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Authors Posts by Richard Edley

Richard Edley

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Dr. Richard Edley is the lead executive for RCPA and is responsible for all aspects of operations and direction for the association. His professional career began in 1988 and most recently he was president and CEO of PerformCare/Community Behavioral HealthCare Network of Pennsylvania, Inc., a national, full-service, behavioral health managed care organization.

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Examining Policy and Practice Trends in the LGBTQ+ Community
June 30, 2022 | 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Register here.

Pride Month is more than just an observance. It’s a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come in meeting the health care needs of the LGBTQ+ community and how much further we need to go. Join this cross-Interest Group (Crisis Response, Substance Use, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Children, Young Adults and Families, and LGBTQ+) collaborative effort to explore mental health and substance use conditions and wellbeing in the LGBTQ+ community, and the latest clinical practices and policies, including crisis response and suicide prevention.

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Gun Violence and Mental Illness
June 6, 2022

Our organizations write to express our deep concerns about false and harmful attempts to link mental illness and gun violence. The horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that killed 19 children and two adults on May 24 is just one in a long series of mass shootings throughout our country. These shootings have one thing in common – easy access to weapons that can kill with terrifying efficiency on a massive scale. Attempts to connect mental illness to mass shootings are a distraction that inflicts enormous damage by taking attention from solutions that could actually prevent such events. This perpetuates a false narrative that encourages stigmatization of and discrimination against the millions of Americans living with mental health conditions who are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators of it (i). In fact, persons with mental illness account for a very small portion of gun violence (ii).

While mental health conditions are common in countries across the globe (iii), the United States is the only country where mass shootings have become disturbingly commonplace. In fact, firearms are now the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the United States (iv). Not coincidentally, the U.S. is also alone in making firearms widely available with few restrictions.

Gun violence is a public health crisis, and the trauma and fear caused by mass shootings significantly worsen Americans’ mental health. A large majority of adults in the United States experience stress associated with mass shootings, and a third of U.S. adults say that fear of mass shootings stops them from going to certain places and events (v). Moreover, research has shown that victims and members of affected communities experience increases in posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, and other signs of psychological concerns. Other studies have found that, after previous mass shootings, youth felt less safe and more fearful (vi). These findings, many of which are unsurprising, make it all the more important to take urgent action to prevent these shootings, particularly in light of our nation’s ongoing youth mental health crisis.

Our organizations welcome continued bipartisan efforts to improve our country’s mental health and substance use systems. These should be pursued because they will enhance our collective well-being, improve and save countless lives, and lead to a more vibrant and resilient country.

However, what these reforms alone will not do is address the epidemic of mass shootings. To prevent more carnage, policymakers must act now to address the national crisis of gun violence and work on a bipartisan basis to pass meaningful solutions that promote gun safety in all of our communities.

2020 Mom
A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing)
All4Ed
Alliance for Quality Education
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work
American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (previously known as CPNP)
American Council for School Social Work
American Counseling Association
American Federation of Teachers
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
American Group Psychotherapy Association
American Nurses Association
American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine
American Psychiatric Association
American Psychological Association
American School Counselor Association
American Society of Addiction Medicine
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness
Autism Society of America
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Clinical Social Work Association
Council of Administrators of Special Education
Crisis Residential Association
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
EDGE Consulting Partners
Global Alliance on Behavioral Health and Social Justice
Inseparable
International OCD Foundation
Learning Heroes
Mental Health America
MENTOR National
N.A.P.S.
NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Association for Rural Mental Health
National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Social Workers
National Center for Learning Disabilities
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
National Eating Disorders Association
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
National Health Law Program
National League for Nursing
National Register of Health Service Psychologists
Partnership to End Addiction
Psychotherapy Action Network
RI International
School Social Work Association of America
The Advocacy Institute
The Jed Foundation
The Kennedy Forum
Well Being Trust

  • (i) Brekke JS, Prindle C, Bae SW, Long JD. Risks for individuals with schizophrenia who are living in the community. Psychiatr Serv. 2001 Oct;52(10):1358-66. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.52.10.1358. PMID: 11585953.
  • (ii) Baumann ML, Teasdale B. Severe mental illness and firearm access: Is violence really the danger? Int J Law Psychiatry. 2018 Jan-Feb;56:44-49. doi: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2017.11.003. Epub 2017 Dec 7. PMID: 29701598.
  • (iii) Steel Z, Marnane C, Iranpour C, et al. The global prevalence of common mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis 1980-2013. Int J Epidemiol. 2014;43(2):476-493. doi:10.1093/ije/dyu038
  • (iv) Goldstick, Jason E., Cunningham, Rebecca M., Carter, Patrick M. Current Causes of Death in Children and Adolescents in the United States. 2022/04/20. New England Journal of Medicine, 386: 1955-1956. 10.1056/NEJMc220176. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2201761.
  • (v)American Psychological Association (APA) (2019). One-Third of US Adults Say Fear of Mass Shootings Prevents Them from Going to Certain Places or Events. Retrieved from: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/08/fear-mass-shooting
  • (vi) For a description of relevant research see: Lowe SR, Galea S. The Mental Health Consequences of Mass Shootings. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2017 Jan;18(1):62-82. doi: 10.1177/1524838015591572. Epub 2015 Jun 17. PMID: 26084284

