Position Summary

The Harm Reduction Navigator (HRN) works across OnPoint NYC’s low-threshold programs – specifically the OPC, DIC, health HUB and Care Coordination departments. The HRN is highly experienced and works to maximize every engagement with participants, acting as a critical bridge to clinical, mental health and harm reduction services. The HRN builds trusting relationships, providing participants with health promotion information and tools to prevent overdose occurrence and fatality, facilitates interest and engagement with deeper care, and supports overall physical and mental well-being. The HRN directly links participants to a wide range of services on-site including syringe services, the OPC, HIV/HCV and other STI prevention, testing, and treatment, vaccination services, holistic health, mental health and substance use treatment, and connect them to primary health care, housing assistance, and food/nutrition assistance.

Reports to: Drop-In Center Manager
Pay Rate: Hourly: $21.97 – $27.47
Position Type: Full Time
Hours Per Week: 35

Responsibilities

• Welcome participants to the space with warmth and genuine concern for their well-being.
• Provide care to meet their immediate needs and do intakes to orient them to the organization.
• Provide syringe and other safer use supply distribution, drug testing strip dispensing, overdose prevention training and education, disease transmission reduction education, program promotion, participant recruitment, risk reduction counseling, coordination into care.
• De-escalate conflicts and set clear, consistent boundaries by maintaining a friendly but professional relationship with participants.
• Intervene in overdoses and other critical health emergencies.
• Provide education specific to overdose prevention, naloxone (Narcan®) administration, and using drug testing strips in individual and group training sessions.
• Maintain meticulous and accurate documentation of all program activities as directed.
• Complete reports and other grant-based documentation to an audit worthy standard.
• Work as part of the DIC Team to ensure continuity and consistency of services for participants.
• Attend daily meetings, in addition to all staff meetings and trainings as directed by supervisor.
• Must maintain a safe work environment, adhering to all OnPoint NYC as well as COVID-19 safety policies and procedures, at all times.
• Perform other related tasks and responsibilities as assigned.

Goals

1. To increase access to and engagement in overdose prevention and syringe services programs.
2. To increase access to HIV/HCV and STI prevention, testing and vaccinations and connect people who test positive to treatment services.
3. To increase access to and engagement in other harm reduction, holistic health care, and supportive services. 
4. To expand our drug testing strip program to outreach to opiate naive and non-opiate users, in addition to opiate users, at risk of fentanyl poisoning and overdose.

Objectives

1. Intervene to prevent 30 overdoses per month on-site in East Harlem and Washington Heights and in the surrounding community, in partnership with OPC and OPST.
2. Enroll 20 new Syringe Service Program (SSP) and Overdose Prevention Center (OPC) participants per month at our physical sites, and on outreach to places where there is a documented history of injection drug use taking place.
3. Provide HIV, HCV, and/or STI testing for 25 clients per month (link to HUB or WH Clinic).
4. Of those who test positive for HIV and/or HCV, 100% will be connected to treatment (link to HUB or WH Clinic).
5. Of those who test positive for any STI, 100% will be connected to treatment (link to HUB or WH Clinic).
6. Make 25 referrals to primary health care per month, including services provided on-site in East Harlem through the HUB Clinic.
7. Make 30 referrals to mental health and/or substance use treatment per month, including services provided on-site in East Harlem and Washington Heights.
8. Make 30 referrals to housing assistance, food/nutrition, or other supportive services per month, as needed.
9. Provide individualized harm reduction counseling to 25 participants per month and drug use management and safer use support groups for at least 20 participants per month.
10. Distribute 300 drug testing strips, including fentanyl testing strips and other drug testing strips, to 100 participants per month.
11. Provide drug education and awareness-raising around use of drug testing strips to 100 PWUD, who are opiate-naïve drug users and non-opiate users at highest risk of overdose.
    
    

Qualifications

• The position requires knowledge of outreach strategies, syringe exchange, overdose prevention, and HIV prevention techniques, and the ability to carry out outreach activities on the street-level with both the general population and the high-risk population.
• Experience working with drug users, sex workers, persons experiencing homelessness, those living with mental illness, formerly incarcerated, and HIV + populations an asset. Additional preferable work experience includes training and motivating volunteers, anti-discrimination strategies, LGBTQ issues, and community organizing. Additional training will be provided.
• Must be calm, outgoing, organized, self-motivated, and committed to working in a diverse environment while remaining teachable and open to receiving direction and feedback.
• Must be a team player and able to work effectively with a large variety of personalities and abilities with excellent problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
• Must be familiar with and believe in a harm reduction philosophy, and able to communicate without judgment and shame.
• Must be willing to work outdoors several hours per shift in various weather conditions; weekend and evening hours flexible to provide outreach services to high-risk populations that congregate during irregular hours.
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing Ability to work with diverse communities (multi-gender, -ethnic, -generation, -lingual, political) as well as enthusiasm working with individuals who are current substance users.
• Ability to master a wide range of information and disperse accordingly and professionally.
• Bilingual (English and Spanish) is highly preferred.
• Individuals from the Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, Inwood, and East Harlem areas are strongly encouraged to apply.