Peer Specialist - Essen Medical Associates

Essen Health Care is a growing community healthcare network that provides high quality, compassionate, and accessible medical care to some of the most vulnerable and under-served residents of New York State. Guided by a ‘population health’ model of care, Essen has five integrated clinical divisions offering services in primary & specialty offices, urgent care centers, and nursing homes, as well as house calls for home bound patients; all clinical services are also offered via telehealth. Our Care Management division supports patient-centered care through care coordination, complex care management and helping address health-related social needs. 

Founded in 1999, Essen provides care in all five boroughs of New York City, with a primary focus in the Bronx. Staffed by over 300 primary and specialty care physicians and advanced clinicians, Essen Health Care is one of the largest, most comprehensive private medical groups in New York City. Essen maintains a Clinical Information Services team that maintains our enterprise-wide electronic medical record system, data repository, clinical analytics and population health capabilities. Our Community Services teams create and sustain relationships with community organizations and agencies and health plans. 

Essen health is committed to delivering quality-of-care coordination for all patients. Through that end, Essen Health, recently received and designated as ‘Level 3 Patient Centered Medical Home’ by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Furthermore, Essen has won several awards for its patient care innovations and recently launched Intention Health Ventures to develop and commercialize technology innovations.   

Reports to:  Care Coordinator Supervisor for HH+ AOT

Position Description

The role of a certified specialist/peer educator provides the members with support from those who have lived experience with SMI and or Substance use, who can give an insider perspective and other resources to support members' individualized recovery process. These individuals work to educate our AOT members about their diagnosis(es) by providing materials to promote health literacy and sharing their own experiences of recovery. Peer Support Specialists assess and provide services to members to address housing, income support, education and vocational training, social support, employment, and primary care needs. Peer support services decrease isolation, reduce stigma about mental health and substance use disorders, and help to problem-solve other barriers often experienced by those in need of ongoing mental health treatment. Peer support specialists also facilitate 12-step-based peer support meetings and lead skill-building groups related to emotional regulation and positive interaction with one's social environment.

• Uses lived experience to connect with AOT members, support them in their goals, and serve as a role model of personal progress and/or recovery.
• Provide health education on effective coping and life skills, stress reduction and problem-solving skills.
• Engage client in shared decision making around service and recovery planning.
• Assists assigned members with their person-centered service plan; engages with the family and significant others in the service plan.
• Documents all progress with the members using DAP note model.
• Performs face to face encounters at the members’ residence or at a convenient location and accompanies members to medical and psychiatric appointments to increase treatment adherence.
• Collaborates with the care team and the member to identify and connect member to community and outpatient services based on the stages of change, immediate needs, and recommended treatment objectives
• Provide linkages and referrals to external social and support services, advocating and liaising with members’ providers and family to increase access to community and health resources.   
• Uses harm reduction techniques such as motivational interviewing, recovery, and trauma-informed care when delivering peer services.
• Provides individual peer support, wellness counseling, harm reduction counseling based on motivational interviewing to assigned members.
• Participates in Crisis Intervention and Crisis Support Services.
• Conducts outreach and in-reach activity for all disengaged members enrolled in care management services.

• High school diploma is required and is currently certified as peer specialist.
• A minimum of 2 years of work experience providing peer support to individuals with serious mental illness and criminal justice involvement
• Lived experience using mental health and/or substance use treatment services
• Graduate of a recognized peer specialist training program such as the Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy and Training Center Peer Specialist Program

• Proficiency in Spanish language preferred.
• Literacy skill in computer, Microsoft and electronic health records.

Essen Health care is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we seek candidates who desire to work in and serve an ethnically diverse population.