Substance Use and Mental Health Evaluator

Peer Assistance Services, Inc. is a community-based, 501(c)(3), non-for-profit Colorado corporation. Our mission, to lead with prevention and intervention for substance use and mental health concerns, guides all agency programming. Our values of grit, integrity, and compassion are guideposts for all that we do in the service of our mission. Each staff member operates from these to ensure the success of the agency.

PAS implements two statewide programs, Screening Brief Intervention, Referral to treatment (SBIRT), and the Peer Health Assistance Programs (PHAP)

Screening, Brief, Intervention, and Referral to Treatment, or SBIRT, initiated by the Institute of Medicine in 1991, is an evidence-based prevention and early intervention practice that helps identify, prevent, and reduce alcohol and other substance use in adults and adolescents. The CDC, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, American Academy of Pediatrics, SAMHSA, and the Veterans Administration recommend screening and brief intervention as a standard practice.

When combined with community-level prevention strategies, SBIRT prevents disease, injury, and other consequences of substance use in individuals, families, and communities. SBIRT in Colorado is a statewide program that provides training, technical assistance, and implementation support to health and mental healthcare providers, healthcare organizations, and stakeholders.

Peer Health Assistance Programs. As a national movement during the 1980s, peer health assistance programs developed as an alternative to discipline for professionals with substance use disorders. Created to enhance public protection, the programs promote earlier identification and intervention before the professional demonstrated unsafe practices. Since the 1980s, the programs have evolved to include comprehensive evaluation and ongoing monitoring of health concerns that may affect professional practice.

These include substance use and mental health concerns, as well as physical health concerns. The Peer Health Assistance Programs are statewide and include evaluation, referral to treatment, monitoring the professional’s compliance with treatment, case management, and recovery recommendations to professionals who may be experiencing physical, emotional, psychological, substance use, or other personal concerns.

About the Substance Use and Mental Health Evaluator Position:
This is a hands‑on, full-time position with day‑to‑day duties that include responsibility for comprehensive biopsychosocial evaluations of licensed healthcare and mental health professionals. Evaluation includes detailed written findings and recommendations. Evaluations are conducted to determine if professionals are safe to practice, only safe to practice with treatment and monitoring, or not safe to practice. Evaluations must follow the required PAS format.

A qualified evaluator must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong organizational abilities, and attention to detail.

$80,000 to $85,000

• Conduct comprehensive biopsychosocial evaluations for Peer Health Assistance Program participants.
• Administer a battery of screening instruments to complete the evaluation via a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act–compliant telehealth platform.
• Complete comprehensive, written evaluation to include findings and recommendations regarding ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety. Utilization of the DSM-5-TR to formulate diagnosis is a part of all evaluations. Internal review must be conducted prior to final submission. Evaluation to be submitted to the Department of Regulatory Agencies within the contracted timeframe.
• Ensure collection of collateral information before completion of evaluations, including third‑party referrals with specifics about referral.
• Refer program participants for urinalysis/drug testing on the same day of the evaluation and provide collection site information.
• Provide clinical review of evaluations for colleagues on an as‑needed basis.
• Regular coaching of four to five case managers, including reviewing program participant diagnoses and criteria for treatment…