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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.

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nc-action-alert

Congress will vote TODAY on the American Health Care Act. While congressional leaders believe they have the votes to pass the health care reform bill, experts are saying this vote will come down to the wire.

With dozens of legislators still undecided, constituent advocacy and outreach are the only things that will move votes into the “No” column. Will you take action today and urge Congress to vote “No” on the American Health Care Act?

  1. Dial this number: 202-224-3121 and ask for your Representative.
  2. Share with them this message:
    • Your message: “I am calling about the American Health Care Act. I urge you to oppose the amended bill and reject any proposal that results in cuts or rollbacks of Medicaid. The amended bill directly targets important protections like the essential health benefits and protections for those with pre-existing conditions and hurts efforts to achieve parity in health care. Any proposals that rollback Medicaid coverage or restrict people’s access to treatment will have a devastating effect on millions of Americans with mental illness or addiction. I’m calling from [city, state, and zip] and my name is [first and last name].”

**Need help finding your Rep? Click here!**

Since January, thousands of National Council advocates have engaged with us and their legislators, writing letters, making phone calls and hosting meetings. Thousands of advocates have worked hard to ensure their voices and their priorities were heard on Capitol Hill. We thank you for that amazing work and hope you will join us once again today as we work to stop the passage of this harmful legislation.

Together, we can work to preserve Medicaid and protect coverage of mental health and addictions treatment for millions of Americans. Together, we can #Unite4BH!

Sincerely,

Chuck Ingoglia
Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Practice Improvement
National Council for Behavioral Health

 

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The Senate Committees on Health and Human Services, Aging and Youth, Intergovernmental Operations, and the Appropriations’ Health and Human Services Subcommittee will hold a hearing to gather testimony on the proposed consolidation of the Departments of Human Services, Health, Aging and Drug & Alcohol. The hearing will take place on Monday, May 1, 2017, from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm at the William Pitt Union Assembly Room on the University of Pittsburgh Campus.

Joint hearings were already held in Harrisburg and Reading. RCPA presented testimony at the Reading hearing on April 13. Please contact Jack Phillips, RCPA Director of Government Affairs, with any questions.

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Dear fellow HHS stakeholders:

Yesterday, the Governor’s office published a website for folks to learn more about the Governor’s HHS unification proposal. The site will allow stakeholders to review the draft legislation and see the draft organizational charts. The site also includes a way for the public to provide feedback.

You can view the website here. Questions, contact Jack Phillips, RCPA Director, Government Affairs.

RCPA received an email seeking articles related to behavioral health workforce. If you are interested in submitting an article the process is outlined below. Any questions, contact Jack Phillips.

Call for Abstracts for AJPM Supplement Issue
Behavioral Health Workforce: Projections, Practice, and Preparation

The Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center at the University of Michigan is sponsoring a supplement issue in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM) entitled Behavioral Health Workforce: Projections, Practice, and Preparation.

Overview of Supplement Topic:

Demand for mental health and substance use condition prevention and treatment continues to grow, placing additional stress on a workforce that already suffers from inadequate supply, maldistribution, and numerous policies restricting reimbursement and effective service delivery. This supplement issue will highlight research findings and best practices for the behavioral health workforce to inform policies aimed at relieving the workforce crisis faced by the field.

Guest editors for this supplement issue are:

  • Angela J. Beck, PhD, MPH, Director, Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center
  • Ronald W. Manderscheid, PhD, Executive Director, National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors
  • Peter I. Buerhaus, PhD, RN, FAAN, Director, Center for Interdisciplinary Health Workforce Studies, Montana State University

Editors are seeking articles related to three behavioral health workforce themes:

  • Workforce data collection/supply and demand projections;
  • Workforce factors impacting service delivery; and
  • Workforce development.

Process for Article Selection:

Interested authors should submit the following information to Angela Beck by Sunday, April 30, 2017:

  • A 200-word article abstract;
  • The behavioral health workforce supplement theme of most relevance to your article; and
  • The AJPM article type that best describes your article (brief report, research article, or special article). See AJPM Author Instructions for more information.

Issue Timeline:

  • May 12, 2017: Authors notified of invitation to submit full papers for publication consideration
  • July 28, 2017: Full papers due to guest editors
  • June 2018: Projected publication date of supplement issue
[Note: submission invitations do not imply acceptance for publication. All papers are subject to AJPM’s standard peer review process.]

