FEMA/CDC have emergency planning videos with ASL interpretation available for public use:
FEMA CDC Accessible: Flood Waters During and After a Disaster
FEMA Accessible: CDC Helping Adults Cope During an Emergency
FEMA Accessible: CDC Helping Children With Disabilities During an Emergency
FEMA Social Stories:
FEMA’s Flood Insurance Advocate Explains Flood Claims
FEMA’s Flood Insurance Advocate Explains When Flood Insurance is Required
A free webinar is being sponsored by the PA Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Preparedness and Response, PA Department of Human Services Division of Emergency Planning and Safety Operations, and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
DATE: Monday, August 9, 2021
TIME: 10:00 am–11:30am
Register through TRAINPA
LOCATION: Zoom
For more information, see the flier.
The Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information (COE PHI) and SAMHSA have created one-page resources to assist practitioners and consumers on guidance for telehealth visits and encounters. The tips provide an overview of best practices for appointments to assist in creating a safe environment for treatment.
COE PHI: Tips for Telehealth Privacy
SAMHSA: How to Prepare for a Video Appointment
Please feel free to share these resources with your staff and stakeholders. If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) invites individuals to participate in the Attitudes Towards Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) Survey. Prospective participants are individuals who provide clinical direction or clinical supervision to staff who occasionally provide behavioral or mental health services to children ages 0 through 8 and their families.
To register as a participant and/or to learn more about the benefits of participating in the ARTIC Survey Study and about the Cross-Sector Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Services Collaborative, please review the memorandum, which contains 2 registration links: one for a brief online Question & Answer Webinar, which will be held on August 17, 2021 from 1:00 pm–2:00 pm, and the other for enrolling as a survey participant.
Questions regarding the webinar can be directed to CB Artic Survey.
We’re learning more about COVID-19 all the time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looks at the latest available evidence to make the best science-based public health recommendations. Because of new information on the Delta variant currently circulating in the United States, CDC has updated the information for fully vaccinated people.
More About the Delta Variant
Viruses constantly change through mutation. Slightly different forms of a virus are called variants.
Delta is one such variant, and it’s caused more than 80% of recent COVID-19 cases in the United States – according to estimates – and will likely cause more. Delta spreads more easily than other variants. In fact, COVID-19 cases have increased over 300% nationally from June 19 to July 23, 2021, driven by Delta variant.
The best way to stop the spread of Delta is to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccines are preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death, and are effective against the Delta variant. High vaccination coverage will reduce spread of the virus in your community and elsewhere – and help prevent new variants from emerging.
What Has Been Updated?
CDC is constantly reviewing new data and evidence on the Delta variant. This update is based on recent evidence both here in the United States and in other countries. It shows a small number of fully vaccinated people may be infected with Delta and may infect others.
The highest spread of cases and severe outcomes is happening in places with low vaccination rates. Most vaccinated people are protected from the virus. However, the evidence shows that vaccinated people can get Delta in a breakthrough infection and may be contagious. Even so, breakthrough cases are being seen in a small number of vaccinated people and the vast majority are avoiding serious illness, hospitalization, or death. Virtually all hospitalizations and deaths continue to be in those who are not vaccinated.
The Delta variant is much more contagious than previous versions of the virus. Therefore, CDC now recommends the following for people who are fully vaccinated (more than 2 weeks from the last dose of the vaccine):
CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place.
Learn more about these updates. At this time, recommendations for travel have not changed.
How to Protect Yourself and Your Community
Getting vaccinated is the most important thing you can do to end the COVID-19 pandemic. But some people may still need to take steps to protect themselves against COVID-19, such as children too young to get vaccinated or people with weakened immune systems.
In addition to wearing masks indoors in public, consider the following:
Find a Vaccine Near You. With the Delta variant, getting vaccinated is more urgent than ever. Please send this information to your colleagues, networks, friends, and family.
Additional Resources
Contact Us
Email: EPIC@cdc.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd
Atlanta, GA 30333
Questions?
Contact CDC-INFO
800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) TTY: 888-232-6348
Join us for a webinar on “The Better Care Better Jobs Act: What Activists Need to Know.”
How the Better Care Better Jobs Act (BCBJA) Addresses the Unmet Needs of Aging Adults, People with Disabilities, Family Caregivers, and Direct Care Workers
Wednesday, July 28 6:00 pm–7:00 pm (Eastern)
Register here.
Come and learn the basics about the Better Care Better Jobs Act and how it would transform Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). This proposed $400 billion in funding will increase access to services as well as make a long-overdue investment in the direct care workforce that delivers these services to people with disabilities and aging adults all over the country.
You will hear from lawmakers about what we can expect in Congress and from consumers about the importance of Medicaid-funded HCBS and policy priorities that enable people with disabilities and older adults to live in their homes and communities. CART and ASL will be provided.
Speakers:
Organized By: The Arc of the United States, ACLU, AAPD, ANCOR, ASAN, Justice in Aging, Caring Across Generations, and National Domestic Workers Alliance
Co-Sponsored By: Care Can’t Wait (pending), Disability and Aging Collaborative, and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
Prev