The State of Colorado

Department Information

This position is open to current Colorado residents only.

Please note: This recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

Most State of Colorado employees are eligible for a great benefit package! Please see the Supplemental Information section below for details!

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About the Mental Health Transitional Living Homes

The CDHS Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health’s Transitional Living Homes Program was created to increase bed capacity for persons in need of residential behavioral health treatment. House Bill (HB) 22-1303 has authorized new beds to be used for persons needing residential services at a less restrictive level of care and to reduce and eliminate the backlog of such persons in more restrictive settings. HB 22-1303 directs the Department of human services (department) and the Department of health care and Policy Financing to create, develop, or contract to add at least 125 additional beds at mental health residential treatment facilities (treatment facilities) throughout the state for adults in need of ongoing supportive services. The bill also requires that the department renovate a building at the mental health hospital at Fort Logan to create at least 16 additional civil beds for such persons. These beds serve as a step-down option from inpatient care and as a step-up when deemed medically necessary and lower-level of care settings can no longer adequately and safely provide effective care.

Description of Job

About the Position

This position exists to provide direct hands-on milieu management care to clients, which includes assistance with activities of daily living, documentation of the care supplied, awareness of psychosocial and physical needs/safety of clients, engagement in social and recreational activities, support in the continued development of social and life skills. These services shall be performed in a manner consistent with the standards of the profession, legal, and regulatory requirements.

This is a full-time, in-person, essential services designation position. These services are provided in a residential setting, which requires 24/7 care and treatment. As such, we are hiring for daytime, evening, and overnight shifts, including weekends. Duties in this position include:

Residential Client Care and Safety/Security:

• Responsible for providing direct client care by hands-on performance and/or assistance as needed with activities of daily living (ADL) and continued development of social and life skills through engagement in recreational and social activities.
• Provides environmental needs to all clients by arranging and adapting personal care items, such as food or clothing and/or physical environment needs to support the ongoing needs of the clients.
• May require gentle guiding and instruction for clients to engage in self-care activities as part of their continued development of activities of daily living.
• Assist clients in becoming oriented to the program, which includes a review of the program requirements, their responsibilities as clients, inventory of all personal items, etcetera.
• Responsible for the ongoing supervision of the clients in care and ensuring the needs of all clients are being met daily.
• Monitors safety needs by supervising the clients in care, their whereabouts, interactions, and conditions, and refers to the MHTL Homes team regarding potential changes that may need to be made based on observations.

Transportation:

• Responsible for transporting, when necessary, clients in care to and from appointments and/or recreational and social activities.
• Responsible for ensuring the safety of the clients by adhering to safety laws such as seatbelts and expectations while in a moving vehicle, abiding by the rules of the road, etc.
• An essential function of this role is to ensure that a schedule of outside client appointments and any recreational or social activities that require transportation is maintained, and to share and collaborate with the MHTL Homes team on this schedule.
• Ensures that trip logs are properly and timely completed.

Department Standards and Staff Development:

• Responsible for the adherence to department standards and staff development.
• Responsible for ensuring that the standards for the MHTL Homes in terms of programming and operation are followed accordingly as set in the MHTL Homes policies and procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Responsible for completing staff training, which includes MHTL Homes-specific training along with CDHS mandatory training.
• Attend assigned meetings and in-services as scheduled by the supervisor to fulfill the mission/vision of the agency.
• Ensures all documentation as shift notes, incident logs, refrigerator temperature logs, and other logs related to life, safety, and health are timely and correctly completed.
• Acts as a resource and teaches/orients new/pulled/pool staff related to milieu management/safety basics.

Medication Administration:

• This position requires certification as a Qualified Medication Administration Professional (QMAP). The MHTL Homes programs will assist any individuals who are not QMAP certified to obtain such certification.
• Administers medications to the individuals served per the Medication Administration Record (MAR).
• Administers medications in proper doses at appropriate times to each individual.
• Records a wide range of information including medication given (including time and amount); clients’ responses to medications and treatments; documents refusals of medications and reports this to the clinical team; and all information relevant to all aspects of the clients’ mental status.
• Dispense medication to clients as well as clients' self-administration of medications.
• Review the MAR, pull out the appropriate medication per the MAR, put the medication in a cup, hand the cup of medication to the client with a glass of water and the client takes the medication.
• May supply topical medication to the client, and the client would apply it.

