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Authors Posts by Jack Phillips

Jack Phillips

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Mr. Phillips is responsible to assist the association with health policy, which primarily includes member communication and advocacy with the Governor’s office, General Assembly, and state regulatory agencies. Mr. Phillips was most recently at the Pennsylvania Department of State as Director of Legislative Affairs.

A SAMHSA sponsored webinar presented by the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the National Council for Behavioral Health, will take place Wednesday, July 1, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time called Improving Access to Care through Medicaid 1115 Waivers.”

Webinar Link: https://nasmhpd.adobeconnect.com/waivers_reg/event/event_info.html

(Please either right click on the link or copy and paste the link into a new tab.)

Description: Millions of people in the U.S. each year are affected by mental illness, substance use disorders, and other chronic conditions, yet too many are unable to get both their mental and physical health needs met, leading to higher costs and worse outcomes.

The rate of co-occurring illness is high. People with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than the general population. People with serious mental illness are nearly twice as likely to develop these conditions. With the demand for mental health and addiction services higher than ever before, coordinating care is important as we face a new health care landscape.

As the nation’s largest payer of mental health and substance use disorder services, Medicaid is uniquely situated to help states support the health of their communities. Through the use of federal waivers – called section 1115 waivers – states can improve access to care by testing new ideas like integrating mental health and substance use disorder services in primary care settings that help people receive the right care at the right time.

Join speakers from NAMI and CNS Healthcare on this webinar as they talk about the case for using Medicaid 1115 waivers to support integrated care, reduce costs, and improve outcomes from both the individual and provider perspective.  

Presenters

  • Jodi Kwarciany – Manager of Mental Health Policy at NAMI
  • Amy Stern, LMSW – Program Manager, CNS Healthcare
  • Michele Reid, MD – Chief Medical Officer, CNS Healthcare
  • Jenny Shumaker, LMSW – Clinical Program Director, CNS Healthcare

When in the seminar room, the Adobe Connect Log-in screen appears, select “Enter as a Guest,” enter the name and state of the participant in the “Name” field (Ex. Jane Doe-AK) and click on “Enter Room.”  For attendees, this is a “listen only” webinar.  Should they need to dial in, the instructions are on the note pad in the seminar room. 

If you dial in, please ensure that your computer speakers are turned off so that there is no audio feedback.

Note: If you are only able to join the audio portion, then you will not be able to see the webinar presentation.

We highly recommend that you test your connection to Adobe Connect in advance of the webinar to ensure access. You may need to work with your state’s IT Department to resolve any firewall issues. To test your connection, please go to: http://nasmhpd.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm. You may be prompted to install ActiveX control, Adobe Flash Player, and Adobe Connect add-ins. If you encounter any difficulty testing your connection or logging into the webinar, please contact Technical Support by calling 1-800-459-5680.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact Kelle Masten via email at kelle.masten@nasmhpd.org.

Thank you!

**We do not offer CEU credits however letters of attendance are offered upon request. 

***Closed-captioning is available for this webinar.

On Monday, June 15, a group of 30 bipartisan senators sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), requesting that recent expansions and flexibilities made for telehealth due to the COVID-19 pandemic be made permanent.

RCPA is asking for members to contact Senator Casey and Senator Toomey and ask them to sign onto the bipartisan letter. It is important to continue the expansion of telehealth; this is your opportunity to have your voices heard. Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

Free One-hour Webinar on the ASAM Criteria “Myths & Realties”

In support of continued skill development and learning opportunities during social distancing measures, Train For Change is pleased to offer their interactive webinar on ASAM Criteria, “Myths and Realities,” completely free of charge through June 30! Earn 1.0 NAADAC credit and receive valuable and reliable education from the comfort of your own home.

This training will use interactive questions to explore some of the common myths and realities of the Criteria. Participants will develop a basic understanding of the ASAM Criteria’s intent and how it works to guide the appropriate level of services, continued stay, transfer and discharge decisions. Participants will also understand how ASAM Criteria is a foundational part of the delivery of individualized services and care.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be holding a webcast tomorrow (6/23) and Thursday (6/25) to discuss “Getting Started with the Provider Relief Fund for the Medicaid and CHIP Distribution.” Last week, HHS announced a $15 billion distribution from the Provider Relief Fund to eligible Medicaid and CHIP providers. This webcast will describe the application process and answer any questions you may have.

The webcasts will be held on Tuesday, June 23 from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET (register here) and Thursday, June 25 from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET (register here). Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

Yesterday, Representative Darryl Metcalfe (with 24 Republican co-sponsors) introduced HR 915, Governor Wolf Impeachment Resolution. HR 915 (resolution language is not currently available online) contains 5 articles of impeachment against Governor Wolf for misbehavior in office. The resolution contends that the Governor’s COVID-19 related orders and actions violated the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the US Constitution and rights within the Pennsylvania Constitution.

The House alleges that the Governor’s COVID-19 response mandating business closures, and designating businesses as non-life sustaining, as well as the creation of the business waiver process (designating a business as essential) caused historical unemployment rates and unemployment compensation benefit deployment issues. The Governor allegedly failed to address nursing home risks, preventing deaths, and he refused to comply with Right-to-Know (i.e. Public Disclosure) laws.

HR 915 has not been assigned to a House Committee for further consideration as of yet. View the Press Release.