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Authors Posts by Carol Ferenz

Carol Ferenz

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Articles in this issue of Positive Approaches focus on the importance of employment for individuals with a disability, including those with a serious mental illness, and intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Article topics include the importance of the Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities program (MAWD); employment supports available for those who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing; Pennsylvania’s Employment First initiatives; and the role psychological safety plays in employees’ mental health. There are also articles on employment services for individuals with a serious mental illness and examples of medical assistance for workers in action.

This issue of Positive Approaches Journal is available for viewing online or for downloading here.

To print a copy of the PDF, online journal, or a specific article, you will find these options within your left navigation bar on any Positive Approaches Journal page. A new window will open with your selected document. In your browser, you may click the print button in the top left corner of the page, or by using the print capability within your browser.

Please submit feedback regarding your experience with this publication on MyODP by clicking the image below within this email, or by clicking on the feedback image on MyODP within your left navigation bar on any Positive Approaches Journal page.

The Positive Approaches Journal is published quarterly. Please submit any questions or feedback via email.

OVR’s quarterly board meeting is scheduled for this Thursday, December 1, 2022, from 9:00 am – 1:30 pm, and is a hybrid meeting. The physical meeting location is at the Best Western Premier Hotel outside of the city of Harrisburg (800 East Park Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17111), off Route 83, Exit 48. View the meeting link, information, and agenda here.

Due to requests for extension to submit the ID/A Workforce Compensation Survey, we are pleased to announce completed surveys will now be accepted through Friday December 2. This survey is a collaborative effort between The Center for Healthcare Solutions (C4HS), The Arc of Pennsylvania, Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association (RCPA), and The Provider Alliance (TPA).

The results of this survey will be critical to validate the need for further investment in community ID/A services. Rate-setting issues such as no inflation factor, setting wages at the 25th percentile, and the application of a 5% overtime factor require data and analysis to refute key rate assumptions.

You can download the survey herePlease forward completed surveys to Steve Forest by December 2, 2022. The comprehensive published report will be released on January 3, 2023.

A collaborative session to provide background and technical assistance on the survey was held on November 2. If you were unable to join, you can access a recording of the session here.

Last week Senator Bob Casey became a cosponsor on the Latonya Reeves Freedom Act (S.3417). This legislation would create a right to live in the community with related support for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) provisions. The Latonya Reeves Freedom Act of 2021/22 also has housing rights, including an accessible housing provision for people with disabilities to live in the community.

Here is a related press release summarizing the legislation from the lead sponsor of S.3417 from Senator Michael Bennett (D-CO).

PATF has released two brand new editions of their fully accessible financial education guides — Cents and Sensibility: A Guide to Money Management, 7th Edition and the Educator Companion Manual, 2nd Edition.


Cents and Sensibility addresses the financial education needs of people with disabilities while providing comprehensive strategies, activities, and resources for anyone who wants to have control over their money.

The book provides the tools people need to make informed financial decisions and tackles financial topics like how to save for the future without losing benefits that impact individuals with disabilities.

Download the Free Guide


Educator Companion Manual, 2nd Edition, aligns with chapters from Cents and Sensibility, and provides educators and instructors with strategies for addressing the unique financial education needs of students with disabilities.

Each section in the Manual includes topic objectives, key terms, and essential questions, which provide guidance for teaching the lessons included in Cents and Sensibility.

The Educator Companion Manual helps anyone taking on an educator’s role to engage all students in financial education. The Manual includes financial education topics such as earning, saving, credit, and decision making.

The instructional materials correlate with the National Standards for Financial Education and Pennsylvania Academics Standards.

Download the Free Manual

ODP Announcement 22-117 serves to announce a 30-day public comment period on the Residential and Community Participation Support (CPS) service locations that the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) proposes to submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for Heightened Scrutiny. Public comment on each service location will be accepted until 11:59 pm on December 19, 2022.

A summary of ODP’s findings for each Residential and CPS service location that ODP has determined meets one or more of these criteria is available at MyODP and DHS. A description of the process ODP used to identify service locations, complete reviews, and make determinations is also available on both websites.

This webinar is for all interested stakeholders. Presentation topics from Dr. Rabea Khadimi and Dr. Antonie Auguste will include holiday gatherings, Norovirus, food safety, and more. Sessions are assigned by region. Please register for the session corresponding to your region below.

Presenters

Rabea Khedimi, MD

Rabea Khedimi, MD, is a faculty member and ID Specialty Physician with UPMC/ID Connect. Rabea served as the Chief of the Infection Prevention and Control at the NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, and as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She has been involved in the management of patients with suspected Infectious Diseases since she joined the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Khedimi completed her internal medicine training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai/Elmhurst and her Infectious Diseases Fellowship training at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Her career as a Clinician-Educator and Clinician-Administrator includes Leadership roles at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine/Elmhurst Hospital in Queens and Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. She was an Assistant Professor of Medicine and an Infectious Disease Attending at Montefiore Medical Center. She also served as a Co-Director of Microbiology/Infectious Diseases courses at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Khedimi has experience in both teaching and providing clinical care to patients with HIV, Hepatitis B and C, STDs, and other infectious diseases. She also has expertise in Infection Control and was most recently the Chief of the Infection Prevention and Control Department at the NYC HHC/Elmhurst Hospital.

Antonie J. Auguste, MD, MPH

Dr Antonie J. Auguste has been recognized as an IDSA Fellow (FIDSA). Dr. Auguste serves the ID Division at UPMC/ID Connect. Her primary role focuses on providing inpatient Infectious Diseases consultation services via the Infectious Diseases Telemedicine service to multiple additional sites across telemedicine sites and rounding on the in-person services at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. Additionally, she provides telemedicine Infection Prevention and Control consultation to various telemedicine sites. Antonie earned her medical degree from the State University of New York Upstate Medical University at Syracuse and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Infectious Disease at the State University of New York at Stony Brook University Hospital and School of Medicine. She obtained her MPH degree from Columbia University School of Public Health, and a BA degree in biology from Columbia University.

Kate Gass, RN, BSN, CIC

With a varied background in clinical nursing and nursing management, Kate has spent time working in intensive care, emergency department, and the cardiac cath lab. Earning her ASN from Butler County College and BSN from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, she is certified as a cardiac invasive specialist and is also certified by the Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology.

Register

Registration is required to participate. Sessions are assigned by region. Select the appropriate session below to register.

Western Region
Tuesday, December 6 from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Northeast Region
Wednesday, December 7 from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Central Region
Wednesday, December 14 from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Southeast Region
Thursday, December 15 from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm


It’s official! The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals’ Annual Conference is back in person in 2023. For the first time since 2019, NADSP will host a two-day in-person conference with keynotes, breakout sessions, and opportunities to celebrate, connect, and learn the leading developments in the workforce.

On September 8, 2023, the Sixth Annual NADSP Conference will commence at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square. Additional details, including a request for session proposals, hotel booking information, and sponsorship opportunities, will be shared in the next few weeks.