Other Duties as Assigned:

Other duties as required for business needs.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

Education

High school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED)

AND

One (1) year of experience in assisted living, nursing home, home health or any other congregate care, residential behavioral health setting

Substitutions:

Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis

Preferred Qualifications:

• QMAP certified
• Experience working in psychiatric settings and with direct patient care
• Able to recognize what a calm milieu looks like and understand how to maintain it
• Basic understanding of various psychiatric disorders
• Experience with dealing with clients in crisis, utilizing de-escalation techniques.
• Maintains awareness of all 1:1, special precautions, and medical and psych issues for each client
• Understand and practice knowledge of when to report changes in client condition or complaints such as pain or other medical needs to the Provider or Nurse
• Knowing the 10 rights of Medication Administration, and proper Infection Control practices for passing medications
• Having a basic understanding of signs and symptoms of adverse effects r/t medications

Conditions of Employment:

• Current and valid, unrestricted US Driver's License, which must remain so throughout employment. The inability to drive a state vehicle could result in a loss of employment.
• A full, pre-employment criminal background check will be conducted as part of the selection process, as this position is deemed to have direct contact with vulnerable persons. Felony convictions, convictions of crimes of moral turpitude, or convictions of misdemeanors related to job duties may disqualify you from being considered for this position. Should your background check reveal any charges or convictions, it is your responsibility to provide the CDHS Background Unit with an official disposition of any charges.
• Shift work eligible, may be required to work evening or weekend shifts, holidays, voluntary or mandatory overtime
• Travel - In-state travel, which includes, but is not limited to, transporting clients to and from appointments, field trips, traveling between locations, and in-person team-building events.
• Other - Annual influenza and other vaccinations as required by the State of Colorado
• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must (1) disclose that information on the application (2) provide an explanation why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify the applicant from the current position, (3) provide the employee number from the applicant’s prior State employment. Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination and failure to provide this information will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS

APPEAL RIGHTS:

If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for this position, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director.

An appeal or review must be submitted on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative. This form must be delivered to the State Personnel Board by email (dpa_state.personnelboard@state.co.us), postmarked in US Mail or hand delivered (1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver CO 80203), or faxed (303.866.5038) within ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of notice or acknowledgement of the department’s action.

For more information about the appeals process, the official appeal form, and how to deliver it to the State Personnel Board; go to spb.colorado.gov; contact the State Personnel Board for assistance at (303) 866-3300; or refer to 4 Colorado Code of Regulations (CCR) 801-1, State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, Chapter 8, Resolution of Appeals and Disputes, at spb.colorado.gov under Rules.

Supplemental Information

How to Apply

The Assessment Process

For additional recruiting questions, please contact jazzma.gamboa@state.co.us

About Us:

If your goal is to build a career that makes a difference, consider joining the dedicated people of the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS). Our professionals strive to design and deliver high quality human and health services that improve the safety, independence, and well-being of the people of Colorado. In addition to a great location and rewarding and meaningful work, we offer:

• Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan www.copera.org plus 401(k) and 457 plans
• Medical and dental health plans
• Employer supplemented Health Savings Account
• Paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• 11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
• BenefitHub state employee discount program
• Employee Wellness program MotivateMe
• Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, training and more
• Remote work arrangements for eligible positions
• Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For more

information, go to https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dhr/student-loan-forgiveness-programs.

Our Values:

We believe in a people-first approach: To serve the people of Colorado, we develop a culture and work environment that creates an energized, inspired, and healthy team capable of giving their best to Coloradans.

Balance creates quality of life: We want our team to be resilient through a supportive workplace that values flexibility, health and wellness, and employee engagement.

We hold ourselves accountable: We take responsibility through our actions, programs, and results for the state of health and human services in Colorado.

Transparency matters: We are open and honest with employees, our partners, the Coloradans we serve, and the public.

We are ethical: We abide by what is best for those we serve by doing what is right, not what is easy.

Collaboration helps us rise together: We work together with all partners, employees, and clients to achieve the best outcomes for Coloradans.

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

ADAA Accommodations: CDHS is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Coordinator, Nancy Schmelzer, at cdhs_ada@state.co.us or call 1-800-929-0791.

~THE STATE OF COLORADO IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER~

Toll Free Applicant Technical Support

The State of Colorado offers permanent employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, life and disability insurance, as well as a comprehensive leave program. Please click the following link for detailed information: www.colorado.gov/pacific/dhr/benefits

Please note that each agency's contact information is different; therefore, we encourage all applicants to view the full, official job announcement which includes contact information and class title. Select the job you wish to view, then click on the "Print" icon.

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