Senior Psychiatrist (Director of Service), Correctional Health Services, RMSC at NYC Health

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation. We are a network of 11 hospitals, trauma centers, neighborhood health centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, and correctional health services. We are a home care agency and a health plan, MetroPlus. Our health system provides essential services to 1.4 million New Yorkers every year in more than 70 locations across the citys five boroughs. Our diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees are uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. Visit us at nychhc.org and stay connected on facebook.com/nycHHC or Twitter@hhcnyc.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Services is one of the nation’s leading correctional health care systems in quality of and innovations to care, and access from pre-arraignment through compassionate release. In-jail services include medical, nursing, mental health, substance use treatment, social work, dental and vision care, discharge planning, and reentry support. In addition to providing direct patient care in the jails, CHS leverages the resources of the nation’s largest municipal health care system to help discharged patients successfully return to their communities. CHS is also a pivotal partner in New York City’s criminal justice reform efforts. 

Job Description

Position Description:

New York City Health + Hospitals

NYC H+H is the largest public health care system in the world.  We are a network of 11 hospitals, trauma centers, neighborhood health centers, nursing homes, and post-acute care centers.   Our health system provides essential services to 1.4 million New Yorkers ever year in more than 70 locations across the city’s five boroughs.  Our workforce of more than 42,000 employees are uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible.

Correctional Health Services

The New York City jail system is the second largest in the nation. A significant number of individuals in the NYC jail system will receive care on the mental health service. The service strives to provide safe, holistic and evidence-based therapeutic interventions for the diverse range of mental health issues that face the population, from serious mental illness to the natural struggles that accompany incarceration. The service provides some of the most comprehensive and unique treatment modalities in the country, including specialty housing units for individuals with serious mental illness, a 24-hour on-call psychiatric service, robust creative arts programming, clinics in each of the facilities, substance use treatment, medication assisted treatment (MAT), integrated re-entry services that includes alternatives to incarceration, and relationships with multiple training institutions throughout the city. Furthermore, CHS has been engaged in an effort to better identify people with neurodevelopmental/neurocognitive disorders and to utilize psychological testing to connect people to services in the community (e.g., with OPWDD).

Summary of position

The Senior Psychiatrist is the psychiatric leader of the facility, clinical area, or program and works in close collaboration with the Mental Health Unit Chief, Clinical Supervisors, and Supervising Psychiatrists (if applicable) to ensure that safe, holistic and evidence-based therapeutic interventions are provided for the individuals incarcerated in the New York City jail system. North Infirmary Command (NIC), West Facility (WF), and the Contagious Disease Unit (CDU) are the jail facilities that house a significant number of incarcerated individuals with advanced age, complex medical problems, disabilities, and/or enhanced nursing needs. The Senior CL Psychiatrist working in this facility will lead the team in diagnostic review, treatment planning, and interdisciplinary case conferencing with medical, nursing, and social work for individuals housed in this facility with comorbid mental illness, including direct patient care as well as supervision of other psychiatric providers. The Senior CL Psychiatrist will also consult on the care of medically complex patients in other jail facilities. Experience working in correctional settings is not required, however the ability to work closely and effectively with multiple other disciplines, including security staff, is critical.

Preferred Skills:

Department Preferences:

•         Excellent diagnostic and treatment skills with particular attention to issues of psychopharmacology, safe administration of medication in a variety of settings, medical complications of mental illness and therapeutic resistance
•         Excellent interpersonal communication skills and ability to work collaboratively with other disciplines, including DOC staff
•         Strong leadership skills with ability to identify staff needs and provide mentorship and education to suit those needs
•         Advanced knowledge of psychopharmacology in elderly and medically complex patients
•         Experience working with medically ill psychiatric patients
•         Buprenorphine waiver training highly encouraged but not required

Qualification Requirements:

1.     Education
   1.     M.D. or D.O. degree with active NY State license in good standing
   2.     Completion of a 4-year psychiatric residency training program
   3.     Active certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry
2.     Experience
   1.     At least two years of post-residency experience working with individuals with mental illness in a criminal justice setting (jail, prison, probation and/or parole) or public health community setting
   2.     At least one year of post-residency experience in a supervisory role in psychiatry
   3.     At least one year of post-residency experience working with individuals with serious mental illness
3.     An equivalent and satisfactory combination of education and experience may be considered

Detailed Tasks

Responsibilities Include:

•         Diagnostic review, treatment planning, and interdisciplinary case conferencing with medical, nursing, and social work for elderly and medically complex patients with comorbid mental illness.
•         Directly treat and oversee the psychiatric care of additional patients housed in NIC/WF/CDU
•         Direct patients to the appropriate level of mental health care, within the facility or in the hospital as needed.
•         Close communication with psychiatric and medical providers at Bellevue Hospital to ensure continuity of care as patients transition between the two facilities.
•         Ensure the highest possible quality of mental health care both in the facility and in collaboration with the other jail facilities in the system. This includes active participation in quality improvement, staff and patient safety initiatives, treatment supervision, and personnel mentorship and management.
•         In coordination with the facility-specific Mental Health Unit Chief and/or Senior Clinical Supervisor, design, implementation, ongoing review, and monitoring of relevant clinical facility-specific procedures, policies and operating manuals
•         Direct clinical individual and group supervision of the relevant psychiatric prescribing staff, including psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and psychiatric physician assistants. This supervision must include both in vivo reviews of clinical skills as well as chart review.
•         Close collaboration, including regularly scheduled meetings, with other relevant disciplines within the mental health, medical, nursing and operations departments, as well as the Department of Correction
•         Ensure that medication renewals are completed in a timely manner
•         Educate clinical staff about new developments regarding best practices in all aspects of psychiatric care, with specific attention to the challenges and issues facing a jail setting (e.g., influence of legal case, dual loyalty, medication diversion)
•         Ensure compliance with all regulatory standards
•         In collaboration with the Mental Health Unit Chief, oversee the orientation of new staff to the facility or program
•         Conduct regular and multi-disciplinary case conferences
•         Report on an as-needed basis to the CHS Morbidity and Mortality review committee.
•         Work in collaboration with the Mental Health Unit Chief to manage clinical schedules, vacation requests, CME activities and other relevant activities as they pertain to psychiatric staffing and education
•         Participate in policy revision and creation, and practice guideline creations, related to psychiatric care, including input into the psychiatric medication formulary
•         Lead at least bi-weekly interdisciplinary mental health staff meetings in coordination with the Mental Health Unit Chief and Clinical Supervisor.
•         Personnel management of clinical staff, including setting quality standards, establishing effective recruitment and retention strategies, and managing workforce complaints
•         At least 50% of time devoted to direct clinical care, which may include direct supervision of psychiatric trainees.
•         On-call responsibilities for 2 weeks at a time, one to times/year, for off-hours issues that require high level clinical intervention
•         Other duties at the discretion of the Medical Director of Mental Health or the Chief of Service.

Minimum Qualifications

Applicants must have all of the following: 

• 1. Graduation from a medical school approved by the Council on Medical Education and 
• Hospitals of the American Medical Association. 
• 2. Completion of an acceptable internship in an approved hospital. 
• 3. A license to practice medicine in the State of New York. 
• 4. Certification by American Board in field of specialization or a faculty appointment of Associate Professor or higher in a medical school recognized by the American Medical Association. 
• 5. Eight (8) years of satisfactory full-time paid experience in field of specialization including at least three (3) years in a supervisory or administrative capacity.(Training and experience required for certification will be credited toward required specialized experience.)

NYC Health and Hospitals offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

• Comprehensive Health Benefits for employees hired to work 20+ hrs. per week
• Retirement Savings and Pension Plans
• Loan Forgiveness Programs for eligible employees
• Paid Holidays and Vacation in accordance with employees Collectively bargained contracts
• College tuition discounts and professional development opportunities
• Multiple employee discounts programs