Job Title: MCOT Case Manager/Dispatcher
Department: MCOT (Mobile Crisis Outreach Team)
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
Reports To: Mobile Crisis Program Manager
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday 9:30am to 8:00pm
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Mobile Crisis Outreach Team provides a prompt, professional and compassionate response to calls for urgent assistance when a person is experiencing a psychiatric or emotional crisis or has other urgent complex care-related concerns, such as overlapping medical, mental health, addiction issues or severe or complicated life challenges, such as homelessness. This team has an immediate and profound impact in our community, both through direct, intensive work with individuals experiencing a crisis and through collaboration with others to improve our local continuum of care. The Case Manager works as a team with a Mental Health Clinician to evaluate safety, stabilize and assist people in a variety of stressful circumstances. This includes developing action plans that address safety concerns, recovery support needs, and other necessities for survival and wellness. Action plans include directly linking the person to appropriate services and community resources and ensuring proper follow up care. The Team assists law enforcement officers and other emergency personnel when they are responding to mental health crisis situations to provide immediate relief and prevent unnecessary and costly emergency room visits or arrests. When there is no risk of harm, the Team also responds to calls from other agencies, community organizations, concerned family members and others. Additionally, the Team also promotes these services through direct public outreach and presentations throughout the community.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Other duties may be assigned which may become essential to the position.
This position demands instant rapport-building with strangers in vulnerable mental states, engagement and assessment skills, de-escalation skills, knowledge of and navigation of community resources, and public speaking activities. A central aim is to provide exceptionally caring and effective responses to calls for help and to improve outcomes for people experiencing thoughts of suicide, traumatic stress, serious mental illnesses, addictions, and severe life stressors. A secondary aim is to aid and influence the systems involved in crisis management to improve prevention, early intervention, crisis responses, and transitions in care during and following a crisis. Essential duties are detailed below:
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Provide direct case management and recovery support services to people/families in a safe, professional, and culturally competent manner. Work together as a team with other MCOT staff too:
- Safely initiate contact and establish positive rapport with concerned callers and clients/potential clients
- Assess the level of response for each call, assign and coordinate mobile response using dispatch software. When necessary, respond with additional MCOT team members to provide in person mobile crisis services.
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Conduct mental status exams, provide crisis intervention and mental health first aid, facilitate de-escalation of intense emotional states and activate capacity for problem solving and planning
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Use motivational interviewing techniques and other strategies to engage clients in appropriate services and support systems. This includes identifying areas of need, activating strengths and resources, and developing goals and action plans.
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Express empathy, encouragement, emotional support, and facilitate problem solving
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Obtain emergency care as needed (e.g., medical, psychiatric, other)
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Advocate for clients as needed to obtain urgent psychiatric or health care, housing, public benefits, and other community resources
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Assist clients in obtaining basic needs for survival and stability (e.g., food, clothing, shelter)
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Assist clients in gaining access to outpatient mental health or addiction care, respite care, or residential treatment; advocate as needed when conservatorship procedures are appropriate
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Assist clients in obtaining and organizing medications, other necessities for stability and recovery
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Provide transportation as needed and help clients find other transportation resources
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Assist clients in finding and using opportunities and resources to support stabilization, recovery, long term wellness, and improve quality of life
- Work creatively with other Hill Country team members to implement a “whatever it takes” approach to support stabilization, resilience, wellness and recovery among clients. This includes active participation in team meetings, daily communication with team members and other program staff, collaborative problem solving with community partners, and advocacy in the broader community. In general, being proactive and invested in fulfilling the agency's mission, vision, and program goals is expected. This includes being aligned with Hill Country’s values and philosophy of care
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Complete timely (within 24 hours) electronic documentation of all phone and in-person interactions, assessments, interventions, and services provided
- Develop positive rapport and effective collaborative relationships with all Hill Country staff, SCHHS Adult Services staff, law enforcement and emergency service personnel, emergency room staff, social service providers, businesses, and other community agencies and individuals
- Develop and share knowledge and expertise about community resources, public benefits programs, work/volunteer opportunities, etc.
- Take initiative to increase professional competence by seeking out and participating in training and educational opportunities
- Participate in short- and long-term planning and development of agency programs
- Attend weekly team meetings, quarterly all staff meetings and other meetings and in-services, as appropriate
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Complete other projects and tasks as assigned
BEHAVIORAL STANDARDS:
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Adheres to Policies & Procedures
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Participates in team systems
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Performs duties ethically
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Maintains client confidentiality
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Demonstrates ability to re-prioritize duties as the need arises
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Uses time efficiently
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Be responsible for co-workers & client satisfaction
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Displays flexibility in accepting, changing or carrying out assignments
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Maintains a neat, clean & safe work environment throughout the facility
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Performs job duties in a quality manner
QUALIFICATIONS:
The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education/Experience:
Bachelor’s degree in social work or related field is strongly preferred. May substitute relevant employment and experience for some education with expectation of furthering education.
Certificates and Licenses:
Mental Health First Aid certificate, Suicide Prevention Training certificate, and Drug Overdose Prevention training (including Narcan administration) required within first 30 days. CPR certificate preferred. Must have a current and clean CA driver’s license. Must be a safe driver with no history of DUI or reckless driving.
Language Ability:
Must have excellent communication skills. Ability to speak publicly and one-on-one in an effective and persuasive manner. Ability to read, write, analyze, and interpret complex documents. Effective verbal and non-verbal communication in highly stressful and sensitive situations in many locations. Must be able to write professional records of service provided to enable evaluation of the program and services provided. This includes grammatically correct, concise, and accurate documentation in a provided spreadsheet and in electronic health records.
Math Ability:
Basic math skills are required to monitor call frequency and volume
Reasoning Ability:
Must have very high reasoning skills to rapidly collect complex information, define problems, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, and form and initiate action plans; Must triage calls for service with scaling of risk variables; Must assess mental status and immediate needs in limited time, determine appropriate interventions, services, and level of care, and initiate plans.
Computer Skills:
To perform this job successfully, an individual should have a good working knowledge of Windows operating systems, Microsoft Office Suite - Word, Excel, Outlook, and Internet browsers and related software. This position necessitates proficiency in documentation in the agency’s electronic health records
Equipment Skills:
Proficient with standard office equipment including computers, copiers, fax machines, printers, multi-line telephone systems. Must be an experienced driver and comfortable driving a large vehicle with passengers who may be distressed or unpredictable in their behavior.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
This position is based out of a shared office located at Hill Country’s CARE (Counseling and Recovery Engagement) Center in downtown Redding, but almost all the work is field based in a “mobile office” (large van/RV conversion). MCOT team members carry an agency provided cell phone and computer. A shared desk space is provided. Actual day to day work location and environment varies depending upon calls for service and may include indoor business office environments, health clinics, emergency rooms, other office settings, schools, streets, homes, parking lots, parks, etc. Noise and lighting levels vary depending upon the setting.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee will frequently stand, walk, sit, use hands to write, and reach with hands and arms. Employees may occasionally climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds with assistance. Employees must regularly utilize close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Employees will get in and out of a large vehicle (converted RV or van) with high clearance and stairs; must step down onto roadways and curbs and walk on uneven surfaces in a variety of settings. Employees may physically assist passengers by offering a hand/arm for balance assistance while stepping into or out of the vehicle. Physical lifting of people, even with assistance, is not expected. Physical restraint techniques or other physical contact that is undesired or that may be perceived as coercive or restrictive is prohibited.
