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The Position
Workplaces across Portland, the United States and the world are making tough decisions about how to protect their employees and community from COVID-19. We, too, find ourselves in the middle of this complex situation at the City of Portland. We are committed to ensuring the health and safety for our employees and our community. As a part of this commitment, all City employees are required to be fully vaccinated, effective October 18, 2021. Proof of full vaccination, or documentation of plans to become fully vaccinated (e.g., partially vaccinated however too soon for second dose, etc.) will be required prior to being hired by the City of Portland. The required vaccination is a minimum qualification requirement to be hired by the City of Portland. We understand that some are unable to be vaccinated for a variety of reasons, including medical and religious/spiritual reasons. Should you be offered employment with the City of Portland, there is an exception process that provides for an exception and reasonable accommodation based on a qualified medical condition or religious/spiritual reason. Exception Request Process for COVID-19 vaccine (Exceptions only apply to candidate(s) offered a position; please do not submit at this time)
This is a Limited Duration position with the term ending June 30, 2022. Persons appointed to limited term positions will be designated as limited duration employees whose appointment shall not exceed two (2) years except for the extension of grants or funding from outside sources.
About Portland Street Response (PSR):
Portland Street Response is designed to serve as a third branch of the City of Portland’s first responder system: Police, Fire, and Portland Street Response. The Bureau of Emergency Communications’ (BOEC) role will be to dispatch Police, Fire, or AMR if the call relates to saving a life, reporting a fire, a medical emergency, or reporting a crime. For other non-life-threatening (but crisis-related) scenarios currently responded to by Police and Fire (such as behavioral health issues and welfare checks) Portland Street Response will be dispatched as an unarmed, first responder team, trained in behavioral health and on-scene medical assistance.
Two primary benefits of creating this new branch of first responders for non-life-threatening but crisis-related calls are:
Enables the City of Portland to free up Police and Fire resources to attend to life saving and crime-related calls for help; and
Provides quick and compassionate response by trauma informed members trained in crisis management, emergency medicine, and behavioral health.
This program is expected to:
Reduce the number of calls traditionally responded to by Police where criminal activity is not present.
Reduce the number of individuals transported to the emergency department for low acuity medical related issues that could instead be addressed in a pre-hospital care setting.
Reduce the number of behavioral health and lower acuity medical calls traditionally responded to by Police and Fire.
Portland City Council voted in favor of funding a year-long pilot, meaning this is a temporary position that will be contracted for one year. This person will report to the Portland Street Response Program Manager.
Portland Street Response has two Full Time shifts available and both will be scheduled to work (4)-10s. One shift will be during the day and one shift will be in the evening. Portland Street Response is also hiring Mental Health Crisis Responders who can be on-call. Please answer the supplemental questions and let PSR know which shift and position you’re interested in.
General Function:
The Mental Health Crisis Responder I will co-respond to non-emergent 911 calls in partnership with a Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and a Community Health Worker. The Mental Health Crisis Responder I engages with individuals who exhibit sub-acute crises, behavioral health, and substance abuse conditions. This position provides crisis intervention, face-to-face mental health assessments, information and referrals, and offers brief supportive counseling to clients in the field, who are in emotional distress and/or seeking information on available mental health services. The Mental Health Crisis Responder I and team are dispatched to 911 calls that present no criminal intent, fire, or medical emergency.
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
Conduct professional assessments in mental health evaluations per program policies and procedures, and determine the appropriate intervention.
Provide crisis intervention, suicide prevention and supportive counseling to clients who are in emotional distress.
De-escalate a low-acuity crisis and close the case, and/or refer out to outside agencies who can provide further wrap-around care as needed.
Develop and implement effective risk reduction and mitigation plans.
Document client encounters and outcomes in care plan and appropriate medical record.
Participate in program meetings and relevant local and regional trainings.
City of Portland Core Values: Anti-racism | Communication | Collaboration | Equity | Transparency | Fiscal Responsibility
These values guide our actions as we serve the community and engage our workforce. To learn more about the City’s core values, please click here.
Why work at the City of Portland?
The City of Portland workforce serves a population of over 650,000. We are culture- and solutions-driven, viewing every challenge as an opportunity to learn, improve, and share our expertise. We are committed to removing systemic barriers to resources, access, and opportunity. The City is a believer in ALL people and continues to actively recruit and retain diverse top talent every day. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to medical, dental, vision, basic life, short- and long-term disability coverage to eligible employees and their families. If you are open-minded, motivated, community-focused, and self-aware, please apply yourself at the City of Portland today.
