About Casa Esperanza

Casa Esperanza, Inc. is a bilingual/bicultural behavioral health treatment provider serving Boston and the Merrimack Valley. Our mission is to empower individuals and families to recover from addiction, trauma, mental illness, and other chronic medical conditions; overcome homelessness and discrimination; and achieve health and wellness through comprehensive, integrated care.

About the program

Casa Esperanza’s Conexiones program is a 32-bed facility that provides integrated acute treatment services for withdrawal management and clinical stabilization services to adults struggling with co-occurring substance use and mental health treatment needs. At Casa Esperanza’s Conexiones program, located at Tewksbury Hospital, we provide inpatient addictions and mental health treatment in a physically and psychologically safe environment, delivered by medical, clinical, peer support, and paraprofessional staff under the direction of a Medical Director. We serve adults in a structured, yet individualized treatment environment focused on building the foundation for a sustainable recovery and developing a healthy, productive, and meaningful lifestyle. The program is staffed by highly skilled professionals who work with each patient to develop an individualized treatment plan, deliver evidence-based individual and group treatment, and develop an appropriate aftercare plan and establish placement in community-based care. 

About the role

The Medical Director Designee works with the Medical Director to oversee the medical services at our Conexiones location. The Medical Director Designee will oversee the medication reconciliation process, supervise the medical and nursing teams, approve assessments and evaluations, and provide consultation and supervision to on-site medical staff. This will include the oversight and initiation of standing orders, medication withdrawal protocols, and logs of documentation aligned with licensing, accreditation, and payor requirements. The Medical Director Designee will lead weekly Care Management and Multidisciplinary Team Meetings.  

A Medical Director Designee is responsible for all medical services performed by the program, either by performing them directly or by delegating specific responsibilities to appropriate qualified healthcare professionals such as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Manager, Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse functioning under the Medical Director’s supervision. The Medical Director Designee must be on site at least 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, between 10am and 6pm. In collaboration with the Nursing Manager and Medical Director, the Medical Director Designee will ensure 24-hour medical coverage, and seven days per week, to ensure timely assessment of patients and ongoing support.  The Medical Director Designee must be available to be on-site during any hours of program operation, as needed. The Medical Director Designee should have demonstrated medical experience treating substance use disorders, supervising withdrawal management, conducting medication reconciliation, and treating co-occurring conditions. The MDD must be familiar with patients experiencing both co-occurring substance use and serious mental illness and be prepared to work with patients with complex mental health needs. A successful Medical Director Designee will be prepared to work collaboratively across the Conexiones team and will help to fill gaps and support the nursing team with vitals, med pass, and nursing assessments as needed.  

What you'll do

• Provides direct physical assessments services to patients
• Provides oversight to standing orders of admission
• Provides oversight to standing orders of withdrawal management protocols
• Provides prescriptions monitoring for patient and complete medication reviews, as needed
• Conducts clinical assessments to determine eligibility and appropriateness for MAT
• Works in collaboration with community providers, including local hospitals and clinics, to ensure referral to specialty care for medication, diagnostic and testing needs
• Provides medication reconciliation and ensure continuity of care with medication prescriptions with nursing team
• Provides eligibility screening for level of care for medical and psychiatric needs as per ASAM 3.5 and/or ASAM 3.7 
• Completes discharge medication instructions
• Provides onsite, urgent care exams and collaborates with community providers on laboratory and follow-up orders as needed 
• Works directly with Clinical Operations Director and CSS medical provider on the medical emergency process to continue follow up maintenance
• Completes medical clearance exam at time of intake
• Completes Medication Monitoring and all required documentation
• Works closely with clinical team during MDT meetings to offer and provide patient medical insight as part of case presentations 
• Consults with staff and attend case conferences, as needed
• Work collaboratively with Medical Director for medication reconciliation process
• Directly works in collaboration with community providers for medication refills and reconciliation
• Directly collaborates with other internal providers on psychiatric assessments, crisis management, and Section 12
• MAT/MOUD assessment, induction, education and maintenance
• Complete evaluations based on patient request for medical attention, emergency and non-emergency triage and physical/mental health rounds for safety and condition monitoring
• Keep electronic health records up to date including progress notes and assessments of service
• Educating patients on their current medical diagnosis, needs and medical histories; educating patients on medication information and usages
• Works in collaboration with counselors to ensure proper medication management and medication planning
• Works directly with Program Director, Casa Medical Provider on any medication errors and medication monitoring procedure
• Offers training to new and current staff on medication monitoring and procedures with other leaders of Conexiones
• Works uniformly with Recovery Specialist on medication monitoring procedure
• On-call responsibilities as delegated
• Ensure responsibilities regarding Duty to Warn and Mandated Reporting are fulfilled
• Any other job duties as needed for patient needs and program needs as designated by Clinical Operations Director or Medical Director
• Work collaboratively with the Medical Director on the initiation of best practices and protocols for patient care and safety
• Maintain a QA/QI protocol for medical team
• Maintain logs that ensure compliance to the regulatory requirements of DEA and BSAS

