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Brain Injury

Thursday, January 18, 2024
10:30 am – 11:30 am EST; 9:30 am – 10:30 am CST;
8:30 am – 9:30 am MST; 7:30 am – 8:30 am PST
Register

Jo Barta, MD
Analise Ludwig, AuD, CCC-A, FAAA
Graham Scheck, PhD, CCC-SLP

Speaker/Panelist Bios:

Jo Barta, MD

Dr. Barta is a self-proclaimed “triple gopher,” having completed her undergrad, Medical School, and residency training all at the University of Minnesota. She went on to pursue a fellowship in Craniofacial & Pediatric Plastic Surgery at Seattle Children’s Hospital & University of Washington before being recruited back to the Twin Cities. She is currently the division leader for the Craniofacial & Pediatric Plastic Surgery team at Gillette Children’s Hospital, St. Paul, MN, and a surgeon for the cleft and craniofacial team at the University of MN.

Dr. Barta is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. She holds an academic position as an adjunct and associate professor for the University of Minnesota Medical School and is actively involved with many national and international societies for cleft and craniofacial care. She enjoys running, volunteering on surgical trips, traveling, and spending time with family.

Analise Ludwig, AuD, CCC-A, FAAA

Dr. Ludwig is an Audiologist with a Doctorate of Audiology from the University of Minnesota and a Certification of Clinical Competency in Audiology. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology. She participates in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, and the American Academy of Audiology, and she is a former president of the Minnesota Academy of Audiology. She has participated as a member of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Speech-Language and Audiology Advisory Council.

Dr. Ludwig’s goal is to provide comprehensive, flexible, and family-centered audiologic care. She works collaboratively with children, adults, and their caregivers to maximize hearing ability so patients can engage in and enjoy everyday life. In her free time, Dr. Ludwig enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and chihuahuas, playing the violin, cooking Italian food, and running.

Graham Schenck, PhD, CCC-SLP

Dr. Schenck is a Craniofacial Speech Scientist and Outpatient Lead SLP at Gillette Children’s in St. Paul, MN. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Graham has over eleven years of clinical and research experience in cleft palate and craniofacial differences. He specializes in the assessment and treatment of resonance disorders, speech sound disorders, and feeding/swallowing disorders across the lifespan. Graham’s current research lines include MRI and 3D imaging to evaluate the velopharyngeal complex and examining the efficacy of NMES dysphagia treatment in children with cerebral palsy.

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

  • Define, identify, and briefly describe complex medical diagnoses that require multidisciplinary care from an accredited craniofacial team;
  • Describe typical craniofacial team composition and roles of team providers (e.g., plastic-craniofacial surgery, speech-language pathology, and audiology); and
  • Describe surgical and rehabilitation pathways for medically complex patients with craniofacial differences, including functional restoration of anatomy, airway management, and principles of feeding, speech, and hearing assessment and treatment.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all members of the rehabilitation team, including medical staff, nurses, 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.

Register

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced that they will be hosting a second Transportation Summit webinar on Wednesday, February 7, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. This is an open forum for anyone interested in discussing transportation in the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Program. There will be staff from various programs on the call, including the managed care organizations (MCOs) and transportation brokers, Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP), Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), etc. They will be on the call to listen to your feedback and answer questions as they are able.

During the webinar, there will be three ways for individuals to ask questions. You can either submit your questions (to be read during the meeting) to OLTL in advance by emailing Cortney Alvord; use the “raise hand” feature during the webinar and you will be unmuted so you can ask your question; or you can type your question into the “chat” box located on the right side of your screen.

Please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Questions about the webinar should be directed to Cortney Alvord.

The Department of Health’s (DOH) Bureau of Family Health issued a flyer about planned events across the state related to Pennsylvania’s Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant. This grant serves to improve the health and well-being of the nation’s mothers, infants, children, and youth, including children and youth with special health care needs and their families.

Parents and caregivers, families with special needs, birthing people and their partners, and youth are all welcome and invited to participate in these events. Maternal and child health care, and other professionals and organizations serving this population in Pennsylvania, are also welcome to share their thoughts! Attendees are invited to help identify the seven to ten priorities that will drive Pennsylvania’s Title V programs.

Please refer to the flyer for additional information, including the dates, times, and locations of the upcoming events.

Thursday, February 8, 2024
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CST, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm MST, 10:00 am – 11:00 am PST

Please join us as the IPRC hosts special guests from the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. They will discuss practical strategies rehabilitation clinicians can employ to optimize care for Autistic individuals in medical settings.

