Position Summary:

The Peer Support serves as a member of the Prevention team of WestCare Tennessee and works to ensure the delivery of quality services to their coworkers and to the individuals served in the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant (SSPGF). This role provides peer support to eligible veterans and their families in suicide prevention, awareness, and community resource linkage.

Essential Job Functions:

• Support program alignment with the VA’s National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide (2018)
• Embrace and embody the mission, vision, guiding principles, and goals of WestCare Tennessee.
• Become trained as a Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPRS) with the State of Tennessee.
• Serve as primary outreach liaison in counties served.
• Help bring visibility to the program within the communities of service, other veteran service programs, military personnel and their families.
• Build rapport as first initial contact with eligible veterans and/or families on the community to complete program intake and assessment process.
• Provide peer support on sustaining and maintaining trust with veterans and/or family during the initial meetings or requested times by the program Case Manager.
• After completing the initial intake make referral to the program Case Manager for additional services.
• Assist eligible veterans and their families with community resources, employment (job readiness, resume and job search), housing assistance, and other needed veteran services in collaboration with the program Case Manager.
• Facilitate weekly peer support meetings with enrolled veterans and/or their family by either in person, virtual platform or telephone.
• Schedule presentations in designated counties with community stakeholders and Veteran Services and/or Groups providing program literature and suicide prevention materials.
• Coordinate and attend scheduled community events or meetings to promote the program to initiate contact with potential eligible veterans and their families.
• Attend necessary monthly integrated staff team meetings in coordinating the care and services for each enrolled veteran and their families.
• Maintain strong professional relationships with veteran organizations and other community agencies to receive referrals and utilize office space for meetings and group activities.
• Plan and schedule events/activities with program staff and community partners.
• Maintain all data in VA tracking systems (MITRE and Squares) and the WestCare Clinical Database System.
• Submit weekly workplan/report on activities to Project Director on peer support outcomes.
• Work closely with Project Director, Continuous Quality Improvement Assistant, Community Outreach Coordinator and WestCare Foundation Evaluation team regarding the collection of data and reporting of program outcomes.
• Attend in-person and virtual program conferences and meetings, community meetings, and events as deemed necessary.
• Complete professional development training from WestCare training department.
• Perform other duties assigned by the Project Director or Designee.