Outreach Specialist (Full-Time)

Description:

Join Gryphon Place and become part of a collaborative, compassionate team where your work makes a meaningful difference in the community every day. We’re committed to supporting the people who support others, with flexible scheduling, a strong focus on work-life balance, free medical benefits for you, additional healthcare options, employer contributions to your retirement plan, paid holidays, and generous paid time off. If you’re looking for a mission-driven career where you can grow professionally while still making space for your personal life, Gryphon Place is a place to thrive.

STATEMENT OF THE JOB

• The Outreach Specialist supports the statewide implementation and integration of the Michigan Crisis Access Line (MiCAL) by building and maintaining partnerships with organizations, 911/Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), emergency response partners, behavioral health providers, Community Mental Health Services Programs, Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans, hospitals, schools, law enforcement, suicide prevention coalitions, and community-based organizations across Michigan.
• Working under the direction of the Contact Center Operations Director, the Outreach Specialist is responsible for strengthening awareness, coordination, and collaboration between MiCAL/988 and regional crisis response systems. This role supports the development of clear referral pathways, improves partner understanding of MiCAL services, and helps ensure that MiCAL is effectively connected to local and statewide systems of care.
• This position plays a key role in supporting community engagement, system coordination, partner education, and crisis response alignment across Michigan. The Outreach Specialist will work closely with MiCAL leadership and internal operations teams to ensure outreach activities are aligned with program operations, contract expectations, and service delivery needs.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Statewide Partnership Development

• Develop and maintain relationships with community organizations, behavioral health providers, 911/PSAPs, emergency response partners, law enforcement, hospitals, schools, higher education institutions, Community Mental Health partners, PIHPs, suicide prevention coalitions, veteran-serving organizations, tribal partners, LGBTQIA+ organizations, rural community partners, and other statewide stakeholders.
• Serve as a liaison between Gryphon Place and external partners to support awareness and understanding of MiCAL/988 services.
• Build trust and ongoing communication with regional partners across Michigan.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration, outreach, education, and improved coordination between MiCAL and local systems of care.

911/PSAP and Emergency Response Coordination

• Build partnerships with 911 centers, PSAPs, emergency dispatch leaders, law enforcement, EMS, and other emergency response partners.
• Support shared understanding of MiCAL/988 scope, referral pathways, escalation processes, transfer expectations, and coordination between behavioral health crisis response and emergency response systems.
• Assist in identifying regional needs, barriers, and opportunities related to 911/988 coordination.
• Support communication between MiCAL leadership and emergency response partners when questions, trends, or system coordination needs arise.

Community Outreach and Education

• Provide presentations, informational sessions, and outreach materials to help partners understand MiCAL/988 services and how to access or refer individuals to crisis support.
• Tailor outreach and education to different audiences, including behavioral health providers, schools, community organizations, emergency response partners, and local coalitions.
• Promote awareness of MiCAL/988 as part of Michigan’s broader crisis response system.
• Support outreach strategies that increase access for underserved, rural, and historically marginalized communities.

Referral Pathway and Resource Coordination

• Support the development and maintenance of referral relationships with community-based services and crisis response partners.
• Identify gaps in regional access to behavioral health, crisis, substance use, social service, and community support resources.
• Share identified gaps, barriers, and regional trends with the Contact Center Operations Director and MiCAL leadership to support service improvement and system coordination.
• Assist with maintaining partner contact information, referral pathway documentation, and community resource coordination processes.

Training and Technical Assistance Support

• Assist with partner education and technical assistance related to MiCAL/988 workflows, referral expectations, and crisis response coordination.
• Support planning and coordination of stakeholder meetings, regional engagement sessions, community presentations, and partner feedback opportunities.
• Collaborate with Training & Credentialing staff as needed to ensure partner-facing materials are accurate and aligned with MiCAL operations.