Meghan Keenan, MOT, OTR/L
Meghan Keenan is a Senior Occupational Therapist and an Occupational Therapy Site Manager for the Greenspring Campus at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD. She graduated with a Masters of Occupational Therapy from Temple University in 2004 and is currently working on her post profession doctorate at the University of Montana. While she has worked in a variety of pediatric settings, for the past 14 years, she has specialized in providing care for Autistic children at Kennedy Krieger Institute through the Center for Autism and Related Disorders. Meghan is passionate about caregiver training for the families she works with and eliminating barriers to care, so patients and their families can successfully engage in meaningful occupations.

Jessica Pontius, MS, CCC-SLP
Jessica Pontius is a Speech-Language Pathologist who specializes in diagnostics and treatment of Autism, particularly in toddlerhood through adolescence. She graduated with her Master of Sciences in Speech-Language Pathology from Towson University in 2021. Jessica’s primary areas of interest are in early childhood diagnostics and adolescent executive functioning and literacy. She currently works in the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD.

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

  • Implement strategies to support communication needs of Autistic individuals;
  • Provide communicative support to Autistic patients to promote patient-centered care;
  • Implement interaction strategies when caring for Autistic individuals;
  • Implement environmental accommodations to support sensory and motor needs of Autistic individuals;
  • Provide support to family for self-care needs during a hospital or clinic stay; and
  • Identify the need for a safety plan.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all members of the rehabilitation team including medical staff, nurses, 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.

Register

On January 8, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) announced the availability of $2.8M in reemployment funds for the Direct Care Worker Job Quality (DCWJQ) Grant. The grant funding is to be used to boost PA’s direct care workforce by improving job quality and increasing career advancement opportunities. Applicants may request awards of up to $600,000 each.

Additional information about this funding is posted on the L&I grant opportunity web page. This information includes the grant itself, the application form, project summary, budget form, and the Worker Protection and Investment Certificate form.

The application deadline for the DCWJQ Grant is February 29, 2024, at 4:00 pm ET.

The meeting documents from the January 3, 2024, Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee meeting are now available below and include the agenda and PowerPoint presentations.

Today’s MLTSS Subcommittee meeting was the final meeting. The MLTSS Subcommittee will merge with the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee beginning in February. The first merged meeting is scheduled for February 1, 2024. Additional information about that meeting will be forthcoming.

On December 29, 2023, the Department of Human Services (DHS) issued to the CHC-MCOs a revised edition of “Operations Memo (#2019-05): Circumstances When Community Health Choices (CHC)-Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) Must Transmit the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Eligibility/Ineligibility/Change Form (PA 1768).” The PA 1768 (included in the Operations Memo) is used to notify the County Assistance Office (CAO) when a CHC participant is determined clinically eligible for CHC HCBS or when a CHC participant, who is receiving HCBS, experiences a change affecting his or her eligibility for HCBS.

This revised operations memo describes situations where the CHC-MCO sends the PA 1768 to the CAO. The memo has also been revised to include Money Follows the Person (MFP) information to communicate on the PA 1768 (Attachment 8), and to update a participant letter (Attachment 4: CHC HCBS Termination Letter (No Response).

If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Dehoff.

Join RCPA for a Membership Benefits webinar on Thursday, January 4, 2024, at 1:00 pm to orient yourself with all that RCPA membership entails. This is not just for new and future members; for current members, there may be benefits associated with your membership that you may not be aware of, including meetings and group communications that occur throughout the year. This webinar is a great way to ensure you are getting the most out of your membership!

Register here to attend. During the webinar, you’ll be able to:

  • Virtually meet the dedicated RCPA Policy Staff and lobbyists;
  • Discuss the 2024 Legislative and Administrative priorities;
  • Preview RCPA division committee and subcommittee meetings and what they offer;
  • View the RCPA member-only website;
  • Review exclusive yearly education and networking events; and
  • Understand the value of the National Association memberships included with RCPA membership.

Visit the RCPA member benefits page or contact Tieanna Lloyd for benefit information. We look forward to your participation in this webinar.

On January 10, 2024, from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) will be conducting an upcoming webinar that will focus on Person-Centered Service Planning (PCSP) in Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS): Requirements and Best Practices.

The webinar will include the following:

  • An overview of person-centered service planning;
  • A detailed discussion of the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) regulations pertaining to person-centered service plans provisions;
  • A detailed review of themes identified during CMS heightened scrutiny site visits regarding person-centered service plans;
  • Measures included in the 2022 HCBS Quality Measure Set that can be used to assess person-centered planning;
  • Section 9817 of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and state examples to support person-centered service planning;
  • Strategies to ensure comprehensive understanding and implementation of person-centered service plans; and
  • Indiana’s approach to person-centered planning.

Following the presentation, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Register here to participate in the webinar.