Linkage Case Manager (Front Door)

Kenneth Young Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit dedicated to providing comprehensive outpatient behavioral health services to individuals of all walks of life. Located in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, we offer a wide range of services including outpatient therapeutic care, recovery-oriented support, community prevention, LGBTQ+ outreach, older adult services, and crisis intervention. Our team welcomes and celebrates unique perspectives and represents the diversity and vitality of our local communities. Join our team to grow in your career while building stronger, healthier communities.

Ken­neth Young Cen­ter offers a robust ben­e­fit pack­age that is high­ly com­pet­i­tive to the mar­ket and offers all full-time employ­ees the following:

• 403(b) plan with orga­ni­za­tion­al matching
• Medical Insurance (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illi­nois - BCBS)
• Den­tal (BCBS), and Vision Insur­ance (BCBS) with low employee premiums
• Long Term and Short Term Dis­abil­i­ty (BCBS), no cost to employee
• Flex­i­ble Spend­ing Account (with annu­al rollover)
• Basic life insur­ance (50k) paid for by the organization and option for addi­tion­al vol­un­tary cov­er­age for self, spouse, or depen­dents (BCBS)
• Incentive program with potential for quarterly bonuses
• Opportunity for annual bonus and salary increase (discretionary based on annual KYC financial audit)
• Eligibility to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)
  
  

To fur­ther pro­mote an active and healthy work/ life bal­ance, KYC also offers a gen­er­ous amount of paid time off and staff holidays.

• 4 weeks of Paid Time Off (With increas­es based on seniority)
• 8 Paid Orga­ni­za­­­tion-Wide Hol­i­days
• 3 Per­son­al Float­ing Hol­i­days annually
  
  

Job Scope: Linkage Case Manager (Front Door) provides in-home and community-based skill building and linkage activities to assist adults with mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders discharging primarily from psychiatric hospital settings with KYC’s Front Door Diversion program. Services are specifically focused on short-term case management, and linkage to housing, medical and psychiatric services, and substance use supports to assist adults to thrive in the community after experiencing a mental health crisis. Treatment services are delivered at flexible times that meet clients’ needs and in settings that offer the best potential for positive outcomes, including in hospital and nursing home centers, in-home, and in community-based settings. Coordinate with KYC team members, with network of hospitals, PAS agencies, and other local community mental health services.

Clinical Duties

• Provide outreach, case management, linkage and referral services following treatment plan recommendations to a caseload of individuals discharging from hospital and other settings for approximately 180 days.
• Complete in-person and phone sessions to individuals on caseload within 24 hours post hospital discharge and ongoing to meet frequency expected by grant deliverables and treatment recommendations.
• Meet clients at flexible times and locations based on their needs, including in temporary housing units, hotels, other living environments, and community spaces.
• Coordinate with Front Door assessment team and provide discharge planning activities by phone and on-site at area hospitals.
• Identify resources, provide referrals, and coordinate warm hand-offs with other providers to ensure clients are linked to needed medical services, psychiatric services, substance use treatments, and other supports following treatment plan recommendations.
• Support clients to locate and secure permanent housing opportunities.
• Develop housing alternatives, including relationships with local group homes, CILA, TLP, and crisis residential settings.
• Collaborate with partners to facilitate referrals and access to resources across broad geographical area.
• Perform and participate in crisis intervention when necessary.
• Be cross-trained to support other Community Living programs, including Comprehensive Transition Team and Intensive Mental Health Outreach teams.
• Routinely consult with other behavioral health staff including employment services; Intensive Recovery Groups (IRG); substance use (SUPR), drop-in staff, and psychiatry to address specific client related clinical issues and coordinate care strategies
• Provide immediate crisis intervention and de-escalation to support clients and team members during business hours as needed; coordinate as needed with 590 Crisis team and Living Room
• Coordinate with team supervisor to provide initial program orientation and ongoing training to Front Door employees; support supervisor in being available for day-to-day problem solving and ad-hoc supervisor
  
  

Administrative

• Participate in team meetings in order to coordinate care, generate referrals and provide feedback on shared clients.
• Complete all clinical documentation and required reports in an accurate and timely manner
• Interpret and communicate, at the service delivery level, Center policies and procedures
• Meet or exceed productivity target of approximately 50% direct service
• Participate in orientations, all staff meetings, and training and development seminars
• Submit, in a timely and accurate fashion, schedules and timesheets, mileage and other reports required by the Center’s policies and procedures
• Assess client eligibility and complete applications with clients for pharmaceutical assistance programs, housing assistance programs, LINK/food stamps, Medicaid, and other available benefits.
  
  

Education And Experience

• Masters Degree from an accredited College or University in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling or closely related discipline preferred (Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) under Illinois Rule 132/140).
• Preferred 1 year of experience working with adults with serious mental
• Preferred experience working in non-traditional treatment environments i.e.in-home, residential, hospital, community settings
• Valid IL Driver’s License and daily access to a well maintained/insured vehicle
• Basic computer and smartphone proficiency (Word, typing and data entry, Internet search, text messaging and internal business collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams)
  
  

Schedule /Travel

• Full Time, Non-exempt, 37.5 hour work week
• Must work a flexible schedule in response to the needs of the target population served, including occasional evening and Saturday hours.
  
  

Kenneth Young Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer