Job Description
Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (the NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the country. Our mission is to protect and improve the health of all New Yorkers, in service of a vision of a city in which all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, how old they are, where they are from, or where they live.
As a world-renowned public health agency with a history of building transformative public health programming and infrastructure, innovating in science and scholarship to advance public health knowledge, and responding to urgent public health crises from New York City’s yellow fever outbreak in 1822, to the COVID-19 pandemic we are a hub for public health innovation, expertise, and programs, and services. We serve as the population health strategist, and policy, and planning authority for the City of New York, while also having a vast impact on national and international public policy, including programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and racial and social justice work, among others.
Our Agency’s five strategic priorities, building off a recently-completed strategic planning process emerging from the COVID-19 emergency, are:
1) To re-envision how the Health Department prepares for and responds to health emergencies, with a focus on building a “response-ready” organization, with faster decision-making, transparent public communications, and stronger surveillance and bridges to healthcare systems 2) Address and prevent chronic and diet-related disease, including addressing rising rates of childhood obesity and the impact of diabetes, and transforming our food systems to improve nutrition and enhance access to healthy foods
3) Address the second pandemic of mental illness including: reducing overdose deaths, strengthening our youth mental health systems, and supporting people with serious mental illness
4) Reduce black maternal mortality and make New York a model city for women’s health
5) Mobilize against and combat the health impacts of climate change
Our 7,000-plus team members bring extraordinary diversity to the work of public health. True to our value of equity as a foundational element of all of our work, and a critical foundation to achieving population health impact in New York City, the NYC Health Department has been a leader in recognizing and dismantling racism’s impacts on the health of New Yorkers and beyond. In 2021, the NYC Board of Health declared racism as a public health crisis. With commitment to advance anti-racist public health practices that dismantle systems that perpetuate inequitable power, opportunity and access, the NYC Health Department continues to work in and with communities and community organizations to increase their access to health services and decrease avoidable health outcomes.
PROGRAM AND JOB DESCRIPTION:
The Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care and Treatment (BADUPCT) works to reduce morbidity and mortality related to alcohol and other drug use among New Yorkers. To accomplish this goal, BADUPCT contracts and oversees treatment, harm reduction, recovery and support services; develops policy; conducts and disseminates surveillance and epidemiology and program evaluation; develops and disseminates treatment and management guidelines; develops and implements public health initiatives; engages in public and provider outreach and education; and promotes community interagency collaboration.
The Non-fatal Overdose Response System (NORS) is a new initiative providing 24/7 support to individuals transported to hospital emergency departments (EDs) following a non-fatal overdose. The Wellness Advocate will visit patients in the ED to provide immediate support and overdose prevention training following an overdose event and offer ongoing support and linkage to care for a maximum of three months after hospital discharge.
Under the supervision of the Wellness Advocate Supervisor, the Wellness Advocates will:
-Use her/his lived experience with substance use to provide support to participants in the ED following a non-fatal opioid overdose and introduce the Relay program to participants, obtaining consent for follow up services.
-Coordinate and monitor the implementation of Relay to assigned emergency department (ED) and the referrals to community services.
-Provide technical assistance and train ED staff on program implementation, policies and procedures.
-Closely collaborates with ED staff and community
partnerships on continued utilization of the Relay
program.
-Conduct overdose prevention trainings with participants and their social networks including naloxone distribution.
-Contact and engage participants within 24-hours following hospital discharge.
-Provide participants with support and assist with linkage to care and community resources for a maximum of 90 days following hospital discharge. Accompany participants to appointments as required.
-Provide information on and offer appropriate referral options to harm reduction programs, medication assisted treatment, and other drug treatment and supportive services as requested.
-Maintain detailed records of participant contacts and follow-up activities.
-Collect and report program data to evaluate program performance
-Assist in the development of Relay program policies.
**IMPORTANT NOTES TO ALL CANDIDATES:
Please note: If you are called for an interview you will be required to bring to your interview copies of original documentation, such as:
- A document that establishes identity for employment eligibility, such as: A Valid U.S. Passport, Permanent Resident Card/Green Card, or Driver’s license.
- Proof of Education according to the education requirements of the civil service title.
- Current Resume
- Proof of Address/NYC Residency dated within the last 60 days, such as: Recent Utility Bill (i.e. Telephone, Cable, Mobile Phone)
Additional documentation may be required to evaluate your qualification as outlined in this posting’s “Minimum Qualification Requirements” section. Examples of additional documentation may be, but not limited to: college transcript, experience verification or professional trade licenses.
If after your interview you are the selected candidate you will be contacted to schedule an on-boarding appointment. By the time of this appointment you will be asked to produce the originals of the above documents along with your original Social Security card.
**LOAN FORGIVENESS
As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at StudentAid.gov/PSLF.
"FINAL APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT & BUDGET APPROVAL”
Qualifications
1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
2. High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.
