Position Information

NY HELPYes

AgencyMental Health, Office of

TitleMental Health Program Specialist 1 / Mental Health Program Specialist Trainee - (NY HELPS), Central Office

Occupational CategoryOther Professional Careers

Salary Grade18

Bargaining UnitPS&T - Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PEF)

Salary RangeFrom $52198 to $65001 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Permanent

Jurisdictional Class Competitive Class

Travel Percentage 50%

Schedule

Workweek Mon-Fri

Hours Per Week 37.5

Workday

From 8 AM

To 5 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? No

Telecommuting allowed? Yes

Location

County Onondaga

Street Address NYS Office of Mental Health

545 Cedar Street

City Syracuse

StateNY

Zip Code13210

Job Specifics

Minimum Qualifications Non-Competitive Minimum Qualifications Under the NY HELPS Program: This position includes an opportunity to serve in a traineeship and applicants will be appointed to the appropriate level based on their education and/or experience.

Mental Health Program Specialist Trainee 1 (starting salary $ 52,198): A bachelor's degree in a qualifying field*.

Mental Health Program Specialist Trainee 2 (starting salary $ 58,247): A bachelor's degree in a qualifying field* and one year of professional clinical or administrative experience in a federal or state operated, licensed, certified, or funded mental health program.+

Mental Health Program Specialist 1 (starting salary $65,001): A bachelor's degree in a qualifying field* and two years of professional clinical or administrative experience in a federal or state operated, licensed, certified, or funded mental health program.+

*Qualfying degree fields: child and family studies, counseling and community psychology, creative arts therapy, criminal justice, health administration, hospital administration, marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling, nursing, psychoanalysis, psychology, public administration, public health, public policy, recreation therapy, rehabilitation counseling, social work, sociology, or special education

+A master's or higher degree in a related field can substitute for one year of specialized experience.


Transfer Opportunity:
Candidates must have permanent competitive or 55b/c status as a Mental Health Program Specialist 1, Grade 18, and be eligible for lateral transfer; OR be eligible to transfer via Section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law to the Mental Health Program Specialist 1 title; OR be eligible to transfer via Section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law into the trainee levels (Mental Health Program Specialist Trainee 1 or 2). Transfer candidates must also possess a bachelor’s or higher degree in a qualifying degree field* listed above.

55b/c Opportunity:
Individuals certified eligible for the 55b/c program under the Governor’s Program to Hire Persons/Veterans with Disabilities pursuant to Section 55b/c of the Civil Service Law AND possess a bachelor’s or higher degree in a qualifying degree field* listed above. Please provide a copy of your eligibility letter with your response.

PCO Opportunity:
Individuals who are active on the current 2022 holding of the PCO eligible list who possess a bachelor’s or higher degree in one of the fields listed above and are interested in this vacancy, but did not receive a canvass letter, are encouraged to apply. Please note this in your cover letter.

Candidates with clinical background and/or prior hospital experience are preferred for these roles.

Duties Description The Office of Mental Health (OMH) is seeking a qualified candidate to fill a Mental Health Program Specialists 1 (G18) as part of a new unit focused on improving care and care transitions for individuals with complex needs throughout the continuum of care (inpatient psychiatry, CPEP, and within the community). The Mental Health Program Specialist I will work under the supervision of Mental Health Program Specialist 3 and the Mental Health Program Specialist 4 (Regional Lead).

The Mental Health Program Specialist 1 will provide hospital coordination, guidance and technical assistance to Article 31 and Articles 28 mental health emergency departments, CPEPS, and inpatient units around patient transport, evaluation, treatment, disposition, admission, and discharge. In addition, incumbents will provide technical assistance to the community mental health system providers on the development and maintenance of high-quality programming to help improve outcomes for individuals with complex needs served in these programs. Incumbents will support local community operations within the geographic regions assigned, and a majority of the work with be field based at various provider agencies.

Specifically, under the close supervision of a higher-level Mental Health Program Specialist, incumbents may perform the following:

• Clarify standards of care for existing hospital activities/protocols regarding psychiatric admission and discharge and modifying or establishing new policies/processes/ checklists as needed to create equity, systemic accountability, and standards for evaluation.
• Facilitate communication between various provider agencies.
• Assist in providing program and operational information,
• Assist higher level staff in providing guidance to hospital and community providers/programs, responding to provider inquires on service and programs, responding to provider inquires and requests for assistance.
• Assist higher level staff in providing technical assistance, case consultation and support to licensed or designated providers on complex cases.
• Support programs in identifying and navigating resources, providing assistance with systems navigation
• Identify and report on systems barriers, challenges, and problem areas.
• With support review and monitor all required reports, including data collection, incident reports, expenditure reports, site visit summaries, corrective actions plans, to identify programmatic trends and challenges.
• May assist higher-level Mental Health Program Specialists in the prevention or resolution of issues among patients and local providers.
• Assist and advise Mental Health Program Specialist 3 with requests.
• Work in collaboration with field office staff and other departments on the monitoring
• May identify or review programs for compliance issues, and communicate findings to the appropriate departments.
• Work with providers and other stakeholders, as well as coordinate efforts with other OMH divisions to address issues related to service delivery and implementation.
• Assist and support on specific special projects as assigned.

Additional Comments Employment with New York State offers unmatched benefits, individual support, and career mobility for motivated individuals including: NYS pension and retirement programs; annual cost of living and performance advance increases; comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans; flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care; paid time off, including thirteen paid holidays per year, and paid personal leave, vacation leave, and sick leave.

The starting salary for this position will vary based on the selected candidate’s education and/or experience. Candidates appointed at a trainee level will be required to successfully complete the traineeship to advance to the full performance level title and salary:

$52,198 (Mental Health Program Specialist Trainee 1)
$58,247 (Mental Health Program Specialist Trainee 2)
$65,001 (Mental Health Program Specialist 1, full performance level)

For current New York State employees, the starting salary is based on the candidate’s salary at the time of hire.

Specific scheduled hours and telecommuting availability for this position will be discussed during the interview process. Please note, employees are required to apply and obtain approval through management to telecommute according to operational needs and Agency Telecommuting Program Guidelines.

The Mission of the New York State Office of Mental Health is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a focus on providing hope and supporting recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. Applicants with lived mental health experience are encouraged to apply. OMH is deeply committed to supporting underserved individuals, organizations, and communities. To this end, OMH is focused on implementing activities and initiatives to reduce disparities in access, quality, and treatment outcomes for underserved populations. A critical component of these efforts is ensuring OMH is a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees' unique attributes and skills are valued and utilized to support the mission of the Agency. OMH is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

This position may be designated 55 b/c and is subject to verification of applicant eligibility.


This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of NY HELPS, this title maybe filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply.

At a future date, it is expected that employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.

Contact Information

Name Ciara Palmo

Telephone

Fax (518) 486-3897

Email Address OMHHRM@OMH.NY.GOV

Address

Street NYS Office of Mental Health

44 Holland Avenue

City Albany

State NY

Zip Code 12229

 

Notes on ApplyingTo be considered, interested candidates should email a cover letter and resume in Microsoft Word or PDF format to omhhrm@omh.ny.gov. Please include the title of the position and Vacancy ID #172421 in the subject line of your email when applying.

You are advised that, should you accept a job offer with the Office of Mental Health, you may be required to be fingerprinted and pay a fingerprint fee.