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IPRC Webinar Series: Seizure Management in Pediatrics
PART I: Seizures and Epilepsy in the Pediatric Patient

Thursday, August 11, 2022
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT; 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT;
10:00 am – 11:00 am MDT; 9:00 am – 10:00 am PDT

Christina Patterson, MD
Speaker Bio:
Christina Patterson, MD, is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Child Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh. She is also the Director of Epilepsy Services, the Medical Director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Program, and the Director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Dr. Patterson has clinical and research interests in the fields of Child Neurology, Epilepsy, and Clinical Neurophysiology and is board-certified in Clinical Neurophysiology, Epilepsy, and Neurology, with Special Qualification in Child Neurology.

Objectives:
At the end of the session, the learner will:

  • Define what a seizure is and what epilepsy is when speaking to patients and parents;
  • Identify seizures in pediatric patients and how different types of seizures are classified and diagnosed as epilepsy; and
  • Learn the treatment and management options for seizures and epilepsy in the pediatric patient, including emergency interventions and non-drug therapies.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all members of the rehabilitation team, including medical staff, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, licensed psychologists, mental health professionals, and other interested professionals.

Level: Intermediate

Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.

Registration: Registration is complimentary for members of IPRC/RCPA. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today. Multiple registrations per organization are permitted.

REGISTER

The RCPA Conference 2022, Together, is committed to being held in-person this year at the Hershey Lodge October 11 – 14, 2022. We will not be offering a virtual option; however, our plan is to record sessions for registrants to access after the conference in order to take advantage of over 60 sessions that will take place live.

We are excited to announce keynote speakers Dick Finnegan, speaker, author, & CEO of C-Suite Analytics, on “Cutting Turnover 20% and More During ‘The Great Resignation,’” as well as Deborah Riddick, Principal Consultant at Alternative Frame LLC, where she works with clients across the country providing policy analyses, engagement strategies, and health equity trainings.

Hear from our national partners Chuck Ingoglia from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and Gabriel Sedor of ANCOR for updates on the current federal landscape. Meg Snead and Jen Smith will share PA perspectives, and returning conference favorite Mike Cohen will close out the conference with a return of “Dear Helga,” who has many new experiences to share.

Each day will be packed with informational sessions from peers and experts in the field. Topics include recruiting and retaining talented employees, value-based payments, managed care organizations’ focus on Social Determinants of Health, use of technology in providing services, the importance of data, leadership skills, trauma-informed care and supervision, telehealth considerations, effective advocacy with legislators and others, supporting people with various challenging needs, guardianship laws, and more. A full schedule will be released with registration information soon.

We are also grateful to our early sponsors and exhibitors! Thank you for showing your support for our 2022 Conference!

  • Allegheny Family Network
  • Beacon Health Options
  • Berks Counseling Center
  • Butler Human Services Furniture
  • CapGrow Partners
  • Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health
  • Genoa Healthcare
  • KidsPeace
  • Mission Driven Data
  • MITC
  • Partners for Quality
  • PerformCare
  • Pyramid Healthcare, Inc.
  • Terrapin Pharmacy
  • Vista Autism Services
  • ZMark Health

There are still many sponsorship opportunities as well as available exhibitor spaces! Please contact Carol Ferenz to discuss possibilities.

We look forward to seeing you all Together this October!

ODP Announcement 22-070 announces the release of a new Incident Management (IM) training series on the MyODP website, which focuses on incident prevention and reducing recurrence of incidents.

The course is titled “Preventing Incidents” and is relevant for all stakeholders. This course contains a seven-part training that focuses on the general safety of individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability, using a person-centered approach to prevent future incidents, anticipating situations and recognizing potential signs of mistreatment, communicating what you know and elevating concerns, proactive vs. reactive risk mitigation strategies, developing effective corrective actions, using data to improve overall quality, and self-care, taking care of yourself while supporting others.

Upon completion of the webcast series and successful completion of the post-test, 2 hours of training credits will be awarded. Visit here for a link to the course, which contains the webcast series.

As reported by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, the Senate last night passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, critical legislation to dramatically increase funding for mental health programs and reduce the threat and incidence of violence in America.

Introduced by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), the bill provides funding to increase access to mental health and substance use services, notably through expanding Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) nationwide. This will connect considerably more people to lifesaving care, while helping support and grow the mental health and substance use treatment workforce.

The bill also includes aid to broaden access to telehealth services and mental health awareness programs, such as Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), and provides additional funding for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline ahead of next month’s 988 implementation, which will help save lives and provide needed support to strengthen the capacity of our crisis care system.

Given the speed the bill is moving, the National Council created an excellent initial analysis of the bill and its potential impact.

Key provisions include:

  • Expanding the CCBHC program to allow any state or territory the opportunity to apply to participate in the demonstration and allocating additional planning grant monies for states to develop proposals to participate;
    • Starting in July 2024, and every two years thereafter, 10 additional states will be selected to join the demonstration.
    • The eight original demonstration sites will be extended until September 2025, and the two newer demo states (Kentucky and Michigan) are extended to six years after their program launch.
  • $250 million for the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant;
  • $120 million in additional funding for mental health awareness training programs;
  • $150 million in additional funding for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for FY 2022; and
  • New requirements for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide guidance to states on how they can increase access to care via telehealth under Medicaid and CHIP, including strategies related to training and providing resources for providers and patients.

If you have questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.

ODP Announcement 20-114 provides an updated timeline on Medication Administration training requirements as it pertains to the “Modified” and “Standard” courses offered by the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ODP allowed staff who are required to take the Standard Medication Administration Training Course (“Standard Course”) to take the Modified Medication Administration Training Course (“Modified Course”) until December 31, 2021.

Because the effects of the pandemic are ongoing, staff can continue to take the Modified Course in place of the Standard Course until July 31, 2022.

The Department previously required that staff who took the Modified Course in lieu of the Standard Course complete the Standard Course no later than December 31, 2022. Please be advised that this deadline has been extended to July 31, 2023.

Beginning August 1, 2022, staff persons must take the Standard Course.

This communication is intended to provide guidance to all stakeholders who participate in the process of transitioning an individual from Residential Habilitation Service to Supported Living or Lifesharing. Updated information includes instructions for adding procedure codes for transition payments and directions to AEs. The new language is below:

Once a request is approved, ODP will issue communication directly to the Provider, AE, and SC with instructions for adding the transition payments to the individual’s ISP. The communication will contain procedure codes, steps for adding the service to the ISP, and additional instructions for submitting claims.

By signing the transition request form, the AE is indicating they agree that the provider has presented a plan that ensures the individual’s health and safety needs will be meet in the proposed Lifesharing or Supported Living program. A move date does not need to be determined for a signature to be applied, but the AE may use discretion to request more detailed transition information from the provider to assure a reasonable and safe transition plan is in place.

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.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

The CIT International Conference is FAST approaching. Only 11 more weeks to go!

There will be many opportunities to learn and to network, so if you haven’t made your plans, you will want to get started today!

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Over 130 Workshops
Compelling Keynote Speakers

Bonus Sunday

FREE Networking Event — Pittsburgh Steelers’ Stadium

Enjoy the iconic city of Pittsburgh. RESERVE YOUR HOTEL ROOM.