Recovery Coach (Salem Hospital) - 40 Hours, Day

Location

Salem Hospital - Bridge Clinic, Emergency Department, and Inpatient Units

General Overview

The Recovery Coach (RC) is considered an essential, non-clinical member of the care team. The RC will provide peer recovery support services to patients with substance use disorder (SUD) and will assist patients in achieving and sustaining recovery as defined by each individual patient. This position will facilitate patient access to recovery-oriented substance use disorder treatment, resources, and community recovery groups. The RC will bridge the segregated treatment system into a more holistic care model through providing support across multiple systems and frameworks of care. This position will maintain ongoing patient support regardless of relapse and will serve as a motivator, ally, role model, sounding board, and advocate for patients with substance use disorder. The RC should possess a thorough understanding of community culture to address the barriers to successful recovery, use human experience language in place of clinical jargon, and provide support to access community resources and treatment options.

Responsibilities

• Engages with patients identified with SUD that are referred by Mass General Brigham/Salem Hospital or North Shore Physicians Group staff.

• Serves as a liaison between the recovery community, the addiction treatment system, the medical treatment system, and the patient's community, and social context to facilitate connections across systems of care.

• Works collaboratively with treatment team in support of evidence-based services to patients with SUD.

• Addresses barriers to successful recovery and serves as role model and advocate.

• Conducts outreach efforts to support patient-identified goals, such as encourage attendance and participation in recovery-oriented, self-help, and pro-social groups.

• Assists with access to treatment for SUD, understanding, and using systems and procedures to rapidly support identified needs of the patient.

• Meets patients with SUD prior to discharge from the Mass General Brigham/Salem Hospital ED or inpatient unit or at the Bridge Clinic and encourages patients to engage in their next stage of treatment.

• Together with input from the patient, joins with clinical staff to facilitate referrals to appropriate disposition options.

• Helps patient navigate the healthcare system and social service system.

• Negotiates and creates opportunities for access to treatment and social services with patient's participation; advocates on behalf of patients to help decrease barriers to care.

• Educates patients about addiction safe use practices, multiple pathways of recovery and utilizes motivational enhancement techniques to explore ambiguity and tip the scales towards healthy decision-making.

• Offers peer coaching and supports patients to identify and develop their own personal wellness goals and to achieve and maintain the highest level of health to include sustained long-term recovery.

• Supports the development of individualized wellness plans with each patient who wishes to do so.

• Advocates and supports the patient's voice during the care team's consideration and development of a comprehensive treatment plan.

• Is available to provide support to patients in immediate risk of using substances or for other time-sensitive matters during regular business hours and to develop with the patient interwoven local, natural, and clinical supports and resources outside of business hours.

• Clearly and effectively offers to facilitate communication between the patient, PCP, and any external providers maintaining appropriate confidentiality procedures and boundaries.

• Writes brief, non-clinical notes in the patient's medical record in support of effective and collaborative medical care and social services.

• Systematically reviews the progress and challenges of each patient with a peer supervisor, to understand the most effective ways to support and encourage patient success.

• Assists with data collection for quality assurance and program evaluation.    

Required

• High School diploma or GED

• Minimum of 2 years in sustained and uninterrupted recovery, 3-5 years preferred

• Successful completion of a CCAR approved Recovery Coach Academy before hire or the successful completion of a CCAR approved Recovery Coach Academy within 4 months of hire and Certified Addiction Recovery Coach (CARC) certification within first 12 months of employment.