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Authors Posts by Jim Sharp

Jim Sharp

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0 1984

A significant number of “avoidable” visits to US emergency departments (EDs) are for mental health and alcohol problems, as well as dental problems, which the ED is not fully equipped to treat. Using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, the researchers analyzed data on 424 million visits made to US EDs between 2005 and 2011 by patients aged 18 to 64 years. The researchers “conservatively” defined “avoidable” ED visits as discharged ED visits that did not require any diagnostic tests, procedures, or medications. The authors of the study from the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Francisco note that: “Emergency physicians are trained to treat life- and limb-threatening emergencies, making it inefficient for patients with mental health, substance abuse, or dental disorders to be treated in this setting.” The study was published online August 31 in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care.

For practitioners, hospitals, and policymakers in Pennsylvania, reports like this and others raise the question: Where can these patients be best served in the community when urgent and emergency behavioral care services are not available in Emergency Departments? And also, how can communities and health care systems plan and practice whole person emergency care in an era of integrated and co-located physical and mental health care?

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The draft of the 2018–2019 Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (CMHSBG) is now available for comment. This application was developed with stakeholder input from the Mental Health Planning Council; view/download the application here.

The application provides a review of the current strengths and needs in the Pennsylvania Mental Health System and plans priority areas for improvement.

Any comments or questions regarding the 2018–2019 CMHSBG may be directed to Wendy Tucker via email or phone at 717-705-8280. The comment period will close August 31.

In the interest of time, please feel free to submit comments to Wendy Tucker directly; however, we would be very interested in your input into the draft. Please copy Sarah Eyster or Robena Spangler with your comments. Thank you for your anticipated response to this opportunity.

0 4415

The Redemption Project is offering training, at no cost, to agencies that provide services to delinquent youth. Aggression Replacement Training/Character: Be About It is an evidence-based, cognitive behavioral, group intervention.

The program has four components:

  • Skillstreaming teaches youth pro-social skills;
  • Anger Control teaches self-regulation skills;
  • Moral Reasoning teaches youth the purpose for using the newly learned skills; and
  • Character: Be About It teaches youth about the 12 essential character traits that reinforce components of ART.

Agencies will be provided with a two-day clinical training, a one-day booster training, and training of agency trainers to promote sustainability of the intervention over time. All curriculum/materials will be provided. Agencies are responsible for providing a training site.

Interested agencies must submit a Letter of Interest, which must be on letterhead and have a contact person responsible for scheduling training. Please email Letters of Interest to Robert Oliver. If you have questions, please call Mr. Oliver at 814-397-6010.

Thank you to our friends at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) for sharing this information with us.

0 2704

August 17, 2017
3:30 – 5:00 pm ET

Presenters:

  • Mitchell Berger, SAMHSA
  • Peggy O’Brien, IBM Watson Health
  • Colleen LaBelle, Boston University Medical Center
  • Mark Stringer, Missouri Department of Mental Health
  • Molly Carney, Evergreen Treatment Services

Register for free
The webinar will cover a forthcoming update to the 2014 SAMHSA report on Medicaid Coverage and Financing of Medications to Treat Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorders and will review information on state Medicaid payment policies for medication assisted treatment (MAT).  Speakers also will present case studies of innovative MAT models. This up-to-date information about Medicaid MAT coverage will be helpful for consumers and family members, providers, health plan and Medicaid staff, policymakers and government officials.
After this webinar, participants will:

  • Understand how MAT currently is covered under Medicaid at the state level
  • Understand barriers to MAT coverage and possible actions to improve coverage
  • Be able to describe some innovative financing models

Questions? Send via email.
Disclaimer: This webinar is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The views and opinions expressed and the content of the webinar are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of SAMHSA or HHS.

0 2744

For Immediate Release

Delilah Rumburg, Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, announced that she will retire after 23 years at the helm of the longest-standing anti-sexual assault coalition in the country.

0 2207

The Division of Children, Adolescents and Family Services has been added to the Department of Health and Human Services organizational chart under the Bureau of Prevention, Intervention, Treatment and Recovery. Previous versions of the Unification Plan and the accompanying organizational chart did not include a designated division to represent children’s mental health.

The absence of children’s mental health on the overall plan and chart was brought to the attention of the Children’s Steering Committee and the larger RCPA children’s provider members. Numerous comments in support of a children’s division were shared with RCPA leadership.

Richard Edley, RCPA President & CEO, Robena Spangler, RCPA Director of Children’s Division, and Rhea Fernandes from Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health met with the Governor’s team to discuss recommendations to address the concerns. RCPA presented a number of options that were taken into consideration by the team.

We are proud to report that as of June 8, the recommendations were fully implemented and the organizational chart has now been updated to reflect the change. We believe this demonstrates that our voices are being heard and that the Governor’s office does value constructive feedback and input into the successful implementation of the unification plan.

Thank you to the Governor’s staff for their interest and response to this very important issue.

0 2138

In this year of challenging state-level budget negotiations, RCPA is working with a coalition of community foundations, United Way organizations, Labor Unions, religious and advocacy groups, and other key stakeholders in the #FamilyFirstPA Coalition. The growing list of coalition members can be viewed on the #FamilyFirstPA#FamilyFirstPA website. The main goal of the #FamilyFirstPA Campaign is to ensure that there are no cuts to human services in upcoming 2017/2018 state budget. Cuts to human services not only cause irreparable damage to Pennsylvania families, but they also have adverse impacts on organizations that our families rely on. Sharing family stories via social media was the first phase of this campaign. Now, we need your support to push our efforts to the next level. As a coalition partner, RCPA is encouraging our members to amplify the work of the coalition by making use of the social media resources created by this initiative for the coalition. Engage with #FamilyFirstPA on social media; “Like” us on Facebook and “follow us” on Twitter. The initiative is now sharing family stories from across Pennsylvania and engaging legislators through our posts and tweets. Encourage your staff, families, other organizations, county and state level stakeholders, to like and follow the campaign as well.

Any questions about the work of the #FamilyFirstPA Coalition can be directed to Connell O’Brien, who is serving as liaison between RCPA and the #FamilyFirstPA initiative.

0 2051

During the past few years, the state Medicaid program, HealthChoices, has begun to implement and expand the use of Value-Based Purchasing models in procurement contracts with all Physical Health Managed Care Organizations (PH-MCOs). With a goal of increasing clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and cost management, the PH-MCOs have called for increased use of such Value-Based Purchasing models as Pay for Performance, Patient Centered Medical Homes, and Bundled Payments. On May 25, the leadership of the Offices of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) and Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) conducted a webcast to review the implementation process used in HealthChoices by the PH-MCOs and their provider networks, and to introduce the process of expanding Value-Based Purchasing to the Behavioral Health Managed Care Organizations and their provider networks. The OMHSAS target for introducing this expansion is January, 2018 with a focus on integrated and collaborative behavioral and physical health and care coordination.

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