatment initiation and continued adherence, including navigation and accompaniment for clients who experience multiple barriers to access services.
- Communicate regularly with Public Health and Medical staff in order to share up-to-date information about progress, client barriers to care and issues impacting the community.
- Collaborate with the data team to determine outcomes of patients getting PrEP/HCV treatment, evaluates trends, troubleshoot reoccurring barriers
- Conduct blood draws for HIV/HCV/STI counseling and testing. Provide screening and risk reduction sessions, as well as education and referrals as necessary.
- Assist the program manager in tracking results from all HIV/HCV/STI testing and coordinate with other program staff to ensure result delivery is conducted and documented in a timely manner, and treatment is coordinated when necessary.
- Communicate with DPH Epidemiologists on positive Syphilis and HIV cases.
- Complete case reports for STI positive cases and send documentation to DPH.
- Provided input to DPH on inclusive language involving their forms and the program’s target patient populations.
- Conduct mobile outreach as necessary for recruitment and engagement to care
Participate in Planning and Implementation of New Interventions;
- Participate in program planning through interdisciplinary team meetings
- Collaborate with clinical and non-clinical providers to provide quality care and seamless continuum of services
- Attend continuing education seminars, staff in-services, and stay up to date on relevant trends in prevention services among (PWID), (MSM), transgender, and non US born populations to engage in infectious disease prevention and treatment.
Meet agency participatory expectations:
- Adhere to all agency and departmental policies and procedures
- Participate in quality assessment and improvement activities as requested
- Adhere to the highest principles of client confidentiality
- Adhere to established safety policies, procedures and precautions; enforce agency’s policies and clinical procedures, including safety and crisis procedures.
- Attend all required meetings, in-services and professional trainings
- Maintains professional competence necessary to perform job responsibilities; maintains and provides agency with records of continuing education activities
- Perform related duties and projects as required
- Minimum three-years work experience in a health/human services setting. Note: An Associates degree plus relevant experience may substitute for the requirement of three years prior work experience.
- Willingness to be trained in phlebotomy required. Prior phlebotomy experience and/or training in HIV counseling and testing preferred;
- Ability to work harmoniously and effectively with colleagues, patients, clients and vendors across the spectrum of diversity, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, color, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, national origin and immigrant status, religious or spiritual identity, disability (physical, mental, emotional and developmental), veteran status, and/or limited English proficiency.
- Willingness to contribute towards Fenway’s efforts in becoming an anti-racist organization and promoting a culture dedicated to ongoing development in service of humility, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging, where differences are acknowledged and valued.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Harm Reduction work experience strongly preferred
- Ability to work harmoniously with diverse groups of individuals and communities at risk for HIV --specifically men who have sex with men, transgender individuals, and individuals who inject drugs
- Prior experience supervising staff or interns strongly preferred
- Experience charting within an electronic medical record, specifically Epic
- Demonstrated experience working in health care environment with an interdisciplinary team.
- Case management experience and/or knowledge of community resources preferred.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- Experience with community outreach/engagement preferred.
- Ability to manage clinically and emotionally challenging situations with utmost professionalism, care and discretion
- Significant knowledge of health-related issues faced by injection drug users, including awareness of injection drug user networks, norms and culture.
- Knowledge of health-related issues faced by sexual minorities, specifically men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women.
- Experience working in an ethnically, culturally, and racially diverse environment preferred
- Fluency in a second language a plus
- Ability to provide precise, well-written documentation
- Ability to meet deadlines and work within a team-based environment
- Demonstrated computer skills (Microsoft Outlook, Excel, and Word)
- Ability to handle multiple tasks and prioritize assigned duties
- Ability to work independently and in small groups
- Strong interest in the health of LGBTQIA+ persons, BIPOC individuals, and other historically underserved or marginalized communities
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to meet the following physical requirements with or without reasonable accommodations:
- Sit at a computer station for extended periods of time
- Ability to keyboard for extended periods of time
- Requires handling average-weight objects up to 15-20 pounds, and occasionally assisting patients
- May work with blood or blood-borne pathogens and require OSHA training
- Work environment involves exposure to potentially dangerous materials and situations that require following extensive safety precautions and may include the use of protective equipment
- Ability to travel to community events and venues such as bars and nightclubs to perform outreach activities.
- Fenway Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer, strongly committed to diversity and inclusion.