Indigenous-focused Peer Support Worker

**AVI Health Centre** is a Community Health Centre (CHC) in Nanaimo. We provide Primary Care, HIV, Substance Use, STBBI, PrEP, PEP, and HCV medical services, as well as outreach, supports, and social programming for our clients. We also provide education services for the communities we support and for health and social services students and professionals that work with the same communities. Our services are delivered across the traditional territories of the Snuneymuxw, Stz'uminus, and Snaw'naw'as People.

Join our supportive, dedicated and client-centred team in promoting the health, dignity and well-being of all people affected by HIV, HCV and substance use by delivering sex-positive and harm reduction-based education, prevention and/or support services.

**JOB SUMMARY**:
The AVI Nanaimo Community Health Centre (CHC) hosts a variety of program options for community members and service users to access. AVI Harm Reduction Peer Support Workers work across different programs to provide care and support to service users who have different goals of care across the continuum of health and wellness.

The CHC provides primary care, HIV/HCV, substance use, STBBI, PrEP/PEP medical services, as well as outreach, supports, and social programming for our clients. We also provide education services for the communities we support and for health and social services students and professionals that work with the same communities.

The CHC provides streamlined access to addiction medicine services while offering a host of complementary supports under one roof including the Enhanced Harm Reduction Service (EHR). program The EHR is a flexible, community‐based, nursing led, harm reduction program that will provide pharmaceutical alternatives to the toxic street drug supply along with wrap around supports. The EHR program aims to help individuals reduce their risk of dying from a drug poisoning event and our service users may not have sobriety or abstinence included in their goals of care.

Our services are delivered across the traditional territories of the Snuneymuxw, Stz'uminus, and Snaw'naw'as People.

Join our supportive, dedicated and client-centered team in promoting the health, dignity and well-being of all people affected by HIV, HCV and substance use by delivering sex-positive and harm reduction-based education, prevention and/or support services.

**KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES**:

- Provide peer support through culturally safe, community-based services that prioritize Indigenous values, traditions, and healing practices, including community outreach in settings like clinics, parks, shelters, and drop-in centres.
- Distribute naloxone kits and offer culturally relevant training on overdose prevention and response, integrating Indigenous traditional healing practices and spiritual approaches where applicable.
- Offer witnessed consumption support and supervision, responding to overdose symptoms with rescue breathing and naloxone when necessary.
- Collaborate with community members to share information on pharmaceutical alternatives to street drugs, offering harm reduction education that aligns with Indigenous knowledge and practices.
- Build supportive relationships with participants through peer support, rooted in non-judgment, active listening, healing, connection, and community solidarity.
- Assist individuals in navigating health and social services, ensuring access to both mainstream and culturally specific support, including harm reduction strategies, safer substance use practices, health referrals, and crisis support.
- Maintain ongoing contact with participants and assist in developing individualized care plans that honor both their health goals and cultural needs, with a focus on Indigenous ways of knowing and healing.
- Collaborate with the CHC team to update care plans based on the evolving needs and goals of participants, ensuring that plans honor and incorporate Indigenous cultural healing practices and traditions.
- Serve as a liaison between participants and healthcare professionals, fostering open, respectful, and culturally safe communication, with particular attention to the inclusion of Indigenous worldviews and practices in care.
- Participate in team meetings, huddles, and individual supervision sessions to ensure that care and support are holistic, incorporating Indigenous knowledge, values, and practices throughout.
- Maintain accurate and culturally sensitive records of services provided, ensuring that documentation reflects Indigenous perspectives and upholds privacy with cultural respect.
- Contribute to program evaluation activities, focusing on enhancing service delivery and community impact while ensuring that Indigenous cultural considerations are central to the evaluation process, with flexibility to incorporate traditional, cultural, and spiritual approaches to the work, in alignment with the needs of Indigenous communities.
- Assist clients in navigating harm reduction strategies, incl