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The OMHSAS Bureau of Children’s Behavioral Health Services presented the Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) regulation informational webinar for systems stakeholders.
This webinar highlighted significant sections of the proposed PRTF regulations prior to the public comment period. The proposed PRTF regulation will codify the minimum licensing standards, Medical Assistance (MA) participation requirements, and payment conditions for PRTFs that provide medically necessary behavioral health treatment to children, youth, or young adults under 21 years of age with a behavioral health diagnosis.
RCPA Children’s Residential Services Committee met after the webinar to review these highlights and to begin preparing recommendations. Our committee will continue to meet over the next 60 days in anticipation of the regulations release to develop our public comments, recommendations, and testimony.
If you have any questions or would like to join our committee, please contact RCPA COO and Mental Health Policy Director Jim Sharp. View the webinar recording here.
The Bureau of Epidemiology will be hosting two webinars for LTCFs related to respiratory virus prevention and outbreak control available on PA-TRAIN. Act 58 CE credits are available and NHA CE credits are pending.
Log into your TRAIN account to register. Get your LTCF ready for respiratory season!
When Heather Radcliffe of Philadelphia completed her DSP I E-Badge Academy training certificate, she became the thousandth Direct Support Professional in Pennsylvania to do so. To celebrate this milestone in Pennsylvania’s DSP workforce development, the Office of Developmental Programs visited SPIN to present Heather with a signed proclamation of recognition from Governor Josh Shapiro.
The meeting documents from the August 7 Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting are now available. These documents include the transcript and PowerPoint presentations. You can view them below:
The next LTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for September 4, 2024, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm in the PA Department of Education’s Honors Suite at 333 Market St. in Harrisburg, PA. The option to participate via webinar is also available.
To participate in the meeting via webinar, please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. If you plan to participate via phone, the dial-in number is: 613-992-3221; Access Code: 953 985 828#.
Pennsylvania schools and other eligible entities are now able to apply for grant funding for physical security upgrades and to strengthen behavioral health supports through two new school safety grant solicitations from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) School Safety and Security Committee.
The School Safety and Security Committee approved a funding framework to utilize nearly $120 million in state school safety funding, secured by the Shapiro-Davis Administration in the 2024/25 budget, which includes:
Eligible applicants can find information about each of these solicitations, including eligibility criteria and application instructions, on PCCD’s School Safety and Security web page. PCCD staff will also host informational webinars and provide other resources to assist school entities and eligible applicants as they navigate these funding opportunities.
The seven-week application period for the competitive FY 24/25 Targeted School Safety Grants for Nonpublic Schools solicitation will close on Thursday, September 26, 2024. Noncompetitive, formula-based awards will be awarded on a rolling basis as applications are accepted by the agency and competitive awards are expected to be announced in November 2024.
Questions regarding the School Safety and Security Grant Program can be sent to PCCD staff or by visiting PCCD’s School Safety and Security web page.
As in the past three funding years, RCPA strongly recommends providers engage with their school districts, to assist in the planning process and provide recommendations to enhance their current school-based programming or develop service models to meet the needs of the students and district.
If you have any questions, please contact RCPA COO and Mental Health Policy Director Jim Sharp.
In order to better serve our members and leverage our collective experience, the RCPA Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Committee is compiling a list of training and consultant recommendations on DEI-related topics. We kindly request that you share your organization’s experiences. If you have engaged in or utilized multiple trainings or consultants, please complete an additional survey for each one. RCPA will compile and post a repository of member recommendations.
Please submit recommendations via this survey. We request submissions be completed by Friday, August 30. If you have any questions, please contact Cindi Hobbes.