Medical Director Designee/Nurse Practitioner

About Casa Esperanza

Casa Esperanza, Inc. is a bilingual/bicultural behavioral health treatment provider serving Boston and the Merrimack Valley. Our mission is to empower individuals and families to recover from addiction, trauma, mental illness, and other chronic medical conditions; overcome homelessness and discrimination; and achieve health and wellness through comprehensive, integrated care.

About the program

Casa Esperanza’s Conexiones program is a 32-bed facility that provides integrated acute treatment services for withdrawal management and clinical stabilization services to adults struggling with co-occurring substance use and mental health treatment needs. At Casa Esperanza’s Conexiones program, located at Tewksbury Hospital, we provide inpatient addictions and mental health treatment in a physically and psychologically safe environment, delivered by medical, clinical, peer support, and paraprofessional staff under the direction of a Medical Director. We serve adults in a structured, yet individualized treatment environment focused on building the foundation for a sustainable recovery and developing a healthy, productive, and meaningful lifestyle. The program is staffed by highly skilled professionals who work with each patient to develop an individualized treatment plan, deliver evidence-based individual and group treatment, and develop an appropriate aftercare plan and establish placement in community-based care. 

About the role

The Medical Director Designee works with the Medical Director to oversee the medical services at our Conexiones location. The Medical Director Designee will oversee the medication reconciliation process, supervise the medical and nursing teams, approve assessments and evaluations, and provide consultation and supervision to on-site medical staff. This will include the oversight and initiation of standing orders, medication withdrawal protocols, and logs of documentation aligned with licensing, accreditation, and payor requirements. The Medical Director Designee will lead weekly Care Management and Multidisciplinary Team Meetings.  

A Medical Director Designee is responsible for all medical services performed by the program, either by performing them directly or by delegating specific responsibilities to appropriate qualified healthcare professionals such as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Manager, Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse functioning under the Medical Director’s supervision. The Medical Director Designee must be on site at least 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, between 10am and 6pm. In collaboration with the Nursing Manager and Medical Director, the Medical Director Designee will ensure 24-hour medical coverage, and seven days per week, to ensure timely assessment of patients and ongoing support.  The Medical Director Designee must be available to be on-site during any hours of program operation, as needed. The Medical Director Designee should have demonstrated medical experience treating substance use disorders, supervising withdrawal management, conducting medication reconciliation, and treating co-occurring conditions. The MDD must be familiar with patients experiencing both co-occurring substance use and serious mental illness and be prepared to work with patients with complex mental health needs. A successful Medical Director Designee will be prepared to work collaboratively across the Conexiones team and will help to fill gaps and support the nursing team with vitals, med pass, and nursing assessments as needed.  

What you'll do

• Provides direct physical assessments services to patients
• Provides oversight to standing orders of admission
• Provides oversight to standing orders of withdrawal management protocols
• Provides prescriptions monitoring for patient and complete medication reviews, as needed
• Conducts clinical assessments to determine eligibility and appropriateness for MAT
• Works in collaboration with community providers, including local hospitals and clinics, to ensure referral to specialty care for medication, diagnostic and testing needs
• Provides medication reconciliation and ensure continuity of care with medication prescriptions with nursing team
• Provides eligibility screening for level of care for medical and psychiatric needs as per ASAM 3.5 and/or ASAM 3.7 
• Completes discharge medication instructions
• Provides onsite, urgent care exams and collaborates with