Substance Abuse Navigator

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Substance Abuse Navigator

Job Profile Title

Research Administrative Coordinator

Job Description Summary

The Substance Use Navigator (SUN) will establish and maintain relationships with patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and facilitate linkage to and staying in MOUD care. This role will consist of innovative outreach efforts to follow up with patients throughout the Penn Health Systems, patients recently released from incarceration, and will seek to link these patients to MOUD care.
The SUN will continue to build relationships with the patient in the community. The SUN will document patient encounters and related data in the electronic medical record, REDCap, and in SAMHSA required data collection system.

Job Description

This full-time, in person position is for a Substance Use Navigator (SUN) who will be a core member of a collaborative care team.

The team includes infectious disease and family medicine clinicians, program manager, data manager, and other SUNs. The ideal candidate will have experience and skills to rapidly establish rapport with recovering persons and to utilize a hospital encounter to promptly engage and enroll patients with opioid use disorder to the Penn Link program. The SUN will ensure MOUD enrollment in an outpatient setting, and provide community follow up care. This individual will also be involved in a number of projects and grant-based programming, relating to expanding and supporting services to increase access to substance use disorder treatment and resources within the Penn system and greater community. The SUN will be responsible for updating and expanding resources within

Penn and with community practices (communities of recovery, educational, vocational, social, cultural, spiritual resources, mutual self- help groups, professional services, etc.). This will involve a collaborative effort including the recovering person, agency staff and other relevant stakeholders. The SUN will be responsible for managing their own caseload of patients by providing patients with recovery education and by providing a model for both people in recovery and staff by demonstrating that recovery is possible. The SUN will maintain contact either in-person, by phone or e-mail with the recovering person once they are connected with care and throughout the intervention to ensure ongoing success and to provide re-engagement support in partnership with others in the agency

if needed. This individual will assist the recovering person to identify their personal interests, goals, strengths and weaknesses regarding recovery and link them to needed resources. The SUN will help patients identify barriers to accessing care to assist in recovery-related activities and develop strategies to overcome those barriers. The target population are individuals with substance use disorders.

DUTIES:

• Nonjudgmental and positive approach to assisting patients with Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

• Understanding of SUD as a medical condition and the role of MOUD in treatment and harm reduction

• Interest/proficiency in working with individuals recently released from incarceration, homeless individuals and other

marginalized populations.

• Able to interact with patients in a culturally relatable manner

• Preference for applicants with connections to, and reflecting the diversity of, the local community.

• Respect for patient confidentiality and privacy.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to use computer information systems, computer literacy, and knowledge of word processing

• Ability to establish detail implementation plans, work standards and accountabilities.

• Demonstrate leadership, team building and diplomacy skills.

• Works to connect patient with existing MOUD treatment available at current primary providers and/or behavioral health

location if available, unless patient prefers an alternate MOUD treatment location.

• Maintains updated, in-depth knowledge of local and regional SUD treatment programs including capacity, insurance

requirements, and additional services provided at local and regional programs (benefits assistance, housing assistance, mental health, primary care, etc.).

• Schedules follow up appointments, offers additional resources, and networks to help achieve sustained access to care. Assesses and addresses any barriers to attending follow up appointments (transportation, contact phone number availability for appt reminders, shelter needs, etc.) Engages social services to assist with any of these issues as needed.

• Supports patient transition in care from the ED +/- Inpatient, through targeted follow-up to ensure the patient receives

continued MOUD care.

• Establishes relationships with patients and communicates via telephone, texting, and/or email to remind patients of appointments, help patients navigate any obstacles to follow up treatment, and provide encouragement.

• Ensures timely and accurate documentation into tracking sheets, electronic medical records, SAMHSA required data collection system, and REDCap.

• Weekly to biweekly outreach to look for lost to care patients within their community.

• Biweekly home visits to deliver food to participants enrolled in the program.

• Responds to the needs of the departments by performing other duties, as necessary.

CONTINGENT UPON FUNDING

Qualifications

• High School Grad/GE Degree, Bachelor of Science, and 5 to 7 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• certified recovery specialist preferred

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Perelman School of Medicine

Pay Range

$19.57 - $26.44 Hourly Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

Equal Opportunity Statement 

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin(including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protectedunder applicable federal, state or local law.

Special Requirements 
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

• Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

• Flexible Work Hours:Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay