Community Support Specialist - ACT

Excitement abounds at Heritage Behavioral Health Center!

We are a mission-driven Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic located in Decatur, Illinois who is dedicated to improving mental health and substance use care to individuals in a multi-county area. We recognize that all individuals at our organization have an impact on patient care - regardless of the position they hold.

Why join us?

• We offer a collaborative work environment, opportunities for professional growth, and a comprehensive benefits package.
• We are expanding our primary care, mental health and substance use services to individuals in Central Illinois and beyond and are looking for dedicated staff to meet the needs of our clientele.
• A new salary structure is now in place! Our salaries have been updated and are competitive at both the state and national levels with wonderful benefits.
• Full-time employees receive 56 paid days off during their 1^st year of employment (this includes every other Friday off PAID for your wellness needs). This increases to 61 days the 2^nd year and continues to increase with tenure.
• We have expanded our employee insurance benefit offerings and made them more affordable.

At Heritage, we believe in taking care of our staff's needs so that they can concentrate on taking care of the needs of the individuals we serve. Our staff are our greatest asset, and we treat them as such!

We are pleased to present the following position for your consideration:

Overview: Community Support Specialist (Case Manager)

Assertive Community Treatment Team

Heritage has full-time positions that work with our treatment teams on providing case management, care coordination, and linkage services for individuals with mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders of all ages. The program works towards supporting individuals served to maintain recovery in the community. These positions will provide services in various settings, including individual homes, community settings, community agencies, healthcare providers, and Heritage.

Core Responsibilities Include:

• Provide case management, community support services, and management of individual caseloads.
• Telephone and face-to-face engagement of clients who have been referred to community-based mental health treatment with a majority of services taking place within community settings.
• Complete needs assessments to identify additional needs, including but not limited to mental health, substance use, health, dental, vision, support systems, legal, education, employment, access to transportation or any other services that assist an individual in improving his/her quality of life
• Assist with developing and practicing coping skills to manage mental health, substance use, and/or health-related symptoms
• Assist clients with learning and practicing skills to live independently including day-to-day activities such as preparing meals, housekeeping, time management, and budgeting to ensure basic needs are met
• Provide a wide array of support services that will assist individuals with obtaining and maintaining stable housing
• Provide medication monitoring and medication training to assist clients with learning how to self-administer medications, how to identify symptoms and side effects, and how to communicate concerns to providers
• Coordination and active participation in the referral and linkage to all healthcare, including primary care, specialty care, testing and treatment for high-risk conditions, mental health, dental, and vision
• Assist individuals with applying for, obtaining, and maintaining available resources, including but not limited to medical coverage, SNAP benefits, and SSI/SSDI benefits
• Advocate for individuals to have the ability to access and maintain housing, benefits, and treatment and seek reasonable accommodation when eligible and appropriate.
• Provide support and coaching on life skills, including activities of daily living, communication, budgeting, and personal care
• Assistance with developing positive, supportive activities (re-establishing relationships with friends and family members, support groups, wellness activities, or identifying/participating in positive social activities that support recovery)
• Assistance in engaging and linking individuals to accessing eligible transportation options
• Participate in a team-based approach to providing treatment, including collaboration with clinicians, nursing, healthcare providers, probation, DCFS, and other partners invested in the individual's recovery.
• Attend clinical staffing(s) to collaborate with providers, including case managers, counselors, nurses, and clinical leaders, to coordinate treatment.
• Completion of all documentation and tracking promptly
• Provide other duties as assigned, required, or specifically negotiated with the supervisor

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to work with individuals with a mental health and/or substance use diagnosis;
• Knowledge of community resources and/or ability to research/find;
• Knowledge of case management techniques;
• Knowledge of healthcare resources, including psychiatric, substance use, medical, and/or other services;
• Ability to meet people where they are at in their recovery, non-judgmental, and ability to build rapport quickly;
• Ability to work as a team player;
• Ability to tolerate ambiguity, uncertainty, and change;
• Ability to navigate electronic health records;
• Ability to work collaboratively with the direct leaders and other clinical staff providing services to the person served
• Ability to respond to supervisors, person served, and other clinical staff providing services to the person served.

Education and Experience:

The ideal candidates will have experience working with individuals in behavioral health settings by providing an individualized approach to support an individual's wellness and recovery.

Credentials eligible for this position include Mental Health Professional as defined as:

• Five years' experience in a behavioral health setting,
  1. OR
• Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS),
  1. OR
• Bachelor's Degree in psychology, social work, human services or related field,
  1. OR
• Bachelor's Degree in any field with two years of experiences in a human service related setting.

1. OR

• Certified Nursing Assistants are encouraged to apply.

Salary Range: $47,840-$56,190 per year ($23 - $27 per hour) - dependent on education and experience

Heritage also offers the following with this position:

1. Generous vacation, sick and personal leave
2. WELLNESS days - 26 days per year (every other Friday off paid)
3. Paid holidays - 9 in 2024
4. Health Club/Fitness Reimbursement
5. Employee Assistance Program
6. Continuing education opportunities
7. Tuition assistance program
8. Agency provided life insurance and short-term disability policies
9. Retirement plans (401k and Roth)
10. Optional insurance benefits, including health, dental, vision, flex spending accounts (healthcare, dependent care), and additional life insurance. (The health insurance benefit includes substantial agency contribution towards the cost.)
11. We are a National Health Service Corp site which gives staff access to the National Health Service Corp federal student loan forgiveness program (LCPC, LCSW, MD, APN, RN, CADC, LSW, and LPC individuals). For more information, visit www.hrsa.gov.