Jhpiego, an Affiliate of Johns Hopkins University is a global leader in improving healthcare services for women and their families. The TMEC/RISE program is a newly-awarded 5-year, USAID-funded global HIV program that supports countries to achieve and maintain HIV epidemic control through provision of strategic technical assistance and direct service delivery to improve prevention, HIV case finding and treatment programming. In Nigeria, TMEC/RISE will support the Government of Nigeria to address barriers in HIV services among at-risk adult men, women and priority populations and to build capacity of local implementing partners, continuously leveraging data to successfully course correct and achieve and maintain epidemic control. This project aims to achieve and maintain the primary prevention and 95-95-95 goals that are critical to HIV epidemic control in Nigeria. The program will also support PEPFAR’s transition of HIV service delivery to local partners, advancing progress along the journey to selfreliance. Jhpiego hereby invites applications from highly resourceful, experienced and dynamic professionals for the following:
Position: HIV Counselor Testers/Case Finders.
Country Office: Adamawa State Office
Location: Hong LGA
Overview:
Working under the guidance and direction of the HTS Community Officer for the RISE project in Nigeria, the Counselor Testers/Case Finders will support the facilities and where applicable communities to provide high quality and high impact HIV counseling and testing services that meets the WHO’s 5Cs of HIV testing services which means it is consensual, confidential, and includes counseling, correct test results and connection to treatment or prevention services. He/She will also co-ordinate aspects of ensuring commodities (RTKs) and other logistics are available to maintain uninterrupted access to free HIV testing services towards reaching epidemic control. S/he will be responsible for documenting all testing services using the required national tools and support all quality improvement practices aimed at improving the quality of care at the assigned Health Facilities.
Responsibilities
- Work at the OPD or other service points to administer the HIV Risk Stratification Tool to all clinic attendants to identify individuals eligible and fast-tract for HIV testing services.
- Provides unbiased information on HIV testing to his/her clients and explains the testing process in simple way.
- Work within the HIV testing clinics/communities to elicit HIV positives client’s sexual partners or injection drug users to encourage them to take HIV testing services within the facility/communities.
- S/he provides HIV testing to priority populations according to the national HIV testing protocols and guidelines.
- Initiate tracking by phone first (where possible) immediately a client is elicited on specific appointment and through home visits on where and when to have the HIV test.
- Agree on a clinic/home visit date with all elicited partners who have accepted to take the test and ensure that the appointment date is documented in the tracking logbook.
- Cluster all elicited partners for follow-up to either their homes or agreed place for testing and flag all cases of elicited partners that fail to show up on agreed appointment dates.
- Ensure at least 3 attempts are made within one month of elicitation appointment prior to documenting a terminated contract and isolate client documents.
- Monthly elicitation tracking list to be generated for all elicited partners yet to be tested for follow-up. Line list to be shared with RISE Technical Staff.
- Work to establish and strengthen effective referral linkage within facility and communitybased HTS, GBV and PrEP services.
- S/he will be the POC for ensuring a functional GBV routine enquiry and referral linkage to post-GBV care services.
- Work with DEC and Case Mangers to ensure that, all elicited clients and identified HIV positives undergo adherence-counseling session and are enrolled into treatment.
Required Qualifications:
- Diploma in Nursing, Midwifery, CHO, CHEW, JCHEW, Psychology, social work, or any related discipline
- Experience in HIV/AIDS services &/or a PLHIV is an added advantage
- Possession of an android device (Phone &/tablet) is mandatory • Knowledge of Computer (MS Word/Excel) is also an added advantage.
- At least 3 years’ experience in HIV Counselling and Testing practice in the Health Sector preferably at state level, and with experience in HIV-related assays.
- HIV Counselor must be able to communicate with clients in a simple manner to make them understand, aware about the disease clearly.
- Experience working in ART Clinic.
- Significant experience working with an NGO or PEPFAR supported health facility a plus.
- Ability to speak the local dialect Hausa or predominant languages in the area of assignment.
- Ability to understand the cultural sensitivity of the people in different community.
- Commitment to and understanding of organization’s vision, values and principles including rights-based/gender approaches would be expected.
- Excellent inter-personal, multi-cultural and team building skills.
- Strong computer skills particularly in Microsoft office applications.
- Excellent writing skills, oral and written communication skills and fluency in English.
Method of Application:
Interested candidates should submit an Application letter and a CV as ONE SINGLE WORD document to [email protected] not later than 13th July 2021 candidates that do not comply with the application instruction will be disqualified. The title/subject of your email and application should be the position and LGA you are applying for. Only shortlisted candidates will receive an invitation for an interview. Please note that any successful candidate will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation.
