Director of Drop In Services: Prevention Point

Prevention Point Philadelphia (PPP) is a multi-service public health organization dedicated to promoting health, empowerment, and safety for communities affected by drug use and poverty. PPP meets drug users where they are, providing information and access to resources with dignity and respect. Using a harm reduction approach, PPP offers low threshold, culturally sensitive, non-judgmental services to address the health and social service needs of people who use drugs, hormones, and who do sex work in Philadelphia. PPP promotes harm reduction through sterile syringe exchange, mobile medical care, referrals to social services, and prevention case management services.

Position Overview:

PPP manages several Drop In Center related services and programs, including the Drop in Center, the Main Building meal program, Drop In Case Management, Public Benefits Access and the Identification Assistance Project, the Public Restroom Initiative, the Mail Service, Safe Space, and several additional co-located services, such as an Art Project, Hygiene Resources, and PPP’s Clothing Bank. The Drop In Department will soon add showers.

The Drop In Services Department was created last year to bundle the services most frequently accessed by People Who Use Drugs, and in particular, People Who Inject Drugs, in an effort to create the highest quality low barrier access point for PWUD / PWID to be able to access the full gamut of harm reduction, prevention, medical, behavioral health, and survival and social service resources within the larger organization and community.

Strategic goals for the Drop In Department over the next 2-5 years include supporting implementation of PPP’s One Stop Shop approach for PWUD / PWID to ensure access to prevention services, medical treatment, and survival resources, and further supporting the Drop In Center’s growth as an integral access point in the community that provides support to overcome the individual, provider level, and community and structural barriers experienced by PWID by employing a harm reduction approach that meets people we serve where they are in approach, as well as literally and geographically by offering a complex range of survival, harm reduction, testing, and medical and social services for PWID via the Drop In. The move of the Drop In to new separate space, even in transitional, represents a further unique opportunity to create the first space of its kind in the city, a recreational space where services can be accessed, but where people who use drugs and / or are in recovery can share space and socialize without necessarily accessing help.

The Director of Drop In Services plays one of the most pivotal roles in the organization, managing the initial access points for thousands of individuals.

Qualifications:

At least a bachelor’s degree in public health, social work, psychology, or a related field.

A minimum of five years experience of working in the field of social work, case management, or related behavioral health services.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Directly provide clinical supervision for all Program Coordinators in the Drop In Services Department at least bi-weekly, and provide hands-on support to Coordinators regarding how best to supervise individual staff in their Program Service Teams.
• Keep track of all professional licenses, certifications, OHS, and DBHIDS trainings needed for programs in the department, and coordinate, co-facilitate, and ensure adequate training for all Department programs so that programs meet all of the clinical and practical requirements of OHS and DBHIDS, and other funders, program services, and participants.
• Ensure professional development for Department Coordinators, and ensure that each Coordinator is making professional development time available for each team and all team members.
• Support strategic planning of Drop In services to ensure continuity of care and follow up from initial entry into the Drop In and / or initial engagement in the restrooms or at the mail desk, to initial assessment, to benefits applications and advocacy, to referral to low barrier access to harm reduction services, medical care, behavioral health care, social services, and survival resources and ensure warm handoff through PPP services and participation in development of a larger organizational approach to status neutral red carpet service access to engage, assess, and care for PWUD.
• Conduct continuous monitoring of Drop In, Mail, main building meal, Restroom, Hygiene, and Drop In Case Management services.
• Work with Medical Sustainability Manager and Executive Leadership to ensure maximum billing in Medicaid and with MCOs, as well as potentially via CBH for behavioral health services rendered to Drop In Center participants.
• Assess and support Department and team morale and well-being.
• Engage in bi-weekly supervision with the Associate ED.
• Facilitate Coordinator and Team Meetings of the Drop In Services Department.
• Help each Coordinator and team identify benchmarks, program goals, quality goals, participant success goals, and team cohesion and wellness goals, and align these with funder and mandatory reporting requirements.
• Ensure that all programs in the Department are on a reporting schedule, have a valid program manual, are aware of benchmarks and program goals, and are meeting and reporting on program outcomes and quality.
• Co-facilitate one quarterly Department Retreat, focused on implementing and reflecting on strategic goals and quality adherence and improvement.
• Participate in, and help guide, quality management for Department and organization, as well as quality improvement task group.
• Attend Safe Space regularly and provide support to Safe Space staff.
• Assist with ongoing organizational strategic planning and program planning of not only Department, but larger organization.
• Specifically assist with and facilitate program roll out with respect to new programs in the Department, as well as re-design of programs within the Department.
• Assist with program reporting as it relates to Department reporting, and bundled program reporting.
• Assist with grant development and program support and funding requests.
• Co-represent department programs with City of Philadelphia and funders.
• Perform other tasks as directed.

If you feel that you meet the required qualifications, please submit a cover letter and copy of your resume to ralph@ppponline.org.

The statements contained herein describe the scope of the responsibility and essential functions of this position but should not be an all-inclusive listing of work requirements.

Individuals may perform other duties as assigned including work in other areas to cover absences or relief to equalize peak work periods or otherwise balance the workload.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.