Behavioral Health Consultant - Crisis Services

Behavioral Health Services Consultant - Crisis Services

Company Background

The Iowa Primary Care Association (Iowa PCA) has supported Iowa’s community health centers for over 36 years to expand access to affordable, high quality, integrated care. The Iowa PCA, along with our sister companies INConcertCare (INCC) and IowaHealth (IH ), provides training, technical assistance, and shared services opportunities in quality improvement, value-based care, health information technology, and other areas. We are now expanding our services through a new partnership with Iowa Health and Human Services to serve as the new statewide Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization (BH-ASO). It’s an exciting opportunity to expand our efforts and connection to the broader behavioral health safety net.

Purpose of the Position

The Behavioral Health Services Consultant - Crisis Services proactively develops, evaluates, supports and expands statewide behavioral health crisis services and promotes a culture of continuous improvement. Reporting to the Lead Integrated Health Consultant, this role serves as a statewide subject matter expert, leading training and technical assistance specialized in behavioral health crisis triage, evaluation and screening, stabilization, and effective warm hand-offs to ongoing health care aligned with evidence-based, integrated health approaches and culturally competent frameworks focus on improving access and outcomes for behavioral health services across Iowa.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Program Development and Implementation

• Support alignment of behavioral health crisis services efforts with the Iowa Behavioral Health Service System Statewide Plan, federal block grant priorities, and evidence-based frameworks and practices. (e.g. SAMHSA's National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care Best Practice Toolkit).
• Analyze data to identify trends, service gaps, and priority needs across the behavioral health service continuum for area of focus.
• Design and/or provide guidance on program development and implementation of evidence-based behavioral health crisis services. Collaborate with system navigation and other subject matter experts to develop standard crisis transition services with law enforcement, jails, courts, crisis service providers, healthcare providers, hospitals, emergency rooms, 911, and 988 to ensure timely access to and secure placement in crisis stabilization, intensive outpatient, sub-acute and residential treatment programs and facilities, Psychiatric Medical Institutions for Children (PMIC), and/or inpatient hospitalization for behavioral health services.
• Provide expert consultation and collaboration with stakeholders on evaluating gap assessment results and recommending and implementing appropriate crisis care interventions and transitions that align with statewide behavioral health objectives.
• Stay abreast of current research, trends and evidence-based best practices in behavioral health services assigned focus area(s).
• Lead development, relative to the assigned focus area(s), of appropriate policies, protocols, and procedures, including clinical, administrative, and operational, which are in compliance with the most current accepted professional standards for providers across Iowa.
• Provide support to the development of processes to improve operational efficiency and meet providers and partners’ strategic goals related to integrated health, with a focus on assigned area(s). Assist providers in creating workflows to optimize care delivery, introduce best practice improvements and/or promising practices, and evaluate outcomes. Meet with providers as needed to facilitate progress and address barriers.

2. Partnership and Collaboration

• Establish and maintain strong state and regional partnerships to foster integrated and coordinated behavioral health crisis response efforts and ensure crisis services are available and accessible to all.
• Serve as a liaison to statewide coalitions, task forces, and workgroups focused on crisis services, facilitating collaboration across disciplines and settings (crisis response teams, emergency departments, law enforcement, behavioral health providers and community organizations) to ensure consistent and comprehensive crisis response services across the state.

3. Technical Assistance and Training

• Act as the ASO’s primary subject matter expert on behavioral health crisis response, providing consultation and guidance on all aspects including triage, evaluation and screening protocol, stabilization and referrals to long-term supports.
• Provide clinical technical assistance and consultation to providers, emergency responders and partner organizations on behavioral health crisis intervention.
• Develop and deliver engaging trainings, webinars, educational materials, presentations and other resources to enhance provider and stakeholder competencies in evidence-based crisis service delivery.
• Apply continuous improvement and facilitation tools when providing training and technical assistance to providers and partners, creating measurable and sustainable improvements in patient and provider outcomes.
• Participate in the development of integrated health strategies/solutions, training, and technical assistance for alternative modalities of care applicable to the assigned focus area for providers and partners. These may include, but are not limited to, eHealth/telemedicine, home and community health visits, care management, school-based clinics, and mobile health.
• Assist providers and partners in maximizing the use of their Electronic Health Record (EHR) to support workflows and data collection to support projects and other network goals and initiatives. Develop subject matter expertise for the hosted EHRs related to assigned focus area(s), if applicable.
• Facilitate Integrated Health meetings, Work Groups, Committees, Learning Cohorts, Project ECHOs, and facilitate/participate in statewide and cross-state coalitions to discuss innovations and ongoing strategic planning related to Integrated Health in assigned focus areas.

4. Evaluation and Reporting

• Collaborate with data analysts and evaluators develop and implement methods for monitoring and evaluating effectiveness of behavioral health crisis services program outcomes, quality and performance measures to inform improvements.
• Prepare regular reports demonstrating the impact, effectiveness, and reach of crisis services.
• Assist with data collection and analysis in support of integrated health initiatives specific to assigned focus area(s).
• Manage assigned federal and/or state grant program initiatives including coordination of participating providers and partners and the grantor, ensuring that all grant objectives are met, participating in all required calls and meetings, and creating progress reports and other documentation as needed.

5. Resource Development

• Assist in developing grant applications or other funding proposals, reports, and policy recommendations related to crisis response and stabilization services.

6. Public Awareness and Communication

• Coordinate with and promote awareness of Your Life Iowa and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
• Participate in development of statewide policies and guidelines for behavioral health crisis interventions.
• Advise on culturally responsive and inclusive strategies to respond to underserved and high-risk persons in a behavioral health crisis

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Social Work, Nursing or a related clinical field required. Masters or Doctorate degree preferred.
• Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) to practice in the State of Iowa strongly preferred.
• Certification or specialized training in crisis intervention techniques (CIT, Mental Health First Aid, Crisis Prevention and Intervention) preferred.

Experience:

• At least five years’ clinical experience in behavioral health crisis intervention, stabilization, triage and evaluation. Experience in direct patient care is preferred.
• At least three years of experience in statewide or large-scale behavioral health crisis response initiatives. Demonstrated ability to motivate and encourage successful process changes in diverse care settings and delivering measurable improvements is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in public health principles and evidence-based models.
• Strong understanding of Iowa’s behavioral health system and public health infrastructure.
• Experience achieving objectives through close collaboration with clinicians and care teams, external stakeholders, organizational leaders, and peers.
• Experience using data analysis to drive strategic planning, develop programs, design technical assistance and/or process redesign in either a consulting role or a supporting role, preferably in behavioral health at the community or systems level.
• Experience planning and facilitating meetings and group work in a highly collaborative, interdependent environment.
• Administrative, management, performance improvement, quality assurance, grant writing, and budget development experience including familiarity with state and federal funding sources related to area of expertise, preferred.

Work Environment and Travel

• On-site work required at least two days per week, with travel across Iowa to support district operations and attend conferences or meetings.