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The following bills were voted out of the House and will now move to the Senate for their consideration.

 

HB 126

 
 

Baker, Matt

(PN 92) The Epinephrine Auto-Injector Entity Act provides for the use and stock of epinephrine auto-injectors by recreation camps, colleges and universities, day-care facilities, youth sports leagues, amusement parks, restaurants, places of employment, and sports arenas. Requires completed training by employees of eligible institutions before administration and provides Good Samaritan protections. Effective in 60 days.

HB 126 passed unanimously on Wednesday, March 22 by a vote of 191 YEAS, 0 NAYS.

HB 478 Pickett, Tina (PN 502) The Outpatient Psychiatric Oversight Act requires an outpatient psychiatric clinic to have a psychiatrist on site for two hours of psychiatric time per week for each fulltime equivalent treatment staff member employed by the clinic. Further provides telepsychiatry provided by a psychiatrist that is not on site with prescriptive authority in Pennsylvania may be utilized with a service description approved by the Department of Human Services but shall not be included in the required psychiatric time. Also provides that 50 percent of the required on-site time may be provided by other advanced practice professionals specializing in behavioral health with prescriptive authority in Pennsylvania. Requires the Department of Human Services to promulgate regulations as necessary to carry out the provisions of the act. Effective in 60 days.

HB 478 passed unanimously on Wednesday, March 22 by a vote of 190 YEAS, 0 NAYS.  RCPA already has a meeting with Senate Health and Human Services Committee staff on Friday, March 31 to discuss moving this bill out of committee.

HB 644 Baker, Matt (PN 681) Amends the Community-Based Health Care Act, in health care assistance, further providing for Community-Based Health Care Program by removing the 25 percent limitation on grants awarded going to federally qualified health centers. Effective in 60 days.

HB 644 passed unanimously on Wednesday, March 22 by a vote of 190 YEAS, 0 NAYS.

HR 63 Costa, Dom (PN 297) Resolution recognizing April 2, 2017, as “World Autism Awareness Day” in Pennsylvania.

HR 63 passed unanimously on Wednesday, March 22 by a vote of 195 YEAS, 0 NAYS.

HR 132 Toohil, Tarah (PN 825) Resolution recognizing the month of March 2017 as “Intellectual Disability Awareness Month” in Pennsylvania.

HR 132 passed unanimously on Wednesday, March 22 by a vote of 195 YEAS, 0 NAYS. The State Senate did not vote on any bills that RCPA has on its legislative tracking report. Questions, contact Jack Phillips, RCPA Director, Government Affairs.

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The National Council for Behavioral Health has drafted a document outlining Medicaid funding in Pennsylvania for mental health and drug and alcohol services. The document provides pertinent information regarding how much money Pennsylvania receives in Medicaid funding and how Medicaid expansion has helped the state’s economy and allowed more individuals to receive health care benefits. Please contact Jack Phillips, RCPA Director of Government Affairs, with questions.

On Monday, March 13, the House Health Committee will hold a meeting at 9:30 am in Room 205, Ryan Office Building to vote on HB478, which is sponsored by Rep. Tina Pickett (R – Bradford). The bill aims to assist outpatient psychiatric clinics to meet the growing demand and address the shortage of psychiatric time we are facing in Pennsylvania by changing the number of hours of psychiatric supervision required for each staff member per week. Additionally, the bill will allow licensed prescribing professionals to work within their scope of practice as is the case in the physical health care arena.  RCPA requests members to contact legislators that serve on the House Health Committee, and ask them to vote YES to move the bill out of committee.

The following legislators serve on the House Health Committee:

Republicans
Matt Baker, Chair
Kristen Hill
Aaron Bernstein
Alexander Charlton
Becky Corbin
Eli Evankovich
Frank Farry
Aaron Kaufer
Dawn Keefer
Harry Lewis
Paul Schemul
Todd Stephens
Jesse Topper
Judy Ward
Martina White
David Zimmerman

Democrats
Flo Fabrizio, Chair
Mary Jo Daley
Vanessa Brown
Mike Schlossberg
Kevin Boyle
Jason Dawkins
Pam DeLissio
Ed Gainey
Stephen Kinsey
Gerald Mullery

For your convenience, you can find the above legislators’ contact information here. Questions, contact Jack Phillips, RCPA Director of Government Affairs.