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Authors Posts by Carol Ferenz

Carol Ferenz

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Prescription, Addiction, and Prohibition: Our Love/Hate Affair With Opioids
January 9, 2024
9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Early bird rate: $35 (ends 1/2/24)
Regular rate: $45 (begins 1/3/24)
Location: Holiday Inn, Grantville, PA
Instructor: Karin C. Gladney, PhD, CAADC
CE Credits: 5 Hours
Register on the BHE Website

This course is designed to provide an overview of the cycle of use and abuse of opiates in the United States. The diagnostic criteria for opioid use disorders, including clinical presentation, epidemiology and treatment, will be explored. Participants will learn about the mechanisms of action of opioids, including how they affect the brain and nervous system. In addition, the course will cover strategies for managing opioid overdose and preventing relapse, as well as the importance of addressing co-occurring mental health conditions in the treatment of opioid use disorder. Participants will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively address opioid use disorders in their practice or community.


The Fundamentals: Trauma Definitions and Diagnoses
January 10, 2024
9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Early bird rate: $35 (ends 1/2/24)
Regular rate: $45 (begins 1/3/24)
Location: Holiday Inn, Grantville, PA
Instructor: Karin C. Gladney, PhD, CAADC
CE Credits: 5 Hours
Register on the BHE Website

Trauma is ever-present in the lives of many people who seek professional help. This training will provide a foundational overview necessary to understand the impact of traumatic experiences. Areas that will be explored include definitions, diagnostic criteria, prevalence data and brain changes. Participants will engage in discussions regarding their professional experiences in working with people with trauma histories. A vignette will be provided highlighting the lasting impact trauma can have on a person, as well as the healing journey toward recovery. Lastly, the importance of becoming trauma-informed practitioners will also be introduced.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC) has released a new version of its training course titled “IS-368.A: Including People with Disabilities in Disaster Operations.”

The course is designed for all personnel involved in disaster operations. It provides an introductory overview of information and strategies on how to include people with disabilities during mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.

The course focuses on:

  • The difference between disabilities and access and functional needs;
  • FEMA’s actions supporting the integration of people with disabilities in disaster operations and ways to shorten the disaster cycle for them;
  • The differences between equity and equality;
  • Ways to ensure terminology is in alignment with the needs of people with disabilities;
  • Messaging to ensure inclusivity and accessibility to all emergency managers; and
  • Guidance to FEMA staff on how to ensure physical, program, and communication access to the whole community.

The course is live now and can be accessed on FEMA’s official website. The self-paced course should take two hours to complete.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 23-102: Now Open: Registration for Certified Investigator (CI) Initial Certification Course. The Initial CI Certification Course was created to ensure that all incidents requiring an investigation receive a systematic review that meets established standards. To perform investigations, the CI candidate must successfully complete all requirements of the CI Initial Certification Course. The CI Initial Certification process, as well as steps for registering for the CI Initial Certification course, are described in ODPANN 23-102. Please review the announcement for information and details.

As of December 2, 2023, Residential Habilitation procedure codes that reflect Needs Group 5 (NG5) have been loaded into the Home and Community Services Information System (HCSIS). These procedure codes have not been automatically added to provider service offerings. Providers will need to add the appropriate NG5 procedure codes via the service management screens in HCSIS. The instructions for adding a service can be found on the HCSIS Provider Updates Tip Sheet.

For any future NEA NG5 requests, please contact the rate setting mailbox for guidance. Previous communication regarding NG5 can be found here.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 23-048: Required Communication Specialist Provider Qualification Training UPDATED. The purpose of this announcement is to remind Communication Specialist providers that in order to provide services after January 1, 2024, the Communication Specialist training must be completed. Please review the announcement for updated information, including accessing the training course.

MyODP has posted the most recent version of the Adult Autism Waiver’s (AAW) Supports & Services Directory (SSD) for December 2023. You can find it here.

SPECIAL NOTE TO PROVIDERS: Please review your contact information in the SSD. If it requires updating, send your corrected information via email with “SSD” in the subject line. Also, please submit any questions regarding this communication or updates for the directory via email with “SSD” in the subject line.