Health Centre Wellness Worker

**Job Posting**:Health CentreWellness Worker

**Job Type**:Full-time Ongoing

**Hours**: 35 hours per week (Typically Monday to Friday 8:30 - 4:30)

**Location**:Campbell River, BC

**Salary**:Starting at$26.00 - $29.00/hour

We are _Xwémalhkwu_, or Homalco, and we are known as “the people of the fast-running waters”. Our connection to our lands and waters forms part of our identity and informs our responsibility to our lands, waters, and people. We have lived in concert with our natural surroundings for millennia in Bute Inlet, the Discovery Islands and Campbell River.

Our health centre is responsible for providing health and social services to our community members within a timely manner, as well as working alongside external partners such as Island Health, First Nations Health Authority, etc.

**JOB SUMMARY**

Reporting to the Health Director, the Wellness Worker plays a key role in the development and implementation of the mental health and substance use program, concurrently capable of addressing both needs. The Wellness Worker provides addiction prevention and support services, through providing education and support from harm reduction and trauma informed lenses, uses the computerized system to chart in the cEMR. The Wellness Worker will provide client advocacy, assessment, referrals, as well as treatment aftercare. Clients may include, individuals, couples, families, and groups. The primary areas of direct service are Substance Misuse Prevention, Substance Misuse Intervention, and Follow-up and Aftercare.

**KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**
- Perform all duties and responsibilities in accordance with HFN policies, standards and procedures, and as directed by the Health Director.
- Regularly deal with confidential information and always maintain strictest levels of confidentiality.
- Strong computer skills with the ability to use a cEMR.
- Build and maintain a professional relationship with clients and HFN staff.
- Be able to set appropriate professional boundaries.
- Regularly create and distribute written material on substance abuse prevention being mindful of literacy level.
- Promote and participate in cultural, recreational, and social programs which support holistic health and healing of clients and the community.
- Provide information and referrals to community members on mental health and substance use and resources within the community and region and support clients through navigating the health care system.
- Flexible schedule required at times as work outside of regular hours may be required.
- Assure discreet and confidential handling of all business.
- Plan annual International Overdose Awareness Day event for community.
- Maintain an organized schedule that provides time for individual counselling, education, charting/referrals, as well as cultural, wellness, and educational group programming.
- Maintain regular communication with mental health professionals and contract outreach workers as appropriate.
- Work collaboratively with other members of the HFN team to coordinate services for individuals and families as appropriate.
- Prevention: Provide a minimum of 4 community awareness and education programs on mental health and substance use annually; as well as related health topics from a harm reduction perspective and targeting specific age categories each time.
- Substance Misuse Intervention: perform initial assessment of client needs, create treatment and safety plans with clients. Assist in client referrals to treatment centres.
- Follow-up and Aftercare: maintain a securely stored calendar of each client leaving and returning from residential treatment and ensure that an after-care plan is in place that has been created with the client. Provide or arrange for individualized support for those maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Promote activities for healthy living.

**KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES**
- Knowledge of Indigenous history; experience working in an Indigenous community and/or with Indigenous clients.
- Ability to work from a trauma informed lens.
- Knowledge of harm reduction practices and ability to incorporate into day-to-day programming.
- Ability to meet clients where they are at and work with them in all stages of change.
- Capacity to perform outreach work.
- Familiarity with best practices in alcohol and drug addiction service delivery, including prevention, intervention, and relapse prevention.
- Experience utilizing an Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
- Ability to organize workload, meet deadlines and complete required reports and paperwork with minimum supervision.
- Experience in working with Indigenous health benefits, treatment centres, and First Nations Health Authority
- Capacity to work as part of a multidisciplinary team as well as autonomously.
- Ability to use tact and good judgment in dealing with sensitive and complex issues while always maintaining confidentiality.
- Expert level written and verbal communication skills, strong decision-making ability and attent