Qualifications

• Board Certified Nurse Practitioner
• Must be certified to prescribe buprenorphine, methadone, and other Medication Assisted Treatment for substance use
• Medicaid/Medicare enrolled provider
• Maintains DEA, NPI and license updates 

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Knowledge of EHR systems 
• Ensure patient confidentiality in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations 
• Knowledge on best practices associated from the American Society of Addiction Medicine
• Knowledge on Medication Assisted Treatment for substance use disorders
• Knowledge of Substance Use Disorders
• Knowledge of Co-Occurring disorders and screening assessments
• Bilingual Spanish/English language capacity 

Schedule

Monday – Friday; 8-hour shifts between 10am and 8pm 

Work Type

Onsite, in person, full-time

Supervisory Responsibilities

Directly supervises all Nurses, including Nurse Manager and designates/ oversees the admission nurse

What we offer

Casa Esperanza Benefits Package:

• Compensation:  $157,000 - $160,000 
• Holiday Pay (12 days per year + 1 floating holiday)
• Paid Time Off (PTO) - 18 days year one, 20.5 days at year 2, 23 days at year 5
• Sick Pay - 10 paid days per year
• Long/ShortTerm Disability 
• Paid by Company Life Insurance
• Health Insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision)
• Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)
• FSA/DCA (Flexible Spending Account & Dependent Care)
• ComPsych Guidance Resources - EAP
• Educational Opportunities
• Tuition Remission
• Employee Ticket at Work (Discounts for Entertainment, travel, movies; etc.)
• Career Advancement Opportunities
• Increased Salary for Credentials
• and more....

Physical & Mental Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include distance vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception.

At Casa Esperanza, Inc., the health and safety of our people is our number one priority. That’s why all offers of employment are contingent on the candidate showing proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (currently one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and boosted, when eligible) to pass the pre-employment requirements. Individuals with medical issues or religious beliefs that prevent them from getting the vaccine may request an exemption from the vaccine requirement.

Casa Esperanza’s EEO Statement

Casa Esperanza, Inc. values its diverse workplace and encourages women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, older members of society, and others from minority groups and diverse backgrounds to apply.

We recruit, hire, employ, train, promote, and compensate individuals based on job-related qualifications and abilities. Casa Esperanza, Inc. also has a longstanding policy of providing a work environment that respects the dignity and worth of each individual and is free from all forms of employment discrimination, including harassment, because of race, color, sex, gender, age, religion or religious creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.  All employees, interns, volunteers, and contractors of Casa Esperanza, Inc. are responsible for maintaining a work culture free from discrimination and harassment by treating others with kindness and respect.

Casa Esperanza, Inc. also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities or based on a sincerely held religious belief, in accordance with applicable laws. If you need to inquire about an accommodation or need assistance with completing the application process, please email hr@casaesperanza.org.