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RCPA, with several other health and human services stakeholders, has signed in support of a series of letters written by the Alliance for Low-Income Personal Care Home Advancement (ALPHA) requesting legislators’ support of Governor Wolf’s $50 million increase to state supplemental security income. This increase would work to protect low-income residents in personal care homes from losing their places of residence. You can view one of the letters sent here. Letters were addressed to leaders of both parties in both the PA House and Senate.

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You don’t need to wait for election day to have your voice heard.

State lawmakers wrapped up business in Harrisburg and returned home last week to campaign in earnest for the May 17 primary election. Because every vote counts, every voice matters. Especially now, in the weeks leading up to the election, lawmakers are sensitive to constituents’ concerns and want to hear from you.

Take advantage of this opportunity to reach out and urge lawmakers to increase funding to support human services professionals, so individuals and families in need get the assistance and care they deserve.

So far, the outpouring of support has been incredible. Since the governor unveiled his 2022/23 budget proposal in February, more than 4,000 individuals have contacted their local lawmakers urging them to act. We need to build on this momentum.

Once the election finishes, lawmakers will begin crafting a final budget before the end of the fiscal year, June 30. Pennsylvania is sitting on billions of federal dollars and state “rainy day” funds that could increase wages to help us attract and retain human service professionals.

It’s critical that our senators and representatives understand how this workforce crisis is affecting our most vulnerable individuals and families, as well as the providers and professionals who serve them.

Please USE THIS LINK to learn how you can help and urge your networks to do the same. Most importantly, TAKE ACTION TODAY. Tell lawmakers to increase funding to address the workforce crisis facing Pennsylvania’s health and human services.

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Lawmakers are hearing from us.

Since the governor unveiled his 2022/23 budget proposal in February, more than 3,327 individuals have contacted their local state senators and representatives urging them to address the workforce crisis affecting Pennsylvania’s human services sectors.

Now we want them to see us, too.

Our new video is airing on television in select markets and getting shared widely across social media channels. VISIT HERE to watch the TV spot.

April is a critical month for us. With budget hearings finished, the House and Senate are in session for only a few weeks before they take a break again to campaign for the May 17 primary election.

Make sure they hear from you today.

If you haven’t done so already, please reach out and urge lawmakers to increase funding to support human services professionals so individuals and families in need get the support and care they deserve. Ask your networks to do the same.

And be sure to share our video on your social media pages, too.

It’s so important for us to share the story about how this workforce crisis is affecting individuals and families in need, as well as the providers and professionals who want to serve them.

To share the video, check out our Facebook and Twitter pages where we have the videos posted. Be sure to “like” it and share it with your followers. Don’t forget to tag @directcareworks and use the #DirectCarePA and #PABudget hashtags so we can ensure as many people as possible see it.

Most importantly, TAKE ACTION TODAY. Tell lawmakers to increase funding to address the workforce crisis facing Pennsylvania’s health and human services.

Thank you for your continued support.

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Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) is a statewide nonprofit organization that is searching for its next CEO. PATF’s mission is to provide education and financing opportunities, and advocacy for people with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians, helping them to acquire the assistive technology (AT) devices and services that improve the quality of their lives. Founded in 1998, PATF is Pennsylvania’s Alternative Financing Program (AFP) as designated by the federal Assistive Technology Act.

In 2012, PATF became a state-accredited and federally-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), a designation awarded to organizations that have financial products and services that positively impact low-wealth communities. PATF was the nation’s first AFP to receive grant funding as a CDFI.  In 2021, PATF created a wholly-owned subsidiary, Appalachian Assistive Technology Loan Fund (AATLF) to expand microfinancing opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the Appalachian region. PATF’s office is located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and the CEO must have a presence in the King of Prussia office.

View the job description here. Interested applicants should send a cover letter/letter of interest, resume, and salary requirements to jobs@patf.us by May 15, 2022.

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