Part-time Peer Navigator

Peer Navigators Come Alongside Those Seeking Treatment

Your experience with HIV, HCV, or substance use can provide hope for another in their journey.  Peer Navigators use compassion and understanding to support others seeking treatment.  This is a 20-hour per week opportunity to provide support for wellness and life.

Peer support services are delivered by individuals who have common life experiences with the people they are serving.  According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association, Peer Navigators have a unique capacity to help others based on a shared affiliation and a deep understanding of this experience. Peers offer support, strength, and hope to others, which allows for personal growth, wellness promotion, and recovery.  Peer support facilitates recovery and provides assistance that promotes a sense of belonging within the community. The ability to contribute to and enjoy one’s community is key to recovery and well-being.

Northern Nevada HOPES is a community health and wellness center serving the Northern Nevada area.  We are a non-profit community health center located in a historic and quaint area of downtown Reno, Nevada. Our expert care teams provide integrated medical and wellness services to individuals and families in our community. We welcome everyone, and meet them wherever they are, providing a safe and accepting place to access comprehensive, patient-centered healthcare services.

Comprehensive, integrated care is the cornerstone of the patient-centered medical home; Northern Nevada HOPES has a robust offering of services and collaborates with other service providers in the community to ensure our patients have a comprehensive, well-rounded program to meet their individual health and wellness needs.  The medical home model holds promise as a way to improve health care in America by transforming how primary care is organized and delivered.  At HOPES we understand there are many determinants of health and that a range of personal, social, economic, and environmental factors influence health.

Important things to know about us:

1. We are a certified Patient-Centered Medical Home, recognized by the National Commission on Quality Assurance
2. We are a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). The mission of all FQHCs is to provide excellent health care services to otherwise under-served populations. We accept most insurance plans, Medicaid, Medicare, and the uninsured. For the uninsured, we offer discounted services based on a sliding fee scale.
3. We are a National Health Service Corp site, and our providers are eligible to apply toward a federal loan forgiveness program

We have an impressive team of clinicians and providers and our current clinical and supportive services include:

1. Primary medical care for adults, adolescents and children
2. Behavioral health counseling
3. Psychiatric care
4. HIV specialty care
5. Medication Assisted Treatment specialty care
6. Hepatitis C specialty care
7. Transgender specialty care for adults
8. Nutrition services
9. Comprehensive social support services
10. Harm reduction outreach and prevention
11. Laboratory, x-ray and pharmacy services on site.

Named one of the Best Places to Work in Northern Nevada 2018, we offer the same attention to ensuring our employees have work/life balance and the opportunity to grow and develop their careers.  We offer a second-to-none benefits package (where employee health, vision, dental and basic life insurance is free of charge), very competitive compensation, generous paid time off, and a chance to partner with amazing care providers to changes lives.

The Peer Navigator’s objective is to support the core goals of Change Point, by providing early engagement opportunities for clients interested in seeking substance use treatment. The navigator will also help maintain steady engagement and provide outreach to disengaged clients.  This position prides itself on meeting the needs of high-risk homeless individuals in our community. HOPES has an integrated team model approach to patient care. Part of the Peer Navigator’s responsibilities will include participation in organization wide Patient Centered Medical Home activities to enhance patient care. This individual is also responsible for being an active participant in Continuous Quality Improvement activities.

We’re looking for:

• Significant knowledge of health-related social issues faced by injection drug users
• Knowledge of risk reduction, safer injection techniques and overdose prevention
• MUST be free of judgement and willing to accept choices of others
• Knowledge of Harm Reduction Philosophy as a tool of engagement, Trauma Informed Care and Motivational Interviewing
• Computer skills essential for conducting data collection, entry and analysis
• Able to work flexible hours, including early mornings, evenings, late nights, and weekends as needed
• Able to work in a fast paced environment, self-directed, motivated but with ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
• Bilingual in Spanish preferred

If you have a heart for the people and a desire to help people grow and develop, this may be the position for you! Send your resume to the hiring team at Northern Nevada HOPES and help us understand why you are the best candidate for this position.  We aren’t looking for a standard cover letter and CV because we’re not looking for the standard candidate.  We’re looking for someone who has the passion and ability to create life changing moments!  Tell us your story!  Tell us about your accomplishments, feature all your awards, and share with us your proven ability to exert positive influence and change lives. We’d welcome the opportunity to hear about how you used creative problem-solving to help others or how you have worked through barriers to help others.  Tell us your philosophy, what inspires you and how you will demonstrate all your wonderful abilities at Northern Nevada HOPES.