Peer Support Specialist

Please note_: _Only Canadian Citizens, legal residents or residents with a legal work permit will be considered._

STATUS: Casual

HOURS OF WORK: 08:30 - 16:30 - Monday to Friday

SALARY: Commensurate with qualifications and experience

LOCATION: BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Hope to Health Primary Care Clinic, Vancouver, BC.

ORGANIZATION: The BC-CfE is a world-renowned HIV/AIDS Centre with innovative, low barrier approach to healthcare delivery in clinical practice and an integrated group of research concentrations in Laboratory Sciences, Clinical Trials, Population Health and Epidemiology, Health Economics and Professional Education Programs. A multidisciplinary team of clinicians including Physicians, Nurses, Social Workers and Peers and researchers including Health Economists, Epidemiologists, Clinical Researchers, Statisticians, Programmers, and Data Analysts work collaboratively to improve the health of British Columbians with HIV and communities facing socio-economic barriers in accessing healthcare.

JOB:
Reporting to the Clinical Operations Manager, the Peer Support Specialist (PSS) shares their own consumer knowledge and lived experience of mental illness / substance use and experience navigating clinical services to assist clients to reduce barriers to care and support engagement and attachment. The PSS collaborates with the client and the clinic health care team to determine appropriate care to meet individual needs and situational requirements. The PSS provides clients with education, goal setting, support and advocacy from a lived experience perspective in order to assist clients in effectively obtaining service from the ICT team staff, external service providers and community resources. Provides a variety of supports to assist clients living with mental illness / substance use such as emotional and social supports, health care navigation, goal setting, information, resources, and demonstrations. The PSS participates in care planning, team meetings, quality initiatives and continuing education by sharing and discussing information, presenting material and suggesting changes to policies and procedure. The PSS brings the voice of lived experience to conversations about clients, programs and systems. The PSS has a willingness to be identified as a peer in the areas of mental health and/or substance use and/or homelessness and the ability to use that recovery experience and recovery principles as a practice.

The PSS also performs service coordination duties, maintaining oversight to ensure that client’s self-identified goals for recovery and attachment and retention to healthcare are supported by appropriate services and practices, consistent with the values of self-determination/choice and harm reduction. Working in collaboration with the other members of the health care team, the PSS coordinates the provision of primary care services for clients served by the team members in their peer area of specialization. Services are provided primarily in the clinic but may include accompaniment to appointments and outreach work. The PSS will receive training (harm reduction, psychosocial, EMR, Aboriginal cultural safety) alongside team members with other specializations.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Build peer-specific relationships with clients and provide consistent and proactive engagement
- As part of the care plan, assist clients with accessing health and social services
- Accompany clients to appointments and schedule follow up appointments as needed
- Outreach clients for clinic appointments, home care visits
- Liaise with interprofessional health care team for support and communicate outcomes
- Participate in events relevant to client goals and community engagement
- Participate in internal and multi-stakeholder groups pertaining to peer work and areas of lived experience expertise
- Provide clients with education re: their consumer rights and grievance procedures within the larger health care system and with other community providers and services
- Provides individual and group support for clients re: empowerment, self-help education, practical information, resources, life skills, demonstrations.
- Assist clients with community integration activities, and escort clients to appointments as per health care team planning and collaboration with the client.
- Assist with creating an effective and supportive connection between community service providers and Hope to Health primary care team. Advocates for clients as needed.
- Provide ongoing education to Hope to Health team members regarding the experience of individuals with lived experience in marginalized communities (including mental health conditions, substance use experiences and incarceration).
- In collaboration with team members, identify client goals to develop a care plan
- Assists with de-escalating situations and calls in outside resources as needed
- Use appropriate databases and electronic charting systems to add updates to clien