Internal Collaboration and Communication

• Work closely with the Contact Center Operations Director, MiCAL Director, Crisis Managers, Training & Credentialing staff, Quality Improvement staff, Data/Reporting staff, Workforce Scheduling, and other internal team members.
• Communicate partner feedback, regional trends, outreach needs, and system barriers to the Contact Center Operations Director and MiCAL leadership.
• Coordinate with internal teams to ensure external messaging is accurate, consistent, and aligned with contract expectations and operational workflows.
• Support communication between Gryphon Place and community-embedded partners as needed.

Data Tracking and Reporting

• Maintain accurate documentation of outreach activities, meetings, presentations, partner contacts, regional engagement efforts, and follow-up items.
• Track outreach progress by region, partner type, engagement activity, and identified needs.
• Prepare regular updates and reports summarizing outreach activities, partnership development, barriers, trends, and recommendations.
• Use partner feedback and outreach data to support continuous improvement and system integration.

Continuous Quality Improvement

• Collect feedback from community partners, 911/PSAPs, and other stakeholders to identify opportunities to improve referral coordination, communication, education, and service alignment.
• Share recommendations with leadership to support quality improvement and regional system coordination.
• Assist in identifying emerging needs or barriers that may impact MiCAL service delivery, partner relationships, or community access.

Compliance and Standards

• Ensure outreach activities align with Gryphon Place policies, MiCAL contract expectations, confidentiality standards, and applicable state and federal requirements.
• Maintain professionalism and confidentiality when working with community partners, public systems, and sensitive crisis response information.
• Support adherence to organizational standards related to equity, accessibility, inclusion, and culturally responsive communication

Requirements:

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Public Health, Human Services, Psychology, Communications, Public Administration, Nonprofit Administration, Emergency Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in community outreach, partnership development, behavioral health, crisis services, suicide prevention, emergency response coordination, public health, nonprofit programming, or related systems work.
• Experience working with community organizations, behavioral health providers, public agencies, emergency response systems, or cross-sector coalitions.
• Strong communication, presentation, relationship-building, and facilitation skills.
• Experience developing partnerships and coordinating with diverse stakeholders.
• Must be a resident of the State of Michigan.
• Ability to travel throughout Michigan as needed.

Preferred:

• Experience working with 988, crisis lines, behavioral health crisis response, 911/PSAPs, Community Mental Health systems, PIHPs, suicide prevention coalitions, or emergency response partners.
• Knowledge of Michigan’s behavioral health, crisis response, CMH, PIHP, 911/PSAP, and community support systems.
• Experience providing presentations, trainings, or technical assistance to community partners.
• Experience with rural outreach, culturally responsive engagement, and partnership development with underserved communities.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care, suicide prevention, crisis intervention, and systems coordination.

KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS / ABILITIES

• Strong relationship-building and partnership development skills.
• Knowledge of crisis services, behavioral health systems, suicide prevention, and community-based supports.
• Ability to communicate effectively with 911/PSAPs, emergency response partners, behavioral health providers, public agencies, and community organizations.
• Strong public speaking, presentation, and facilitation skills.
• Ability to work independently while maintaining strong communication with internal leadership.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple partnerships, meetings, follow-up items, and reporting requirements.
• Ability to identify system barriers, regional trends, and opportunities for improved coordination.
• Commitment to equity, accessibility, inclusion, and culturally responsive community engagement.
• Ability to work with diverse communities, including rural communities, LGBTQIA+ communities, tribal communities, veteran communities, and historically underserved populations.
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to prepare reports, meeting summaries, outreach updates, and partner communications.
• Ability to travel statewide and represent Gryphon Place professionally in external meetings and community settings.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• This position operates in a hybrid environment with flexibility for on-site and remote work. Regular statewide travel is required to support community meetings, 911/PSAP engagement, partner outreach, presentations, and regional stakeholder events.
• Some evening or occasional weekend availability may be required based on partner meetings, outreach events, or statewide engagement needs.
• This position will report to the Contact Center Operations Director and work closely with MiCAL leadership and internal operations teams to ensure outreach and partnership activities are aligned with program operations, contract requirements, and service delivery expectations.

Gryphon Place provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type. EOE. This job description is representative. Employee(s) will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

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