Behavioral Health Residency Program
Lawrence General Hospital will soon be expanding its range of services and providing an enriched in-house Behavioral Health Crisis Evaluation and Stabilization Program (ESP). This program is designed to deliver behavioral health crisis care, case management, and follow-up. In 2022 the state of Massachusetts announced a new behavioral health roadmap which started in January 2023. Prior to this change, we contracted with an outside agency to provide these services.
Effective July 2023, LGH must be able to offer these services to our patients independently.
For more information on the Behavioral Health Residency Program, contact:
Carolyn Colberg, Director of Human Resources
Behavioral Health Residency Program
New Positions
Behavioral Health Clinicians:
Master’s prepared, independently licensed social workers/mental health counselors, LICSW, LMHC. Will consider LCSW or new grad MSWs with license pending for first shift only.
• Perform comprehensive evaluations for patients presenting to LGH with a behavioral health crisis.
• Determine level of care needed (inpatient/outpatient or home with outpatient follow up).
• Initiate inpatient bed search or referral to outpatient program, in collaboration with the BH Placement Coordinator.
• Provide clinical information needed for prior authorization to inpatient facilities.
• Perform mental status updates every 24 hours.
• Identify and contact patient’s collaterals (family members, caregivers, outpatient providers, etc.).
• Develop individualized plan of care, report and respond to changes in patient condition.
• Document all patient interactions in the appropriate Meditech assessment templates.
• Document all patient encounters in the MBHP system, as required by the EPIA protocol.
• Work collaboratively with hospital providers, psychiatric NP, and full behavioral health team.
Behavioral Health Placement Coordinators:
Bachelor’s prepared in social work, psychology, or related field (Note: This position is suitable for remote work)
• Make referrals to inpatient facilities and outpatient programs as directed by Clinicians.
• Follow up on pending referrals and respond to requests for additional clinical information.
• Work with CMED to secure transportation for patients transferring to a facility.
• Maintain list of patients holding and status, communicating this during daily huddles with BH team.
• Document all discharge planning and referral activity in Meditech.
Behavioral Health Care Coordinator:
Master’s prepared social worker, preferably LICSW and bilingual (Spanish/English)
• Serve as a liaison between patients, families/caregivers, hospital teams, and community BH teams.
• Engage behavioral health patients in the ED and on inpatient units to ensure adequate therapeutic support.
• Provide warm handoffs for patients discharging home with community support or to an outpatient setting.
• Make discharge follow-up calls to patients, connecting to needed services in the community.
• Follow high-risk, high-utilizing patients to confirm engagement with outpatient support.
• Serve as backup to BH Clinicians as needed, assist with evaluations and MSUs when patient census is high.
Behavioral Health Technicians:
Maintains a safe environment for patients with the assistance of Security staff, as needed.
• Monitor patients, noting any changes in behavior and reporting that behavior to clinical staff.
• Utilize de-escalation and restraint prevention techniques.
• Interact with patients as appropriate, under the direction of clinical staff.
• Keep ED nurses and MDs apprised of patient’s condition.
• Assist in providing a safe and comfortable environment for patients by assisting with activities of daily living.
• Provide patients with safe, appropriate materials to occupy the patient’s time while awaiting disposition.
A LITTLE ABOUT THE LAWRENCE GENERAL HOSPITAL CULTURE:
- Committed to well-being of patients; shows compassion for patients and families
- Collaborative environment with shared goals
- Culturally diverse
- Great place for self-starters, staff encouraged to take initiative
LAWRENCE GENERAL HOSPITAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITS:
- Tuition reimbursement
- Comprehensive health and dental insurance for employees working 24+ hours
- Up to 9 holidays/year
- On-site parking
- Flexible scheduling
- Robust Employee Assistance Program with a strong focus on employee wellness
- 403(b) retirement savings account
- Flexible spending account for dependent care and medical expenses
- Life insurance
- Discounts to local gyms & theme parks
- Short Term and Long Term Disability
- Auto/Home insurance
- Pet insurance