Critical Care Manager, BHCS

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended. Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Applications will only be accepted on-line. 

Supplemental Questionnaire:  A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application.  Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted.  Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

THE COUNTY

Alameda County, located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is California's seventh-largest county.  The County employs 9,080 full-time employees and operates on an annual budget of $2.39 billion.  Oakland, the County seat, is California's eighth largest city.  One and a half million people call Alameda County home and live in a variety of incorporated cities, unincorporated communities and rural areas.  As a major urban county, Alameda provides a full range of services to its citizens.  The County is a blend of culturally and ethnically diverse communities, and its mixture of cosmopolitan and suburban areas provides the perfect environment for families and their active lifestyles.  The County offers extensive cultural resources, countless recreational opportunities and an array of fine public and private colleges and universities.  

THE HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY

Alameda County's Health Services Program is administered by the Health Care Services Agency and includes the following program areas: Behavioral Health Care, Public Health, Environmental Health, and Agency Administration/Indigent Health. The ultimate mission of the Health Care Services Agency is to provide fully integrated health care services through a comprehensive network of public and private partnerships that ensure optimal health and well-being and respect the diversity of all residents. Health Care Services Agency currently has multiple career opportunities for experienced professionals to become part of a service delivery team dedicated to the optimal health and well-being of Alameda County residents.  

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE

It is the mission of Behavioral Health Care Services to maximize the recovery, resilience and wellness of all eligible Alameda County residents who are developing or experiencing serious mental health, alcohol, or drug concerns. We envision communities where people realize their potential, and where stigma and discrimination against those with mental health, alcohol and/or drug issues are a thing of the past.

Only through exemplifying the following Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services values will we be successful:

ACBHCS

Access - where every door is the right door for welcoming people with complex needs;

Consumer and Family Empowerment - through shared decision‐making best practices, that clinically produce effective outcomes;

Best Practices - business excellence that uses public resources cost‐effectively;

Health and Wellness - by integrating emotional, spiritual and physical health care;

Culturally Responsive - appropriate services built on the strengths experiences of culturally diverse consumers and their families;

Social Inclusion - utilizing advocacy and education to eliminate stigma, discrimination, isolation, and misunderstanding of persons with mental illness and substance abuse.

For more information about the department of Behavioral Health Care Services, please visit www.acbhcs.org/

THE POSITION

Under general direction manages and monitors acute, sub-acute, and crisis system resources and authorizes services for adults or adolescents on involuntary psychiatric holds or in need of acute psychiatric care; provides oversight of high level behavioral health services provided by community-based organizations; ensures appropriate levels of care that meet clinical quality of care standards; facilitates treatment and discharge plans with other system partners such as Social Services Agency, Probation Department, Sheriff’s Department, the Regional Center and other hospitals and county health and behavioral health providers as appropriate.  

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES  

The Critical Care Manager, BHCS, is a licensed clinical professional, fully-trained and professionally skilled upon entrance into the classification. The work is generally performed in an urgent or emergency care setting and other sites where travel may be required. This position has extensive contact with County and contract service providers who provide clinical services to Behavioral Health Care Services (BHCS) clients.  

This class is distinguished from other clinical classes in that the Critical Care Manager, BHCS is responsible for administrative and managed care tasks that entails a high level of influence and authority in making decisions that shape policy and procedures concerning acute and sub-acute care services.  The responsibilities include providing technical and clinical direction to other professionals and acting as a liaison to other clinical classes who provide direct service delivery.  Critical Care Managers report directly to a System of Care Director (Director, Children and Transitional Age Youth Services, Adult and Older Adult  System of Care Director  

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to the meeting the minimum qualifications and possessing the knowledge and skills listed below, the ideal candidate for this position will have considerable experience in the delivery of psychiatric services to children and adolescents  in a managed care context with expertise in the provision of psychiatric emergency and crisis services and will exemplify the following critical attributes:

•  A collaborative strategic partner who is able to build strong ties with psychiatric emergency room and inpatient staff as well as other departments and  community providers in an effort to maximize resources and achieve positive outcomes.

