Hepatitis C Care Coordinator
Reports to: NYHRE Director of Syringe Access and Program Innovation and HCV Project Director
Status: Full time (100%)
Salary: $43-45K
Location: 104-106 E. 126th Street, 1-A, New York, NY 10035, United States
Work Environment: This position operates both in the office and in the field and links people to the NYHRE Hub Clinic for HCV care in real time. NYHRE’s work environment entails syringe services, a drop-in center, a drug user clinic, as well as administrative/office space.
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Organizational Philosophy:
From its activist beginnings as an underground needle exchange, New York Harm Reduction Educators (NYHRE) is now New York’s largest syringe exchange program, serving over 4,000 low-income drug users and street-based sex workers each year in the Bronx and East Harlem using a unique street-side, low-threshold model. Rooted in social and economic justice, NYHRE provides integrated educational, supportive, and substance use services in a non-coercive, grass roots manner that helps participants empower themselves, improve the quality of their lives, and have a positive impact on our communities. All activities are designed to advance NYHRE’s service model, which is based on educating and empowering individuals to advocate for themselves and make self-identified changes in their lives.
Position Summary:
This position is for a Hep C Care Coordinator and is responsible for providing Hep C linking to services and engaging clients in models for adherence that leads to cure, consistent with a new innovative HCV care and treatment model. The position will work both in-house and on mobile vans, conducting outreach, counseling, linkage to medical care and providing assistance with educational and adherence interventions. All activities are designed to be consistent with NYHRE’s service model, which is based on educating and empowering individuals to advocate for themselves and make self-identified changes in their lives.
Key Responsibilities:
· Perform outreach activities to recruit high-risk, hard to reach injection drug users, other drug users, and sex workers for HCV treatment.
· Work with HCV Peer Navigator to welcome patients into NYHRE immediately after escort.
· Connect participants to HCV medical care and supportive services at the NYHRE Health Hub to facilitate the treatment of HCV and assist participants in achieving an “undetectable” viral load by encouraging medication adherence.
· Register new and existing patients into the electronic medical record.
· Provide counseling, barrier assessment forms, and linkage to a HCV initial medical visit.
· Assist with health insurance enrollment, changes and support, and complete prior authorizations, as needed.
· Distribute, collect, and track electronic blister medication packs.
· Download adherence data in real-time to report back to the HCV group for interventions on non-perfect adherence.
· Provide incentives for blister packs and Metrocards for escorts.
· Provide HCV education and targeted reinfection prevention efforts on a one to one basis with participants, as well as in a group setting.
· Work with Clinic Care Coordinator to track all HCV Patients through the HCV cascade.
· The position will have a key data collection role, and will keep accurate, consistent, complete and intelligible records and data on all the project activities and/or participants.
· Assist the Hep C Project Director with paperwork and patient tracking efforts to prevent lost to follow up individuals.
· Maintain a friendly, welcoming atmosphere at all NYHRE sites, including crisis intervention and conflict resolution between participants.
· Solicit and track feedback from participants to ensure that the agencies to which we refer are effective and treat participants with respect and in a manner appropriate to harm reduction programs.
· Maintain a professional working relationship with the health care providers and community agencies providing services to participants, including Health Hub clinic providers.
· Engage in dialogue with participants and other stakeholders to continually improve our services and ensure that NYHRE is providing high quality, culturally aware services at all times.
· Conduct community outreach to foster good community relations, educate about program services and assess need.
· Advocate for NYHRE participants and our communities and empower participants to advocate for themselves.
· Other duties as assigned by the HCV Project Director and NYHRE Director of Syringe Access and Program Innovation.
Requirements and Experience:
· The Hep C Care Coordinator is a compassionate person with an active interest in harm reduction, HCV treatment, syringe exchange, and/ or social justice as it pertains to individuals who use drugs or who engage in sex work.
· Must be committed to the goal of HCV elimination, as it pertains to the PWID community
· Significant life experience in the areas of substance use, sex work, HIV and HCV prevention preferred. Extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of safer injection techniques and overdose prevention, HCV prevention and treatment a must.
· Knowledge of the Bronx and East Harlem IDU/substance use communities preferred.
· Must be dedicated to advancing an agenda of equal rights and social justice for low-income people who use drugs and people of color through activism and political participation.
· Must be committed to advancing an anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic agenda.
· Must be an organized, self-motivated team-player, with strong interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability and willingness to be hands-on and solve problems as they arise.
· Proficient in Microsoft Office; Position will be trained on electronic health records and blister pack and adherence data management.
· Must be committed to the principles of Harm Reduction and to working with low-income people who use drugs and who are sex workers.
· Must be willing to work outdoors at our street sites (sometimes in inclement weather) and conduct intensive outreach.
· Must speak Spanish.
Last Updated on June 28, 2021 by HepFree NYC
