Location: Cermak Health Services - 2800 S. California Ave., Chicago, IL / Mental Health Services

Shift: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Applicants may apply for this position online or submit a resume/ CV to the following email address: CermakRecruit@cookcountyhhs.org. When submitting a resume/CV by email, you must include the job title and posting number in the subject line of your email. An application or resume/CV must be filed for each position which interests you.

To receive Veteran Preference, appropriate discharge papers must be attached to the online application or must be included with your emailed resume/CV. Please refer to Veteran Preference document requirements listed on the bottom of this posting.

Job Summary Union - SEIU 20 Doctor's Council

The Correctional Psychiatrist works under the direct clinical supervision of the Chief of Psychiatry and serves, conjointly, with the Unit Director/Correctional Psychologist as a treatment team leader. The Correctional Psychiatrist may be assigned to intake, urgent care, acute, residential or outpatient treatment units, providing comprehensive psychiatric assessment/diagnosis, medication management, therapy, and treatment planning to the inmate population of the jail.

Typical Duties

• Plays a leadership role, together with the Unit Director, within the multi-disciplinary treatment team to carry out the full range of mental health screening, evaluation and services, programs, therapeutic activities/recreation and community reentry interventions
• Co-leads treatment team in the development of individual behavioral management plans and coordinates their implementation
• Participates in regularly scheduled multidisciplinary treatment team meetings
• Counsels detainees about adherence to treatment and behavioral intervention plans
• Provides clinical consultation and supervision to psychiatry, psychology and other mental health professionals
• Responds to contacts while on-call according to the established rotation and schedule
• Provides limited individual and group therapy to detainees, in conjunction with appropriate medical management, for identified patients, with emphasis on the more complex and difficult cases
• Initiates admission and discharge orders for patients in different levels of care
• Provides e-prescription(s) for patients leaving custody on a rotating basis
• Has clinical contacts with patients according to the frequency appropriate to the patient's level of care and in compliance with Cermak policies
• Documents all clinical encounters within patient records in a timely fashion
• Enters diagnoses and problems into the medical record to ensure patient tracking and accountability
• Manages patients being evaluated for or determined to be Unfit to Stand Trial (UST) or Not Guilty due to Insanity (NGI) until the individual's transfer to the Department of Mental Health
• Obtains patient informed consent for the use of psychotropic medications as prescribed or seek documentation of the patient's refusal
• Determines patient capacity to consent for or decline treatment
• Obtains a Release of information (ROI) for prior health records
• Communicates with patient representatives/designees, other agencies and community based organizations, and family, as authorized, for historical outpatient, psychiatric hospitalization, and medication information as appropriate
• Contacts prior treatment providers as necessary to ensure continuity of care
• Participates in release planning for detainees in need of community or residential-based mental health services with regard to follow-up clinics and medication continuity
• Collaborates with the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) team for Cermak and Cermak Mental Health Department; engages in quality improvement activities including clinical enhancement peer reviews, as assigned by the Chief Psychiatrist
• Participates, as required, in the Mental Health CQI and Suicide Prevention Committee meetings and activities
• Assists with providing responses to the CCDOC inquiries, concerns voiced in safety huddles and operational meetings, detainee grievances, inquiries, family or attorney contacts, as well as requests for information by Cook County Health (CCH) Leadership and outside agencies or otherwise as requested
• Assists in the review of critical incident and disciplinary reports generated for mental health detainees
• Performs risk management assessments, including formal suicide rating scales, for detainees in various levels of care
• Assists Chief Psychiatrist in clinical training of mental health staff and trainees from outside agencies (medical students and psychiatry residents)
• Coordinates detainee movement with the Cermak Unit Director, Cermak Bed Control Unit and CCSO Bed Control section of the Classification Department among the various levels of care
• Initiates and continues therapeutic restraints, or seclusion, as clinically necessary, when a patient is in imminent danger to himself or others
• Provides verbal or written orders to nursing in emergent situations for psychotropic medications
• Identifies patients who meet criteria for petitions for the involuntary administration of psychotropic medications (non-emergency basis); prepares petitions for the involuntary administration of psychotropic medications and attends court hearings for the said petitions
• Remains involved with various committees according to assignment and interest level, i.e. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Mental Health CQI, Research/Grants, Training, etc.
• Complies with the personnel rules and regulations of Cook County, Cermak Health Services and the Cook County Department of Corrections
• Cooperates in staff or detainee investigations
• Responds to subpoenas, court orders and provide necessary court testimony including for involuntary medication
• Reports situations of unusual occurrences and sentinel events
• Maintains professional appearance and demeanor at all times
• Performs other duties as assigned