Peer Recovery Specialist - Ryan White Project

Job Summary:

The Adult Outpatient Program within Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is seeking a full-time University Staff (non-classified) Peer Recovery Specialist. The ARTS Adult Outpatient Program within the School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry has clinic locations in Denver, Aurora, and Arvada. These clinics provide drug and alcohol assessment and psychosocial and pharmacological treatment for adults. Programs in various clinic locations include traditional outpatient, intensive outpatient, and may contain specialty services for clients referred by the criminal justice system, county departments of human services, services for pregnant women, individuals who are HIV-positive, and gender responsive services.

The Peer Recovery Specialist provides support to people living with HIV who have problems with substance abuse at the ARTS Parkside Clinic and Specialized Outpatient Services (SOS) Clinic; both located in Denver. This position provides activities to engage, educate, and offer support to HIV-positive patients, their family, and caregivers, as well as connect patients to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up sessions. The Peer Recovery Specialist is responsible for conducting outreach activities with patients, staff, community partners, subcontracted agencies, and/or other entities as appropriate. This position will also travel to various sites and perform other duties as assigned or required.

The standard working hours for this position are Monday through Friday, 6:00am to 2:30pm, or 8:30am to 5:00pm depending on the needs of the clinic. This position may be required to work on some Saturdays/Sundays (for events/clinic coverage), as well.

This position is a full-time position partially supported by Ryan White Care Act grant funds, whose funding levels will be reviewed on a periodic basis. Accordingly, the position's status may be affected over time by any applicable variations in the grant and/or funding amounts.

Key Responsibilities:

• Under general supervision, provide services as a Peer educator and support specialist to implement interventions to improve outcomes for HIV-positive patients participating in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and traditional outpatient treatment.
• Conduct structured, individual and group interventions that focus on health education, care coordination, as well as identifying and reducing barriers to care for patients.
• Conduct outreach activities in the community to engage HIV-positive patients in substance use treatment, as well as to plan, coordinate, and conduct community outreach events such as Denver Pridefest and the Colorado AIDS Walk.
• Conduct case management for patients, and provide referrals of necessary, appropriate resources to patients as needed, and implement standardized intervention, track patients for engagement, and connect patients to HIV treatment and care.
• Collaborate with supervisor and staff, and coordinate efforts to ensure successful delivery of services, as well as attend and participate in trainings, team/staff meetings, supervision, and other events as needed.
• Identify any problems, challenges, or obstacles in coordination of services, identify potential solutions, and resolve such problems, challenges, or obstacles in a timely manner, and ensure all duties and responsibilities are performed for effective and appropriate benefit of patients.

Work Location:

Onsite - this role is expected to work onsite and is located in the Metro Denver area, Colorado.

Why Join Us:

This position at the University of Colorado/ Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) provides a unique opportunity for individuals with lived experience and recovery from SUDs to use, in turn, their specialized knowledge and experience to provide care, assistance and support of individuals currently living with SUD. The individual in this position, through their words and actions, will have a direct influence on helping others with SUD to set themselves on a path to recovery and make health lifestyle choices. In addition, by joining ARTS, employees will be actively engaged in a supportive, professional, and nurturing environment where individuals with various backgrounds and experiences converge and collaborate to provide an evidence-based, multi-faceted approach to provide the best treatment and care to every patient who comes into care at ARTS clinics.

Why work for the University?

We have AMAZING benefits and offer exceptional amounts of holiday, vacation, and sick leave! The University of Colorado offers an excellent benefits package including:

• Medical: Multiple plan options
• Dental: Multiple plan options
• Additional Insurance: Disability, Life, Vision
• Retirement 401(a) Plan: Employer contributes 10% of your gross pay
• Paid Time Off: Accruals over the year
• Vacation Days: 22/year (maximum accrual 352 hours)
• Sick Days: 15/year (unlimited maximum accrual)
• Holiday Days: 10/year
• Tuition Benefit: Employees have access to this benefit on all CU campuses
• ECO Pass: Reduced rate RTD Bus and light rail service

There are many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED).
• One (1) year of experience in working closely with patients and connecting them to resources.
  
  
  
  • Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.
  