To Qualify
Applicants must specifically address and demonstrate in their cover letter and résumé how their education, training, work experience, and/or lived experience, meets each of the following minimum qualifications:
Knowledge and understanding of privacy rules and laws, mandatory reporting, and legal responsibilities to clients and the community and other related laws, rules, and regulations including HIPPA, City of Portland Policies and Procedures.
Knowledge and understanding of cultural differences, especially as they relate to race, sexual orientation, gender-equality, socio-economic status and their intersections.
Experience assessing client risk of harm to self and or others, including suicide, homicide and violence.
Skilled in engaging clients and others in effectively reducing or eliminating risks identified.
Ability to work effectively and collaboratively in multi/intra disciplinary settings with other first responders, and health and community agencies.
Ability to observe and recognize reactivity by clients and to effectively respond and mitigate these issues when they emerge.
Applicants Must Also Possess:
Must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 per City/State mandate or have an approved exception by date of hire.
Typical Ways for Applicants To Meet Minimum Qualifications:Education/Training:
Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Alcohol and Drug Counseling, or related field;
AND
Experience:
Five (5) years in crisis intervention and/or mental health information and referral services experience. Experience working with diverse groups;
OR
Equivalent combination of training and experience.
Desired Qualifications:
Bi-lingual fluency preferred but not required.
The Recruitment Process
An evaluation of each applicant’s training and experience, as demonstrated in their resume and cover letter, weighted 100%. Do not attach materials not requested. Only candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be placed on the equally ranked eligible list. You have 14 days from the notice of the examination results to let us know if you disagree with your results. Please read the City of Portland Administrative Rule 3.01 for complete information. Additional evaluation may be required prior to establishment of the eligible list and/or final selection.
**PLEASE NOTE: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies**
Recruitment Timeline:
Posting: 01/17/22 – 01/31/22
Applications Reviewed: week of 1/31/22
Eligible List: week of 02/07/22
Selection Phase Begins: week of 02/14/22
Job Offer: February/March 2022
**Timeline is approximate and subject to change without notice**
Application Instructions
Applicants must submit a professional résumé and a cover letter specifically focused on your qualifications for this position as identified in the “To Qualify” section of this announcement in accordance with the following application instructions:
Your résumé and cover letter will be the basis for our evaluation of your qualifications for this position. Incomplete or inappropriate information may result in disqualification.
Your cover letter should include details describing your education, training and/or experience, and where obtained which clearly reflects your qualifications.
Your résumé should support the details described in your cover letter.
If you are requesting Veteran’s Preference, as identified below, please describe in your cover letter and résumé any transferrable skills obtained during your military service and how they relate to each of the required minimum qualifications under the “To Qualify” section above.
All completed applications for this position must be submitted no later than the closing date and time of this recruitment.
E-mailed and/or faxed applications will not be accepted.
Additional Information
Work Status: Non-citizen applicants must be authorized to work in the United States at the time of application.
Veterans’ Preference: If you are requesting Veterans’ Preference, attach a copy of your DD214/DD215 and/or Veterans Administration letter stating your disability to your profile, as well as checking the box identifying yourself as a Veteran. You must request Veterans’ Preference AND include a copy of your documentation for each recruitment to which you apply. Veterans’ Preference documentation must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM on the closing date of this recruitment.
ADA, Pregnancy, and Religious Accommodations: If you identify as a person with a disability, are pregnant or nursing, or observe a religious practice(s), and would like to request a reasonable accommodation when applying for this job, please contact the Recruiter below for assistance.
Equal Employment Opportunity: It is the policy of the City of Portland that no person shall be discriminated against based on race, religion, color, sex, marital status, family status, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or source of income. The City values diversity and encourages everyone who is interested in employment with the City to apply.
Language Pay Differential: City of Portland employees who speak one or more languages in addition to English, may be eligible to receive a “language pay differential.” This is compensation for qualifying multilingual City employees who use their language skill to assist the community. More about the language pay differential can be found here.
Did you know? The City of Portland offers How to Apply Classes that are free and review best practices for applying to the City. Follow the link for the most recent list of scheduled dates: www.bit.ly/howtoapplyclass.
Questions?
John DiGrazia, Senior Recruiter
Bureau of Human Resources
[email protected]
