Outreach Coordinator, Drug User Health Program

Description

Under the supervision of the Drug User Health Program Manager, the Outreach Coordinator will conduct street and mobile outreach to people who use drugs (PWUD) in high-need areas of Greater Boston. The Outreach Coordinator will facilitate the implementation and evaluation of outreach work plan, drive and operate the outreach van, lead van maintenance and inventory management, organize and provide overdose prevention trainings, ensure data collection requirements and targets toward deliverables are being met per our funders and programmatic expectations, and build relationships with stakeholders.  

Representative Duties:

• Oversee and work collaboratively with up to two outreach staff, including the Overdose Aftercare Outreach Specialist and the Bilingual Outreach Specialist. Assist the Program Manager in hiring, training, scheduling, and continuous professional development of the outreach team. 
• Create and maintain outreach schedule and organize staff coverage of van, including nursing/provider medical accompaniment and services. Work with the team to conduct hotspot assessment and tailor outreach schedule accordingly. 
• Conduct street and mobile outreach to PWUD in areas or neighborhoods identified as high-risk or high-need within program catchment areas. This includes, but is not limited to, Cambridge, Somerville, Malden, Everett, Waltham, and predetermined neighborhoods in the city of Boston – namely Egleston Square, Roxbury, and Jackson Square 
• Provide direct services to people who use drugs, including: 
• Distribution of safer sex and injection supplies, as well as wound care and safer use materials, Narcan, sharps containers, and collection of used syringes for safe disposal. 
• Providing written and verbal harm reduction information on safer injection strategies, vein and abscess care, overdose prevention and HIV, STI and Hepatitis transmission to program participants and area providers. Provide appropriate health navigation. 
• Conduct rapid HIV tests while on outreach, along with counseling and support, and linkage to care if needed. Provide screening and risk reduction sessions, as well as education and referrals as necessary. 
• Provide training on overdose prevention and distribute Narcan to PWUD, their allies and other service providers. 
• Assist in community and political engagement as it relates to outreach and programmatic harm reduction activities. Build and maintain partnerships with local first responders, local agency partners, and conduct appropriate community advocacy.  
• Record all outreach activities and deliverables in appropriate databases and assist other members of the outreach team in entering and maintaining satisfactory data.  
• Assist Program Manager in program development, evaluation, and grant reporting  
• Oversee maintenance of outreach van by performing regular maintenance and cleanliness checks. Keep van clean and maintain all equipment and manage inventory of harm reduction supplies on outreach van. Report any maintenance, mechanical or safety issues to Program Manager and Facilities Department immediately.  
• Create and organize health education literature. Create and maintain virtual library of all existing resources. 
• Participate in and provide coverage to drop-in operations when needed  
• Respond to overdose and behavioral health crises as necessary. 
• Attend and participate in all departmental, collaborator and funder meetings and trainings. 
• Agency Participatory Expectations: 
• Suggests and participates in continuing quality improvement efforts 
• Adheres to all agency and departmental policies and procedures 
• Participates in quality assessment and improvement activities as requests 
• Assist leadership with implementing new initiatives 
• Collaborate with street medicine providers 
• Adheres to the highest principles of patient and client confidentiality 
• Adheres to established safety policies, procedures and precautions; identifies potential or actual unsafe situations in the environment and takes measures to rectify the situation 
• Attends all required meetings, in-services and professional trainings 
• Attends all regularly scheduled research meetings, trainings, forums and pertinent FCH staff meetings 
• Maintains professional competence necessary to perform job responsibilities; maintains and provides agency with records of continuing education activities 
• Perform related duties and projects as assigned 

Requirements

• Current valid driver’s license, clean driving record, and a minimum of 1 year driving experience required.  
• Minimum 2-3 years relevant work experience. Note: A Bachelor’s degree plus relevant experience may substitute for the minimum work experience requirement.
• Ability to be punctual and perform tasks consistently. 
• Ability to provide rapid HIV tests, draw blood, or willingness to learn phlebotomy skills required  
• A strong interest in promoting the health, dignity, and wellbeing of people who use drugs using a harm reduction approach 
• Ability to collect necessary outreach data, including demographics and materials distributed, and enter data into our agency databases, and work with program leadership and data specialist to improve upon data collection techniques per our funder’s requirements.  
• Ability to work harmoniously and effectively with colleagues, patients, clients and vendors across the spectrum of diversity, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, color, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, national origin and immigrant status, religious or spiritual identity, disability (physical, mental, emotional and developmental), veteran status, and/or limited English proficiency. 
• Willingness to contribute towards Fenway’s efforts in becoming an anti-racist organization and promoting a culture dedicated to ongoing development in service of humility, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging, where differences are acknowledged and valued. 

Preferred qualifications:

• Knowledge of and commitment to practice harm reduction in all interactions with program participants and at all stages of program planning processes. 
• Experience with crisis intervention and de-escalation. 
• Significant knowledge of health-related issues faced by injection drug users, including awareness of injection drug user networks, norms and culture. 
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills. 
• Previous experience with data collection and entry. Familiarity with electronic databases preferred.  
• Self-directed, motivated and flexible with the ability to work independently and as part of a team. 
• Spanish, Haitian Kreyol, and/or Portuguese fluency a plus. 

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to meet the following physical requirements with or without reasonable accommodation: 
• Sit at a computer station for extended periods of time 
• Ability to keyboard for extended periods of time 
• Ability to safely operate a cargo van, including ability to remain alert, agile, and coordinated to turn, twist, and react in emergency situations while driving the vehicle.  
• Ability to stand and walk as required by street outreach activities, and carry appropriate harm reduction materials for distribution, for up to 3 hours at once 
• Ability and willingness to conduct outdoor outreach throughout all seasons of the year 

We offer competitive salaries, and for those who qualify, an excellent benefits package; including comprehensive medical and dental insurance plans, generous paid time off, commuter benefits, and more.

LGBTQIA+ identified persons, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC), and individuals from other historically underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

This is a union position in a Fenway Health bargaining unit represented by 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.