Please see the questions and answers (Q&A) document, which contains the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services’s (OMHSAS’s) responses to the questions submitted via the chat box during the webinar on Monday, November 16.
Here is a link to view the recording of the OMHSAS Stakeholder Webinar, which took place on Monday, November 16 from 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm.
If you have further questions, please contact your Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA) policy director.
The Pennsylvania (PA) Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF) would like to inform you of two new resources. There is a new webpage on the PA DHS website about the education of children served by PA County Children and Youth Agencies that includes links to helpful guides, forms, and contacts. There is also a new resource account to be used by child welfare professionals to ask questions related to education that have not been resolved at the local or regional level.
Access the education webpage here.
To submit an education-related query to OCYF, please use this resource account.
If you have any questions or feedback, please contact RCPA Children’s Division Director, Jim Sharp.
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) has an open enrollment for the Autism Navigator Course. This free training for Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) and Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Services (BHRS) providers who serve young children and their families will end on Wednesday, December 30, 2020. Once enrolled, trainees will be able to complete the course for free in 2021.
Approximately 200 people have already taken advantage of this opportunity that OMHSAS, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), and the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) have partnered to offer.
For further information and to enroll, please see the this letter, guide, and agreement. Then email your completed enrollment agreement along with any questions here.
If you have any further questions, please contact RCPA Children’s Division Director Jim Sharp.
We’re excited to announce that RCPA’s Direct Care Works initiative is now live. The workforce development pilot project is using social media platforms to engage potential applicants likely to be attracted to careers in health and human services.
We established a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube (Look for LinkedIn soon!). As part of the pilot project, paid advertising will drive individuals to the Direct Care Works website, where they can learn more about the field and access job opportunities.
The initial paid campaign is focused on Allegheny County and some of the surrounding areas, yet we welcome members from throughout the Commonwealth to share information about employment opportunities for the job portal, as we will be sharing information on several social media channels that reach a statewide audience.
To include your organization in the DCW Job Portal, email [email protected] with the following information:
RCPA recently issued a release that details the project. Additionally, a social media toolkit has been developed, for our members to use the collateral materials as a way to enhance recruitment efforts and share the Direct Care Works networks with your own audiences.
For more information, please contact RCPA Children’s Division Director Jim Sharp or email [email protected]
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) has updated their temporary suspension regulatory provisions. The temporary suspension of the specified regulatory provisions is an update from the original Public Health Emergency (PHE) Regulatory Suspensions from August 214, 2020 and is intended to support the health and safety efforts of the agencies and facilities by affording them the flexibility needed to focus on patient care in the most effective way possible. The suspension supports the continued and uninterrupted delivery of behavioral health services in the face of the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The regulatory suspensions announced here will remain in place while the Governor’s Disaster Proclamation remains in effect or such other time as DHS/OMHSAS directs.
It is important to note in this regulatory suspension memorandum has been re-issued to update signature requirements for treatment and service plans. The original memorandum issued on August 14, 2020, required that signatures of individuals be obtained for treatment and service plans that were created or updated during the disaster emergency declaration period within 60 days after the end of the disaster emergency declaration period. This updated memorandum removes the requirement to obtain signatures within 60 days after the end of the disaster emergency declaration period. Requirements for obtaining verbal consent and documentation of the verbal consent remain and must be included in the medical record for every occurrence of a new and updated treatment plan. Providers are strongly encouraged to obtain signatures electronically when possible.
Any comments or questions regarding these suspensions should be directed to the phone numbers listed in the memorandum and below:
In a letter to President Donald Trump, Governor Wolf outlined the urgency for the President to immediately restart negotiations with Congress around a new stimulus package that would help fund the 300 Regional Response Healthcare Collaborative Program (RRHCP), and hundreds of members of the PA National Guard who are assisting in long-term care homes. The grant funding for these programs are set to end December 31, 2020. The need comes at a critical junction when PA is dealing with both the effects of this pandemic on its citizens and getting communities back on their feet.
The RRHCP program has been incredibly effective at helping Pennsylvania mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and respond quickly and appropriately when case outbreaks have occurred in long-term care facilities.
RCPA stands in full support of Governor Wolf’s letter and efforts to stabilize funding for these and all programs that serve Pennsylvanians, including the most vulnerable citizens that we directly serve.
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