Mental Health Advocate Job Evanston area,Illinois USA,Healthcare

City of Carbondale, Illinois Job Opening Announcement/Job Description

Title:

Mental Health Advocate Department/Division:
Police Nature of Work

This is a full-time professional position in the City's Police Department. The Police Mental Health Advocate (PMHA) provides administrative oversight for the Crisis Services, and additionally, direct services to individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis; participates in the delivery of Crisis Services to those individuals; is responsible for providing face-to-face crisis response and assessment to individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis;

provides support and linkage to other area resources with follow-up contact with the individual, and performs other responsibilities as assigned.

Essential Duties

Assists the Carbondale Police Department (CPD) whenever they come into contact with suspected persons with a mental illness or substance use disorder (SUD).

Assists CPD staff to prevent unnecessary hospitalization and/or reduce CPD use of force incidents involving persons suffering from mental illness, behavioral health symptoms or SUD.

Responds to calls when dispatched or requested by CPD officers, conducts assessments, offers effective and efficient interventions, and coordinates care to enhance CPD services.

Assesses residents’ treatment needs related to psychiatric, medical, social, and emotional care and follow-up after the event for 72 hours and beyond to ensure engagement and access to services.

Adheres to professionally recognized ethical standards of care.

Works effectively in Crisis Service delivery dealing with individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis.

Helps determine when to involve medical personnel when medical safety is an issue.

Exercises sound clinical judgment in determining a person’s ability to remain safely in the Community.

Develops and maintains a case management system for identifying individuals in the community with mental illness that are frequently contacted by law enforcement who have no working system of treatment in place.

Tracks cases of persons with mental illness who are referred to other agencies, and provides information on potential threats that exist to the community and the individual (i.e., family members, community members) and corporate (i.e. businesses, places of worship, medical facilities) levels.

Works with outside agencies, and with the Carbondale Police Department’s training unit to generate and implement training to police officers and telecommunicators in dealing with mental health issues.

Seeks out and implements grants concerning mental health response and training for PMHA partners.

Identifies ways to measure the performance of agency responses to mental health issues in Carbondale, and presents ideas to improve services to City and crisis care administrators.

Coordinates as needed with officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys and family members to conduct civil commitment proceedings when necessary.

May be assigned to community consultation and education projects.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. It is not intended to limit or in any way modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct, and control the work of employees under his/her supervision.

Qualification Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Must be able to pass a law enforcement background check and obtain a fingerprint…