•  Someone who has a clear understanding of the role and function of crisis stabilization  and crisis residential services.

•  Understanding the impact of managed care, authorization services, quality assurance and regulatory bodies on the delivery of psychiatric emergency and crisis services.

•  Understanding the meaning of “Medical Necessity” in psychiatric emergency and crisis service environments and the impact that it may have upon clients, providers, family and the community.

•  Someone who understands the elements of quality assessments in a psychiatric emergency room environment and is familiar with newer standards of mental health treatment such as screening for trauma history, avoiding seclusion and restraints, maximizing recovery, and the use of crisis plans and advanced directives.

•  Skilled at collaboration in acquiring and communicating information, supporting accurate evaluation, and producing best outcomes.

•  A flexible and practiced problem-solver with good judgment-capable of thinking logically, taking initiative and reacting calmly under pressure in order to arrive at sound conclusions, well-supported decisions and appropriate plans/actions.

•  An effective communicator with excellent interpersonal skills focused on building an environment where diverse, multidisciplinary service providers are engaged in working together to enhance the delivery of BHCS for Alameda County.

•  Ability to develop systems to monitor activities or outputs that are easy to use and provide timely and pertinent information as well as the use of data for planning and quality improvement.

•  Someone who makes a positive impact on others by displaying confidence, creating good first impressions and earning professional trust and respect of others.

Education:

Possession of a Master’s Degree or higher from an accredited college or university in a mental health care field.

AND

Experience:

The equivalent of three years of full-time, paid  post-license experience in direct behavioral health care service delivery that included psychiatric diagnosis, treatment and disposition planning and or the clinical review of these direct behavioral health care services.

License:

Possession of   a valid clinical license from the applicable licensing authority: California Board of Behavioral Sciences, California Board of Psychology, or California Board of Registered Nursing.

Positions in this class require a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's license. Applicants must possess such license prior to appointment.

Special Requirement:

In compliance with the Administrative Simplification provision of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), employees in this classification are required to possess a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number prior to their first day on the job.

NOTE:  The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the "Example of Duties" section of this specification.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

·       Social and behavioral aspects of mental and emotional disturbances and their characteristics

·       Principles and practices of direct client service delivery

·       Scope, activities, and functions of various behavioral health facilities and public and private community agencies providing services to mental health clients

·       Policies, procedures, and systems related to Behavioral Health Care Services, legal and regulatory requirements and limitations

·       Applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules and regulations

·       Funding sources and administrative requirements in the program area to which assigned

·       Principles and practices of program planning and evaluation

·       Programmatic analysis and report preparation

Ability to:

·       Organize and prioritize work to meet critical deadlines

·       Communicate effectively orally and in writing

·       Interpret, explain, and apply complex regulations, policies, and procedures

·       Plan, monitor, and evaluate program and service delivery in the programmatic area to which assigned

·       Exercise sound independent judgment within established policies and guidelines

·       Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course work

·       Make effective presentations to diverse groups

·       Represent the department and the County in meetings with others

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS: 1)  A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process;  2)  A review of candidates’ Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process;  3)  An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit.  Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position.  Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position.  Other recruitments many be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance.  The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:  

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN:  

Deadline for Filing                                                                                    5:00pm, Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Review of Minimum Qualification                                                                                        December 14, 2017

Supplemental Questionnaire Review for Best Qualified                                                   January 9-12, 2018

Oral Interview Exam**                                                                                                         January 30-31, 2018

**The combined oral examination/hiring interview, in addition to establishing an eligibility list, may serve as the final selection interview for vacancies in this classification. 

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN  

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statues.  To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

• Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
• Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
• Vision
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
• County Allowance (Employer Credit)
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Group Auto/Home Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Group Legal
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Nicole Lewis-Bolton, Human Resources Analyst II

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

(510) 272-6468 • nicole.lewis-bolton@acgov.org