Position Summary 

To assist patients with behavior health needs and support as an extender for Strawberry Wilderness Community Clinic (SWCC) primary care providers. This position works closely with medical providers and staff to provide and staff to provide intervention services as well as assessment, referrals and short-term therapy for patients. Also provides patient education strategies and develops specific behavioral change plans for patients and behavioral health protocols for target populations.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Provide an active presence to the SWCC Family Care clinical teams and be available to accept warm-hand-off’s and provide assessment and treatment interventions to patients referred by the medical providers.
• Coordinate and collaborate with primary care providers to improve health outcomes.
• Provide therapeutic services to patients and their families
• Facilitate referrals and coordination to other services (e.g. substance abuse treatment, tele- psychiatry, or community resources) as needed or as directed by primary care provider.  Develop / maintain a professional relationship and act as a liaison with local mental health agency to enhance coordination of patients being referred for services at their facility.
• Work to meet patient needs effectively and resolve individual barriers through follow-up, advocacy and collaboration with staff and other community service providers.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of activities, case management notes, and services provided to each client.  Submit encounter and billing data in a timely fashion.
• Assist primary health care providers in recognizing and treating mental disorders and psychosocial problems.
• Work with the primary care team to efficiently and effectively treat and manage patients with chronic emotional or health problems.
• Assist in the detection of at-risk patients and development of plans to prevent further psychological or physical deterioration.
• Assist in preventing relapse or morbidity in conditions that tend to recur over time.
• Under the direction of the providers, teach patients, families and staff about care, prevention and treatment enhancement techniques.
• Participate in required meetings, including multidisciplinary team meetings, quality improvement, or patient centered group sessions.
• Provide occasional consultation and case management to patients at Blue Mountain Hospital.  Participate in transition of care planning for patients with mental or behavioral health needs.
• Assist in developing policies and procedures specific to mental and behavioral health integrated services.
• Advise Clinic Manager on licensure and policy needs to assure compliance with regulatory agency requirements.
• Model and assure professionalism and excellent customer service standards for the assigned areas.  Demonstrates cultural competency and commitment to patients
• Maintain cooperative working relationship with clinic and hospital staff, patients, other organizations, and the public to provide quality customer service in a courteous manner.
• Maintain work areas in a clean, orderly and secure manner.  Ensure all safety rules and procedures are followed for work areas.
• Perform other responsibilities related duties as assigned by the Clinic Manager.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Maintains self-motivation and sustains a high level of momentum.
• Able to successfully prioritize when faced with requests, demands and deadlines.
• Knowledge of customer service concepts.
• Must be extremely detail oriented and able to perform social work duties as well as detailed record keeping
• Proven ability to communicate effectively, both in written and oral form.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.
• Proven ability to work as part of a team, in a fast-paced production-oriented environment.
• Proven presentation skills.
• Expresses excellent judgment, discretion and decision making abilities.
• Maintains a sensitive, fair and impartial approach to dealing with employees.
• Supports and maintains a culture of safety, quality and positive patient experience.
• Working knowledge of relevant regulatory requirements, CMS, National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs), and continued readiness related to healthcare or hospital standards.
• Ability to prioritize, highly organized.

Education, Experience & Certification/Licensure

Required:

• High School Diploma or GED Equivalent
• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work supervised by LCSW
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certified by American Heart Association (AHA).
  • MUST obtain within 60 days of hire.
• Valid Permit or Driver’s License

Preferred:

• Great Social Skills, and learns new skills quickly.
• Working experience in hospice or medical, critical access hospital setting
• Master’s Degree in Social Work
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker
• Special Education in Grief

For More Information, Contact

Holly Thompson, Human Resources  hthompson@bluemountainhospital.org | 541-575-3820

Why Blue Mountain Hospital District & Grant County?

The Blue Mountain Hospital District (BMHD) is located in Grant County, Oregon, at the heart of the John Day River, in beautiful, rural, Eastern Oregon.  Our District is comprised of a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), Family & Rural Medicine Clinic, Home Health and Hospice, Emergency Medical Services, an Intermediate Care Center and all of the supporting ancillary departments necessary to care for the health and wellness of our community. Our District spans from John Day to Prairie City, nestled in a valley surrounded by the Blue Mountains.  The Strawberry Mountain Range and John Day River Valley offers a variety of outdoor activities, from abundant hiking/mountain biking/horse riding trails, to high and low lakes and ponds.  Our area is known to be a “go to” place not just for recreation, but also for big game hunting and fishing! Join our family-like team and settle into a lifestyle that is hard to beat! For more information on our area, visit our Grant County Chamber of Commerce and Discover John Day pages at: https://www.gcoregonlive.com/ and https://www.discoverjohnday.com/