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Children's Services

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Registration is now open for the 2023 RCPA Annual Conference A Decade of Unity: Enhancing Lives and Shaping the Future! We are excited to share our registration brochure, which contains a full listing of workshops, plenary sessions, and Connections Hall offerings, with multiple networking opportunities. We have a well-rounded roster containing workshops on everything critical to the health and human resources fields, including value-based purchasing, the workforce crisis, and artificial intelligence and technology. Register here to claim your seat today!

We would also like to extend our thanks to our sponsors and exhibitors who have already contributed and shown their support! Sponsor and exhibitor spots are filling up quickly, so be sure to complete the sponsor/exhibitor brochure today! As a reminder, sponsors, exhibitors, and advertisers who wish to be listed on the website, the mobile app, and in the conference program must submit all materials by September 8. In order to be considered for booth self-selection, a completed contract with payment must be submitted, and no reservation is considered complete without payment. If questions remain, please contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator.

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Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

The Pennsylvania Pediatric Shift Care team announced the next Stakeholder Update Call will take place virtually on August 1, 2023, from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm. A meeting invite with connection information will be posted at a later date.

The Pediatric Shift Care initiative also requests any individuals with expertise in the Pediatric Shift Care experience that is interested in participating as a Subject Matter Expert to support development of education and training content to please complete a survey indicating your interest. More information regarding the online learning portal will be shared during the next Stakeholder Update Call. If you are interested in participating, please take this short 2-minute survey: Pediatric Shift Care Subject Matter Expert Interest Survey. The survey will close on August 4, 2023.

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By John Finnerty
Capitolwire.com Bureau Chief

HARRISBURG (June 30) – The race to finish the state budget begins with a staring contest – Senate Republicans on Thursday passed a controversial but potentially historic school voucher bill that House Democrats say they won’t take up.

Both chambers recessed Thursday without taking further action on the budget, leaving the spending plan and related code bills unfinished as the time before the deadline to get a plan in place dwindles to hours.

Of course, missing the June 30 deadline is hardly unprecedented. Last year’s budget was eight days late and former Gov. Tom Wolf’s first budget resulted in an impasse that dragged on for months – it wasn’t finally resolved until March.

Senate Republicans have been pressing to get the provisions in House Bill 479 included in the budget and Gov. Josh Shapiro has repeatedly said he supports the concept while saying he thinks any move to allow vouchers must also include a number of other initiatives to better-fund and otherwise improve public schools.

The Senate approved HB 479 (after amending the voucher language into a House bill aimed at changing the reimbursements for ambulance trips) on a mostly party-line vote. The Democrat who supported the bill was Sen. Anthony Williams, D-Philadelphia. Williams delivered a fiery speech on the Senate floor in defense of his support of the measure, saying he’d been targeted in the primaries over his support of school choice options for family but won re-election decisively nonetheless.

Williams, like Republican proponents, said his support of the measure was focused on providing opportunities for families who feel trapped by unsafe or otherwise failing public schools.

Under the measure, families that live in poor performing school districts would be eligible for state-funded scholarships — $5,000 a year for students in grades K-8; $10,000 for high school students; and $15,000 for special needs students – that could be used to pay private school tuition.

The legislation would provide $100 million in scholarships.

But House Democrats insist that the measure won’t get a vote in that chamber and if it did it would fail, despite Democrats narrow 102-101 majority in that chamber.

House Majority Leader Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery, said his caucus is “united” in opposition to the bill.

“There are not the votes for it, it’s not coming up and, if it comes up, it will be defeated,” Bradford told reporters late Thursday.

Bradford blamed the impasse on Senate Republicans who have yet to move any budget-related bills. The House passed a spending plan in early June.

But House Republican leaders said House Democrats are causing the impasse by their unwillingness to compromise to get a budget deal in place.

“They are hell-bent on passing a budget with 102 votes. If they don’t move off that position, we may never get a budget,” said Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

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The Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) have put a survey together to try to gain an understanding of the insurance market for both foster care and childcare providers. Both agencies have heard about difficulties experienced by these providers in finding insurance coverage, coupled with the rising cost of insurance for foster care and childcare. You can also read the letter from Acting DHS Secretary Valerie Arkoosh as well as Acting Commissioner of the PA Insurance Department Michael Humphrey, which outlines the importance of completing the survey. Complete the survey here.

Please share this survey where you feel appropriate, and reach out with any questions or concerns you may have. This survey will close Monday, July 31, 2023. Feel free to contact PID’s Caolinn Martin or DHS’ Jameekia Barnett with questions regarding the survey. If you have any additional questions, please contact RCPA MH Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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The sustained funding of community-based mental health services, such as community residential programs, family-based support, outpatient care, and crisis intervention, are critical to the wellbeing of our constituents and our communities. Funding levels for county mental health services have direct impacts on whether these important community and family supports will be available. Yet for too many years, state funding for mental health services has lagged far behind its needs. Counties find themselves advocating for the prevention of funds being cut instead of achieving the increases that are needed to catch up from years of underfunding.

This week’s letter, sent on behalf of the Coalition for the Mental Health Safety Net, stands as an open call to the PA General Assembly and stakeholders. For Pennsylvanians with a mental illness, the impact of the county funding shortfalls is already evident. The effects include: shortages of key mental health professionals; chronic underpayment of mental health providers; reductions/closures in mental health residential programs and supportive services, including employment and psychiatric rehabilitation services; uneven crisis response services; outpatient program closures; and the continuing criminalization of mental illness. Across the Commonwealth, there is no consistent level of mental health services available, and access to critical services largely depends on which county a patient lives in.

The Coalition is open to all new partners who wish to join our mission of advocacy for this 2023/24 initiative, as the time to act and engage with your representative is now. The Coalition will also be developing an advocacy toolkit for members to come together to sustain the safety net and serve those who need it most. The reality is that the demand for service far outweighs capacity and rate structures to serve this population.

If you have additional questions or would like to join the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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Join RCPA for a Membership Benefits webinar on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at 9:00 am to orient yourself with all that RCPA membership includes. This will certainly be important for new and potential members but will also be of value to current members, as there may be unrecognized benefits associated with our membership.

Register here to attend this webinar. Items we will review include the following and much more:

  • Virtually meet the dedicated RCPA Policy Staff and RCPA lobbyists;
  • Discuss the 2023 Legislative and Administrative priorities;
  • Highlight RCPA division committee and subcommittee meetings as well as what they offer;
  • View the RCPA member-only website;
  • Review exclusive yearly education and networking events; and
  • Understand other National Association memberships included with RCPA membership.

Visit the RCPA member benefits page or contact Tieanna Lloyd  for more information.

We look forward to your participation in this webinar.

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