Hospital Transition Specialist - BH - State of Georgia : Job Details

The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) is the state agency that focuses solely on policies, programs, and services for people with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, or any combination of these. As Georgia's public safety net, DBHDD operates six field offices and five hospitals throughout the state within three program areas: behavioral health, developmental disabilities and hospital services.

The main office for DBHDD is located in downtown Atlanta.

Job Description

Job Title: BH Hospital Transition Specialist

Pay Grade: K

Job Summary:

* Serves as a liaison between hospital settings and community providers in order to assist in identifying resources and overcome barriers to discharge for individuals with lengths of stays greater than 45 days

* Monitors/tracks individuals in hospital settings including Olmstead, forensics, dually diagnosed (BH/DD) and ADA populations and participates in planning meetings, transition team meetings and treatment plan meetings

* Assists hospital staff in locating placements and resources such as residential settings and linkages with ACT/ICM/CST/CM services for ADA consumers, forensic consumers, and other transitions

* Works directly with individuals on hospital units to identify barriers and devise solutions to assist with community placement - i.e., problem solving difficult cases, reviewing rationales of readmissions, and recommending referrals to higher services due to patterns of readmissions.

* Facilitates discharge/transition planning and ensures quality discharge planning is occurring and that there is proper coordination of care for ADA individuals

* Prepares and processes bridge funding and specialized funding requests for individuals in state hospitals.

* Meets with Peer Mentors to ensure they are connected to individuals who are ADA and/or Olmstead that need additional support and follow-up services

* Arranges and coordinates TAP meetings between hospital and community providers for appropriate discharge planning and per DBHDD Policy.

* Communicates with community providers these needs in a timely fashion and ensure they are working to develop those resources in the community.

* Attends monthly planning meetings either in person or via conference call to update hospital staff on discharge activities in the community.

* Provides the following reports:

* Provide a daily tracking of transfers to the State Hospital

* Monthly activity and tracking reports due at the Regional Staff meeting no later than the 15th of the month if a staff meeting does not happen.

* Document in SharePoint for monthly progress towards discharges and TAPs

* Identifying non-BH resources (i.e., medical, etc.).

* Identify new residential options for individuals leaving state hospitals.

* Work directly with individuals to identify barriers and devise solutions.

* Participate in treatment team meetings.

* Educate other BH staff about barriers specific to providers/ services to allow follow up

* Educate community by participating in resource fairs, Regional Community Collaboratives, CIT Training and workshops, etc.

* Assist with strategic planning

* Assists in screening inpatient referrals for limited, high-acuity community placements to ITR and other residential settings.

* Meets with providers to identify placement and services outside of MH services.

* Acts as resource to troubleshoot/ provide linkage/ information/ technical assistance to local agencies/stakeholders/community.

PMF Information:

* Adheres to HIPAA Regulations: Has been trained and adheres to established policies on privacy and security requirements for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ( HIPAA ), as applicable by Agency policy.

* Adheres to DBHDD Policies and Procedures: Has been advised of and adheres to all established policies, procedures, rules, and regulations as a condition of employment. Understand the responsibility of being aware of the content of DBHDD Human Resources policies, including, but not limited to, the Standards of Conduct and Ethics in Government, Smoking, Unlawful Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Use of State Property, and the Drug Free Workplace policies.

* Serves as RFO team leader for community transitions from state hospitals. Coordinates communication and acts as a liaison between community hospital liaisons, hospital admissions staff, community providers, social workers, and clinical directors regarding state hospital discharges.

* Assesses needs of individuals discharging from the state hospital and oversees appropriate access to community-based services. Informs BH team about unmet needs of individuals leaving the hospital.

* Performs job duties with minimal supervision and independently seeks supervision when needed

* Researches, recommends, and utilizes best practices as related to specialty service areas. Compiles reports of findings and submits in appropriate format.

* Identifies the need for training/ technical support. Plans, coordinates, and implements educational, training, or technical support activities related to specialty areas. Provides policy and/ or programmatic guidance to providers and DBHDD.

* Establishes and maintains relationships with internal and external stakeholders to meet individuals and community needs. Organizes stakeholders to identify proactive and effective solutions to improve service provision and avoid duplication of services.

Qualifications

Master's degree in a related field from an accredited college or university AND Two years of related experience, One year of which as a supervisor or lead worker OR Bachelor's degree in a related field from an accredited college or university AND Four years of related experience OR Two years of experience at the lower level Social Svcs Prgm Consultant 2 (SSP041) or position equivalent.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

* Licensure in Social Work, Professional Counseling, or Marriage/Family therapy

* Professional level Quality Management/Utilization Management experience.

* Training and Consultation Experience.

* Knowledge of behavioral health service

* Experience in service systems being transitioned from facility-based to community-based models

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's or, Nice to haves):

* Knowledge of ADA criteria of the target population served by the Specialty Treatment Teams.

* Skill and ability to develop PowerPoint presentations and excel documents for training and collaborative meetings as well as data collection and dissemination.

* Ability to provide technical assistance and public speaking to provide training and facilitate community collaboratives.

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary & benefits, GA Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities is part of a statewide initiative called Total Rewards that seeks to attract and retain employees by supplementing their base pay and benefits with programs designed to improve the quality of their work environment and lead to greater job satisfaction and work/life balance. Eligible employees are offered generous benefits, including health and dental insurance; retirement and savings plan options; and paid holidays, vacation and sick leave. For more information, visit

Employment Requirements

To ensure the safety and wellbeing of our employees, individuals and communities we serve, certain positions within DBHDD may require evaluations, vaccinations, professional licensure and certifications. Licenses must be current and enable providers to practice within the State of Georgia.

The following are a listing of evaluations and vaccinations that may be required for employees, including those not involved with direct care:

* Drug Screening

* TB Evaluation

* Annual Influenza*

* Limited exemptions may be made for documented medical contraindications or religious beliefs that object to vaccinations.

DBHDD is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of DBHDD to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

Due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide information on application status by phone or e-mail. All qualified applicants will be considered but may not necessarily receive an interview. Selected applicants will be contacted by the hiring agency for next steps in the selection process.

This position is subject to close at any time once a satisfactory applicant pool has been identified.

FOR THIS TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT, STATE LAW REQUIRES A NATIONAL AND STATE BACKGROUND CHECK AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT.

Master's degree in a related field from an accredited college or university AND Two years of related experience, One year of which as a supervisor or lead worker OR Bachelor's degree in a related field from an accredited college or university AND Four years of related experience OR Two years of experience at the lower level Social Svcs Prgm Consultant 2 (SSP041) or position equivalent.

Additional Information

* Agency Logo: Requisition ID: SOC0EAP

* Number of Openings: 1

* Shift: Day Job

* Posting End Date: Nov 29, 2024