firsthand supports individuals living with SMI (serious mental illness). Our holistic approach includes a team of peer recovery specialists, benefits specialists and clinicians, which focuses on meeting each individual where they are and walking with them side by side as a trusted guide, partner, and first call on their journey to wellness.
firsthand's team members use their lived experience to build trust with these individuals and support them in obtaining socio-economic assistance and in reconnecting to primary and behavioral care. Support like this creates substantial savings for managed care organizations (Medicaid providers) and taxpayers by decreasing inappropriate healthcare utilization. This enables us to build solutions that scale and, as a result, change the way our society supports those most impacted by SMI.
We are cultivating a team of deeply passionate problem-solvers to tackle significant and complex healthcare challenges with us. This is more than a job—it's a calling. Every day, you will engage in work that resonates with purpose, gain wisdom from motivated colleagues, and thrive in an environment that celebrates continuous learning, creativity, and fun.
We named our company firsthand because we believe that lived, or “first-hand,” experience is incredibly valuable to gain trust and build relationships. The firsthand Guide is a critical role in our peer-led model, responsible for outreach and engagement of individuals living with serious mental illness to achieve and maintain behavioral and physical health and wellness. Trust is an essential element in successfully engaging people who have withdrawn from, or never received, services and supports that can improve their quality of life.
Focusing on support and services that promote whole health and reinforce autonomy, the firsthand Guide will help empower individuals to participate in their own care. firsthand Guides are empathetic, supportive, and highly trained and experienced individuals with first-hand knowledge of living with a psychiatric and/or substance use disorder, and are familiar with the intricacies of navigating a complex system of healthcare.
The firsthand guide assists other members of the firsthand Care Team such as the Health Guide (e.g. Nurse Practitioner) in addressing the individual’s health needs (not including diagnosis or choosing a specific treatment plan), and the Community Resources Guide in meeting SDOH needs and with disability applications.
As firsthand Guide, you will:
- Perform community outreach to individuals with serious mental illness, including visiting their homes and other locations within the local community where they spend time, such as clubhouses, drop-in centers, homeless shelters, hospitals, and emergency departments.
- Build trust and develop relationships with individuals living with SMI, by first identifying and addressing immediate needs.
- Empower individuals to identify and pursue their personal recovery goals.
- Model and teach safe and healthy coping strategies.
- Serve as primary point-of-contact for individuals, facilitating ongoing engagement.
- Apply advanced engagement techniques; on-the-job training will be provided as needed.
- Partner with individuals to facilitate engagement in supportive services to help meet self-directed wellness goals.
- Identify social determinants of health factors that may be able to be addressed by firsthand.
- Facilitate warm hand-offs to other team members for assistance in navigating benefits and resources.
- Assist with gathering information required for obtaining benefits and services.
- Address transportation barriers by assisting in accessing transportation benefits, navigating public transportation, and providing transportation as needed.
- Engage in care coordination to assist individuals in accessing appropriate mental and physical health services, and advocate for the individual’s personal goals with providers. Provide support via activities such as accompanying the individual to appointments.
- Address immediate follow-up needs identified by care team providers such as hospital post-discharge follow-up and support.
- Build trust and develop relationships with individuals living with SMI
- Identify and address immediate needs
- Participate in case review and collaboration within the firsthand care team.
- Provide timely documentation of encounters with individuals and providers.
- Perform initial and ongoing telephonic outreach.
- Provide coverage for after-hours calls on a rotating schedule.
- Participation in ongoing development training sessions
- Assist with the coordination of health needs such as scheduling HG appointments, taking vitals, and helping individuals sign on to telehealth services.
You will be a good fit if you have:
- Empathy, compassion, and approachability
- Excellent listening, communication, and interpersonal skills
- Personal knowledge of recovery
- Patience and persistence
- Desire to help people in need and support their path to wellness
- Comfort working as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Basic computer skills
The required experience you bring to this role includes:
- Lived experience with SMI and/or SUD
- Qualified as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist OR eligible and willing to get certified within 6 months of employment
- Ability to operate a vehicle (company vehicle may be provided), including a driver’s license that is active and in good standing; must be eligible to drive under Company insurance policy
The preferred experience you bring to this role includes:
- Prior experience performing direct in-person outreach and engaging individuals with SMI
- Expertise in recovery education and coaching
- Knowledge of a whole health approach to peer support
- Knowledge of a trauma-informed approach to peer support
- Knowledge of local community resources, behavioral health system, and criminal justice system, including mental health and drug courts
- Desire to learn more about a broad range of health conditions
Benefits
For full-time employees, our compensation package includes base, equity (or special incentive program for clinical roles) and a bonus potential. Our benefits include physical and mental health, dental, vision, 401(k) with a match, 16 weeks parental leave for either parent, flexible vacation, and a supportive and inclusive culture.
Unfortunately, we are not able to offer sponsorship at this time.
Vaccination Policy
Employment with firsthand is contingent upon attesting to medical clearance requirements, which include, but may not be limited to: evidence of vaccination for/immunity to COVID-19, Hepatitis B, Influenza, MMR, Chickenpox, Tetanus and Diphtheria. All employees of firsthand are required to receive these vaccinations on a cadence/frequency as advised by the CDC, whereas not otherwise prohibited by state law.
New hires may submit for consideration a request to be exempted from these requirements (based on a valid religious or medical reason) via forms provided by firsthand. Such requests will be subject to review and approval by the Company, and exemptions will be granted only if the Company can provide a reasonable accommodation in relation to the requested exemption. Note that approvals for reasonable accommodations are reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis and availability of a reasonable accommodation is not guaranteed.
