John Snow Inc. Carreer opportunities in Mission HIV Care and Support Officer Jobs opportunities in Mission at John Snow Inc.




# Job Description


John Snow, Inc.

Supporting an AIDS-Free Era SAFE

Scope of Work – HIV Care and Support Officer

Background

John Snow, Inc. JSI seeks to recruit highly qualified and accomplished HIV
Care and Support Officers in three provinces Central, Copperbelt and North –
Western to be placed in selected Health Facilities supported by SAFE. SAFE is
a United States Agency for International Development USAID/PEPFAR – funded
project in Zambia. It is a five-year project implemented by JSI in partnership
with Abt Associates, mothers2mothers M2M, and the Catholic Medical Mission
Board CMMB, which works to reduce HIV transmission, morbidity and mortality
while improving nutrition outcomes and Family Planning FP integration in
Central, Copperbelt, and North – Western provinces. USAID/PEPFAR – SAFE works
with the GRZ, private sector and civil society institutions at the national,
provincial, and district level to reduce the incidence of new infections,
increase access to ART for HIV positive adults and children, improve
Nutritional Assessment and Counselling Services NACS, Family Planning,
Cervical Cancer Screening Services and Early Childhood Development and
increase the capacity of local health institutions to better serve affected
populations.

Since the late 1980s when Zambia was hit by the HIV epidemic, numerous factors
have influenced the quality of HIV-testing services, the feasibility and
acceptability of new HIV-testing approaches, and access to HIV Prevention,
Treatment, Care and Support Services for various community groups. As a result
of the scale up of the HIV/AIDS response in Zambia, a drastic reduction in the
prevalence rate from 28% around the 1980s to 12.3% in 2016 among adults aged
15 – 49 years has been achieved. Despite the drastic reduction in the
prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS, Zambia still has 30 plus percent of people living
with HIV that are not aware of their sero-status. Therefore, adoption of high
yield testing strategies such as Optimized Provider Initiated Testing and
Counselling and Indexing and Partner Notification Services PNS is seen as an
approach that will help reach out to people living with HIV to complement
conventional HIV Testing. Retention in care for optimized viral load
suppression remains key to epidemic control

Job Summary

The HIV Care and Support Officer will, in collaboration with ART in Charge,
ensure that all SAFE supported health facilities and their surrounding
catchment populations receive continuously improving and high quality HIV
Testing and Counselling services. Once clients are diagnosed with HIV, the HIV
Care and Support Officer will ensure that persons living with HIV PLHIV are
actively linked to services that are critical for their own health,
continuously remain engaged in appropriate medical care as well as services to
prevent HIV transmission to uninfected sex partners and children. The HIV
Care and Support Officer will also be responsible for the daily supervision
and assignment of duties to all SAFE supported Community Based Volunteers
CBVs whose duties include Counseling and Testing including EAC, Indexing
and PNS, Linking PLHIV to care and ensure their continuous engagement in
appropriate medical care evidenced by clear records in all the registers
related to their duties. The HIV Care and Support Officer will work with the
CBVs under their charge to triangulate patient records to ensure that all
clients are linked to and are receiving all services due to them. Further, the
HIV Care and Support Officer shall ensure that all CBVs under their charge are
adequately trained and mentored in high quality HIV Counselling and Testing
Services focusing on high yield strategies. The incumbent will report directly
to the SAFE team lead at the health facility.

Position Title HIV Care and Support Officer

Location North Western 1

Primary Responsibilities and Duties

Provide high quality HIV Counselling and Testing Services at SAFE supported
facilities and their catchment areas
Ensure that clients are continuously engagement in appropriate medical care
maintaining retention rates above 90%
Ensure patients starting treatment are adequately prepared for treatment
Provide intensive hands-on technical supportive supervision and Mentorship to
all SAFE supported volunteers involved in HTS to ensure that they are
implementing high yield strategies i.e. indexing and PNS;
Ensure that all SAFE supported volunteers are well trained and possess the
appropriate skills mix for their duties.
Ensure that the rules of confidentiality are adequately enforced in all HIV
Counselling and Testing Services.
Actively link all persons living with HIV PLHIV to services that are
critical for their own health, as well as services to prevent HIV transmission
to uninfected sex partners and children.
Facilitate testing for HIV exposed Infants and ensure strict adherence to
testing schedule
In collaboration with Strategic Information Assistants and Community Based
Volunteers, conduct triangulation of registers to ensure that all clients are
linked to and are receiving all services due to them.
Create demand for HIV services including Viral Load VL and ensure quality
enhanced adherence counselling is provided
Collect, collate and submit program data on priority HTS interventions through
appropriate reporting channels while ensuring that all records related to
their duties are always kept up to date.
Ensure that HTS SOPs are available and strictly adhered to by all Health
Facility staff and volunteers;
Ensure integration of HTS into other health services including FP, MCH, TB,
OPD, Inpatients Departments, other specialized clinics.
Work with the ART clinicians and providers to ensure that clients are linked
to treatment, care and prevention services, including Pre Exposure Prophylaxis
PrEP for HIV prevention.
In collaboration with other facility staff, both SAFE and MoH supported staff,
attend and actively participate in data review meetings to ensure that timely
decisions are made based on data that is generated at facility level.

Required Qualifications/Competences

Bachelor’s Degree /Diploma in Nursing or Clinical Medicine OR
Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health, Social Work or Psychosocial Counselling
with 2 years’ experience working in a health facility
Possession of a Psycho – Social Counselling Certificate from any Institution
accredited by the Zambia Counselling Council ZCC, full registration and a
current practicing license is a must.
Not less than 2-years work experience with knowledge and Skills in HIV
Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support Services.
Good oral and written communication skills

Desirable Attributes/Competences

Trainers Certificate in HIV Prevention, Treatment Care and Support
Experience in providing intensive HTS supportive supervision;
Ability to facilitate learning among volunteers involved in HTS and other HIV
prevention care and support services;
Computer proficiency in Word, Excel and PowerPoint and internet required
People centered change agent and unifying player in teams.
Should have a mature disposition and be a self-starter who can work with
minimum supervision
Nurses with HNP qualifications are encouraged to apply



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Email saferecruitment@jsi.com

Send an application via email ONLY to **saferecruitment@jsi.com** . In the
subject line please indicate the position you are applying for; only those
applications that reference the position in the subject line will be reviewed.
Your application should consist of a cover letter cover letter should include
the last position held and CV with three references and full addresses and
contact information.

Closing Date 4th October, 2021



John Snow Inc. Carreer opportunities in Mission HIV Care and Support Officer Jobs opportunities in Mission at John Snow Inc.


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