The Peer Recovery Specialist (Health Care Technician II) operates within the Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) Adult Outpatient Program. Clinic locations are in Denver, Aurora, and Arvada. The ARTS Adult Outpatient Program is within the School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. ARTS Adult Outpatient clinics provide drug and alcohol assessment, psychosocial and pharmacological treatment for adults. Programs in various clinic locations include traditional outpatient, and intensive outpatient and may contain specialty services for clients referred by the criminal justice system, county departments of human services, and services for pregnant women, individuals who are HIV-positive and gender-responsive services.
The person in this position is an individual with lived substance use disorder (SUD) experience to support positions providing drug and alcohol assessment, psychosocial, and pharmacological treatment for adults with substance use disorder (SUD), who first enter into care at the CU Health Emergency Department (ED) at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, and then transition into SUD treatment at the ARTS Potomac Street Center, in collaboration with STRIDE Community Health Center Potomac Street.
Hours
This is a full-time, grant-funded, University Staff (non-classified) position. It provides activities to engage, educate, and offer support to adults with SUD, their family members, and caregivers to connect patients to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up sessions. This position is also responsible for conducting outreach activities with patients, staff, community partners, subcontracted agencies, and/or other entities as appropriate, travel to various sites, and perform other duties as assigned or required.
Working hours will be based on a standard 40-hour work week, which may be worked as follows (to include breaks):
- 10:30am – 9:00pm on any day of the week. Locations vary and will include the ED, ARTS, STRIDE, community, and other outreach sites.
Note: the above working hours and locations are subject to change according to the needs of the project and/or the agencies concerned. This position will be required to work Saturdays/Sundays as well.
Peer Recovery Specialist Key Responsibilities:
The individual in this position will:
- Coordinate the assessment and treatment for individuals living with substance use disorder (SUD) who first enter care at the University of Colorado (CU) Health Emergency Department.
- Communicate, facilitate, and collaborate among the CU Health Emergency Department, ARTS Potomac Street Center, and STRIDE Community Health Center Potomac Street to ensure a smooth and timely transition for individuals to enter outpatient SUD and/or Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) treatment at the ARTS Potomac Street Center.
- Leverage their own lived experience with, and recovery with supports from, SUD to encourage and support individuals who may be reluctant or hesitant to enter treatment.
- Excel at consistently coordinating communication and collaboration efforts among the CU Health Emergency Department, ARTS Potomac Street Center, and STRIDE Community Health Center Potomac Street.
- Be responsive to, and affirmative of, the individualized and differing needs of each patient under their care.
