Face Mask Mandate for the Unvaccinated Comes to an End | Today in Pa.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a new COVID-19 Viral Testing tool. This interactive and mobile-friendly online tool will help to streamline the process of sorting through information about COVID-19 testing and next steps. The tool complements the CDC’s testing guidance and assists healthcare providers in making decisions and recommendations for their patients about the following:
On Friday, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed SB255, the 2021–22 General Appropriations bill, by a vote of 140-61 in the House and a vote of 43-7 in the Senate.
The accompanying budget code bills also passed on Friday. The Tax Code Bill, HB952, passed 46-4 in the Senate, 170-31 in the House. The Administrative Code, HB336, passed 28-22 in the Senate, 112-89 in the House, and the Fiscal Code, HB1348, passed 42-8 in the Senate and 168-33 in the House. The final code bill, the Public School Code, SB381, passed 154-47 in the House and 40-10 in the Senate.
The planned General Fund budget will spend $40.2 billion, which includes some Federal stimulus monies. The budget only appropriates approximately $2 billion out of the $7.3 billion in federal stimulus dollars. The state Department of Human Services (DHS) budget line-items are set to grow by $1.8 billion, or 11.7 percent.
While not everyone in the General Assembly was happy with the end product, the Governor is expected to sign the budget bills before June 30.
For your convenience, RCPA has compiled a summary of the Administrative and Fiscal Codes and a breakdown of the specific DHS line-items relevant to RCPA members. As more information comes to light concerning how DHS will spend these appropriations on health and human service programs, RCPA will update the membership.
If you have any questions, please contact Jack Phillips, Director of Government Affairs.
This webinar will discuss vaccine hesitancy among direct service workers (DSWs), explore barriers they face, including access to information and transportation, and offer strategies to help increase vaccination rates.
Panelists:
This webinar will be held on Thursday, July 1, 2021 from 3:00 pm–4:30 pm ET.
Click here to register.
Patient Selection and Neurosurgical Decision-Making to Treat Hypertonia in Children with Cerebral Palsy: Who is a Good Candidate and Which Procedures are Helpful?
Thursday, August 5, 2021
1:00 pm–2:00 pm EDT, 12:00 pm–1:00 pm CDT
11:00 am–12:00 pm MDT, 10:00 am–11:00 am PDT
Dr. Marcie Ward, Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine
Dr. Patrick Graupman, Pediatric Neurosurgery
Dr. Tim Feyma, Pediatric Neurology
Laura Area, PT, Pediatric Physical Therapy
Course Description:
Management of hypertonicity in children with cerebral palsy is multifaceted. Join us as this multi-disciplinary team from Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minnesota discusses the neurosurgical options, considerations, and best practices for treatment of this condition.
Disclosures/Conflicts of Interest:
The presentation team are all employed by Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare and did not receive any compensation for this presentation. The team has no relevant financial disclosures.
Objectives: At the end of the session, the learner will:
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 here.
Please register here to join the next RCPA Member Update Webinar on Friday, June 25, 2021 at 10:00 am. This webinar will feature a presentation on Cybersecurity in Healthcare, sponsored by Lockton Companies. In addition to the Cybersecurity topic, please join us for a discussion of budget and legislative issues, including the American Rescue Plan. Jack Phillips, Paul Dlugolecki, and Pat Brier will be present to discuss and take questions and comments. RCPA will then present member updates, including budget and legislative information.
We look forward to your participation!
Please join RCPA in supporting this important legislation.
Message from Michael Gamel-McCormick:
Senators Casey, Wyden and Schumer, along with Senators Murray, Duckworth, Brown and Hassan, and Representatives Dingell, Pallone, Schakowsky and Matsui will soon introduce the bicameral Better Care Better Jobs Act. The Better Care Better Jobs Act will make President Biden’s bold vision to expand home and community-based services (HCBS) infrastructure, a key component of the American Jobs Plan, a reality.
If your organization would like to be listed as a supporting organization of the bill, please email: josh_kramer@aging.senate.gov.
For questions about the policy, contact Liz Dervan, Keith Miller, Michael Gamel-McCormick, Tim Huebner, or Rick Van Buren.
We hope that your organization will support this transformative piece of legislation. Thank you.
Michael Gamel-McCormick
Disability Policy Director
Special Committee on Aging
Sen. Bob Casey, Chair