  
  
  

Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certification as a Peer Specialist (for example, Colorado Peer and Family Specialist/CPFS).
• Current, valid registration with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) as Certified Addiction Technician (CAT) license or higher.
• Experience with motivational interviewing techniques.
• Prior experience in Patient Navigation and connecting patients to required services or resources.
• Experience working with electronic health records.
• Experience working with clients who are involved with the criminal justice system, probation/parole, human services, and/or other similar referral sources.
• Experience providing administrative support to clients, families, staff, and other stakeholders in a substance abuse treatment setting.
• Associate's degree or higher in psychology, social work, counseling, human services, or another related field from an accredited institution.
• Prior experience in sexual health education and/or with people living with HIV.
• Experience managing financial paperwork including creating invoices, tracking expenditures, and gathering statistical data.

Conditions of Employment

• Successful completion of the CCAR Recovery Coach Academy training within thirty (30) days of hire date.
• Must obtain Colorado Peer and Family Specialist (CPFS) certification within four (4) months of hire date.
• Must possess a valid driver's license and automobile insurance per State of Colorado requirements or obtain within thirty (30) days from date of hire,.
• Must agree to fingerprinting and criminal background check prior to being hired. Required background checks include a review with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Central Registry of Child Protection (Trails).
• Subject to pre-employment, post-accident, incident, and/or reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing per UAMC Addiction Research and Treatment Services Department Policies.
• This position may be required to work periodically on some weeknights and/or Saturdays and Sundays (for example, to represent the University/ARTS at events, stakeholder meetings, etc.)
• This position may be required to occasionally be on-call for emergency purposes.
• Continuous, sustained sobriety with existing sobriety supports from lived, personal experience with (SUD) or addictions recovery.
• Must possess personal, lived experience with SUD or addictions, and recovery with existing sobriety supports.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to establish and maintain rapport and positive relationships.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to engage successfully with substance use disordered clients in treatment.
• Ability to comply with established rules, policies and procedures, and deadlines.
• Ability to develop healthy relationships and boundaries with clients.
• Ability to exercise discretion and maintain patient confidentiality.
• Proficiency utilizing Microsoft Excel to create, revise, update and maintain spreadsheets and macro-enabled reports.
• Proficiency utilizing Microsoft Outlook to create, send and receive e-mail communication.
• Proficiency utilizing Microsoft Word to create documents, tables, mail merger, reports, etc.
• Ability to effectively and accurately check for typographical, grammatical and/or spelling errors in documents.
• Ability to accurately and timely perform data entry.
• Demonstrated critical thinking skills.
• Ability to manage difficult behaviors.
• Ability to be open-minded and nonjudgmental.
• Knowledge of basic care coordination, medical/hospital, and/or community resources.
• Knowledge of basic therapeutic confrontation and structures.
• Ability to successfully perform multiple tasks in a high-pressure environment.

How to Apply:

For full consideration, please submit the following document(s):

1. A letter of interest describing relevant job experiences as they relate to listed job qualifications and interest in the position.

2. Curriculum vitae / Resume

3. Three to five professional references, including name, address, phone number (mobile number if appropriate), and email address.

Questions should be directed to: Michael Sullivan, Program Director of Quality Assurance, ARTS Adult Outpatient Program, michael.d.sullivan@cuanschutz.edu

Screening of Applications Begins:

Immediately and continues until position is filled. For best consideration, please apply by June 8^th, 2025.

Anticipated Pay Range:

The starting salary range (or hiring range) for this position has been established as $43,806 - $50,822.

The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. This position may be eligible for overtime compensation, depending on the level.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.

Total Compensation Calculator: http://www.cu.edu/node/153125

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

The University of Colorado (CU) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply.

ADA Statement:

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at hr.adacoordinator@cuanschutz.edu.

Background Check Statement:

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background investigations for all prospective employees.

Vaccination Statement:

CU Anschutz strongly encourages vaccination against the COVID-19 virus and other vaccine preventable diseases. If you work, visit, or volunteer in healthcare facilities or clinics operated by our affiliated hospital or clinical partners or by CU Anschutz, you will be required to comply with the vaccination and medical surveillance policies of the facilities or clinics where you work, visit, or volunteer, respectively. In addition, if you work in certain research areas or perform certain safety sensitive job duties, you must enroll in the occupational health medical surveillance program.