PIH JOB DESCRIPTION ( Mental Health Program Lead ) |
Position Title: |
Mental Health Program Lead |
Reports to: |
Director of Clinical Services |
Department: |
Clinical |
Liaises with |
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Supervises: |
N/A |
Work Location: |
Maryland |
Employment Type: |
Full Time |
Position Overview: |
The Mental Health Lead will be responsible for leading, coordinating, and implementing the PIH Mental Health program in Liberia, especially as it relates to the development of a continuum of mental health care throughout Maryland County. The position will work collaboratively with the PIH-Liberia Clinical Leads, the Ministry of Health mental health unit, and the PIH Cross-Site Mental Health Program |
Essential Duties and Responsibilities: |
Patient care, planning, and mentorship:
- Collaborate and coordinate with the PIH mental health team to develop, implement and manage the PIH mental health work plan and associated budget in line with national MOH strategic plan and submit regular updates to the Director of Clinical Services and Clinical team on progress and activities
- Provide clinical mentorship alongside PIH and MOH mental health clinicians with a particular focus on care of patients with advanced mental illness, including supervising mental health consultations admitted in crisis, providing guidance and oversight on complex psychopharmacology treatment decisions, and modeling patient-centered and holistic care
- Supervise and manage the PIH Liberia mental health team using a team-oriented approach focused on empowerment and well-being of staff
- Apply PIH care delivery models to mental health services in Liberia, linking community-based case finding and follow up with activities at health center and county hospital levels to facilitate treating patients in the least restrictive way possible.
- Facilitate the quality improvement, monitoring and evaluation of PIH mental health programs in Liberia on all levels, in collaboration with the PIH Liberia mental health team and local and Boston based M&E teams.
- Work with PIH Liberia mental health team and cross-site team to implement screening tools, treatment protocols and evidence based guidelines for mental health services in line with MOH protocols and guidelines, working at the JJ Dossen Memorial Hospital and providing mentorship visits for frontline mental health providers working at PIH-supported health clinics in Maryland.
- Coordinate and collaborate on integrating mental health activities with other services and departments including NCD, maternal and child health, HIV/TB, social work, nursing, and community health, especially around task sharing.
- Work with local and cross-site teams to adapt training curricula for all levels of mental health services to the Liberia context.
- Coordinate with the PIH Liberia mental health team to implement training of mental health clinicians, nurses, physicians, pharmacists and community health workers in evidence-based mental health treatments.
- Actively participate in the strategic planning of PIH’s mental health program activities in Liberia and globally.
- Coordinate and participate in regular mental health team meetings, as well as other meetings as needed at the county, regional and national level.
- Provide direct care to patients with mental disorders at the mental health clinics, in other services and in the community.
Program management and technical assistance
- Oversee grant administration and management for Mental Health programming in collaboration with finance teams and other relevant teams.
- Ensure reports are prepared and sent to donors on time while providing narrative for performances.
- Liaise with research programs associated with PIH to support translation of findings from research to clinical service delivery.
- Liaise and collaborate as needed with other institutions working on mental health, including WHO, the Carter Center, training and referral hospitals, to ensure that our mental health program is well integrated with other mental health initiatives in Liberia.
- Serve as a representative of mental health related projects in Liberia, to coordinating activities with other departments in Liberia and Boston, including finance, communications, development, advocacy, M&E, nursing, and training as appropriate.
- Collaborate with the Mental Health Unit at the central MOH on all levels to ensure that PIH Liberia mental health programming is well aligned with Liberia’s national strategy for mental health.
- Support Director of Clinical Services in general clinical program management tasks when requested.
- Participate as time permits in national level meetings.
Requirements and Experience:
- Relevant training in mental healthcare provision such as psychiatry, psychology, clinical social work or MD with strong training in mental health. Documented experience in Evidence based mental health care delivery (Research, and QI) Recognized fellowship in mental health is an advantage.
- At least five years of experience in mental healthcare provision and program management in resource limited setting
- Training in public health such as an MPH and knowledge of global mental health issues. Documented experience in project management, grant writing and monitoring.
Personal Characteristics:
- Excellent interpersonal and intercultural communication skills,
- Excellent spoken communication, required to effectively engage with academic and hospital leaders, partners, clinicians and trainees
- Demonstrated teamwork including: taking initiative to implement assigned tasks with minimal supervision,
- Working across different disciplines and culture to achieve a shared vision, identifying obstacles and working as a team to overcome them.
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Qualifications: |
- Fluent in English with demonstrated ability to produce written reports and communication.
- Availability and enthusiasm to live and work full-time in rural Liberia
- A strong commitment to social justice and health as a human right
- An ability to be flexible and effective in the face of unexpected challenges
- Proven ability to exercise good judgement, demonstrate political astuteness and tact
- Sense of humor and flexible disposition.
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Organizational Profile: |
Partners In Health (PIH) is an international health organization relentlessly committed to improving the health of the poor and marginalized. PIH partners with local governments to build local capacity and works closely with impoverished communities to deliver high-quality health care, address the root causes of illness, train providers, advance research, and advocate for global policy change. Our delivered services in the field are based in our partnership with the Governments and Ministries of Health and the support to education, training and mentorship to Health care workers and students is one of our pillars for the Health Care system strengthening.
PIH currently has implementation programs in Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Peru, Mexico, Russia, Sierra Leone and Navajo Nation. Through our partnership with Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, we support a wide range of programs in dozens of other countries around the world.
PartnersInHealth (PIH) is committed to the fundamental principle of equal opportunity and equal treatment for every prospective and current employee. It is the policy of PIH not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex and gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law. PIH works in and with a number of governments in and outside the U.S., and to the extent applicable, this statement is intended to incorporate the prohibition of any unlawful discrimination covered by applicable laws in such countries, states and municipalities. |
Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: |
At Partners In Health, we are committed to ensuring that those who benefit from our work- including our patients, families and community members –as well as our staff are treated with dignity and respect and protected from sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment. A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Partner In Health’s PSEAH policy. Partners In Health will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures. |