Senior Psychiatrist

Since 2016, Correctional Health Services (CHS) has been the direct provider of health care in the New York City jails. Deeply committed to human dignity and patient rights, CHS is part of the NYC Health + Hospitals system and is a key partner in the City’s efforts to reform the criminal-legal system. Our in-jail clinical services include medical, nursing, and mental health care; pharmacy services; substance-use treatment; social work; dental and vision care; discharge planning; and reentry support.

Given the high visibility of this initiative, we are seeking the highest caliber health care professionals in key clinical services to staff our Outposted Therapeutic Housing Units (OTxHU). To be located in three NYC Health + Hospital acute care facilities, the OTxHU is a pioneering approach to safely increasing access to high quality clinical care for patients in custody who have complicated health conditions. OTxHUs will bridge the gap in the continuum between care provided in the jails and inpatient hospitalization, with admission to and discharge from the OTxHU in accordance with a patient’s clinical needs. CHS will be the primary health care providers on these units and the NYC Department of Correction will provide security and custody management.

The OTxHU at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in Manhattan will be the first of this unique, groundbreaking project to open with a planned completion date as early as the end of 2024. This is an incredible opportunity to be part of a passionate and motivated team providing care to some of the City’s most marginalized, vulnerable people.

*To help support continuity of operations and care, staff selected to work in the OTxHU may also be required to work in CHS locations within the jails. Additionally, while CHS seeks the most qualified individuals for these positions, preference will be given to equally qualified, internal candidates.

Under general supervision of the Medical Director, the Senior Psychiatrist is the psychiatric leader of the facility or program and works in close collaboration with other discipline leadership to ensure that safe, holistic, and evidence-based psychiatric care is provided to incarcerated patients with varying levels of mental health needs. A team-based approach to care is critical; one that incorporates all relevant mental health and medical disciplines as well as security staff. A major component of this position will be training, recruiting and retaining high quality staff and providing strong clinical support and oversight, leadership and mentorship for existing staff.

Responsibilities

• Develops workflows, policies and quality metrics for their dedicated area in close coordination with the Medical Director and Chief of Mental Health
• Recruits, hires and trains staff to provide care in their dedicated area
• Ensure the highest possible quality of mental health care both in the facility and in collaboration with the other jail facilities in the system. This includes active participation in quality improvement, staff and patient safety initiatives, treatment supervision, and personnel mentorship and management.
• In coordination with other leadership: design, implementation, ongoing review, and monitoring of relevant clinical facility-specific procedures, policies and operating manuals
• Direct clinical individual and group supervision of the relevant psychiatric prescribing staff, including psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and psychiatric physician assistants. This supervision must include both in vivo reviews of clinical skills as well as chart review.
• Close collaboration, including regularly scheduled meetings, with other relevant disciplines within the mental health, medical, nursing and operations departments, as well as the Department of Correction
• Ensure that medication renewals are completed in a timely manner
• Ensure that the standard of care is being met or exceeded in all patient care
• Educate clinical staff about new developments regarding best practices in all aspects of psychiatric care, with specific attention to the challenges and issues facing a jail setting (e.g., influence of legal case, dual loyalty, medication diversion)
• Ensure compliance with all regulatory standards
• In collaboration with other leadership, oversee the orientation of new staff to the facility or program
• Conduct regular multi-disciplinary case conferences and/or other educational programming
• Report on an as-needed basis to the CHS Morbidity and Mortality review committee
• Work in collaboration with other mental health leadership to manage clinical schedules, vacation requests, CME activities and other relevant activities as they pertain to psychiatric staffing and education
• Participate in policy revision and creation, and practice guideline creations, related to psychiatric care, including input into the psychiatric medication formulary
• Lead interdisciplinary mental health staff meetings in coordination with local MH leadership.
• Personnel management of clinical staff, including setting quality standards, establishing effective recruitment and retention strategies, and managing workforce complaints
• Administrative tasks, including coordinating scheduling and assignment of patient care appointments, scheduling of staff, and management of referrals to mental health service
• Direct clinical care, amount determined by facility needs, which may include direct supervision of psychiatric trainees.
• On-call responsibilities for 2 weeks at a time, one to two times/year, for off-hours issues that require high level clinical intervention
• Other duties at the discretion of the Medical Director of Mental Health or the Chief of Service.
• Personnel management of the clinical staff, with assistance from the Clinical and/or Medical Directors as needed, including recruiting, mentorship, supervision, and disciplinary procedures
• Meet regularly with assigned supervisor to provide meaningful input into program design and policy formation

Minimum Qualifications

Applicants must have all of the following:

1. Graduation from a medical school approved by the Council on Medical Education and

Hospitals of the American Medical Association.

2. Completion of an acceptable internship in an approved hospital.

3. A license to practice medicine in the State of New York.

4. Certification by American Board in field of specialization or a faculty appointment of Associate Professor or higher in a medical school recognized by the American Medical Association.

5. Eight (8) years of satisfactory full-time paid experience in field of specialization including at least three (3) years in a supervisory or administrative capacity.(Training and experience required for certification will be credited toward required specialized experience.)

Department Preferences

• Completion of a 4-year psychiatric residency training program
• Completion of a forensic psychiatry fellowship
• Active certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry
• At least two years of post-residency experience working with individuals with mental illness in a criminal justice setting (jail, prison, probation and/or parole) or public health community setting
• At least one year of post-residency experience in a supervisory role in psychiatry
• At least one year of post-residency experience working with individuals with serious mental illness
• Excellent diagnostic and treatment skills with particular attention to issues of psychopharmacology, safe administration of medication in a variety of settings, medical complications of mental illness and therapeutic resistance
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and ability to work collaboratively with other disciplines, including DOC staff
• Strong leadership skills with ability to identify staff needs and provide mentorship and education to suit those needs
• Buprenorphine waiver training

NYC Health and Hospitals offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

• Comprehensive Health Benefits for employees hired to work 20+ hrs. per week
• Retirement Savings and Pension Plans
• Paid Holidays and Vacation in accordance with employees' Collectively bargained contracts
• Loan Forgiveness Programs for eligible employees
• College tuition discounts and professional development opportunities
• College Savings Program
• Union Benefits for eligible titles
• Multiple employee discounts programs
• Commuter Benefits Programs