RCPA Member Webinar on Enhancing Staff Wellbeing to Be Held Sept. 12
OMHSAS PRTF Regulations Webinar Information
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.
PCCD Announces $120M for School Safety and Mental Health Supports for Students
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:
- $100 million for noncompetitive FY 24/25 School Safety & Mental Health Grants for eligible school entities to meet both physical security and behavioral health needs. Funding is distributed via formula grants to all school districts, charter schools, area career and technical centers, and intermediate units in the Commonwealth.
- $19.7 million for competitive FY 24/25 Targeted School Safety Grants for Nonpublic Schools to support programs addressing school violence and improving school safety and security. Municipalities, law enforcement agencies, and approved security vendors are also eligible to apply to support school security personnel services in all Pennsylvania schools.
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.
Dual Diagnosis Professional Conference Series to Present “Insidious Trauma” Webinar on Sept. 11
Insidious Trauma: Context, Impact, and Considerations for Care
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Register Here
This session will introduce the impact of trauma broadly, provide an overview of insidious trauma and its effects, and explore some relevant interpersonal and clinical considerations in supporting those impacted by traumatic stress. Presenters will share their expertise on best and promising practices as well as provide general knowledge. View the announcement for more information.
Final Form Regulations for PRS Providers Open for Public Comment
As part of the Independent Regulatory Reform Commission (IRRC) process for the promulgation of new regulations, the Final Form Regulations for the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (PRS) have been posted for review and public comment on the IRRC website. This public comment period runs for 30 days. The comments may be submitted by individuals, organizations, associations, etc. on the impacts of the regulations on the systems and individuals they serve.
The purpose of this final-form rulemaking is to amend Chapter 5230 to allow psychiatric rehabilitation services (PRS) to be provided to individuals who are diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, or anxiety disorders without going through the exception process and to allow individuals who are 14 years of age or older but under 18 years of age who meet the admission requirements to access PRS. In addition, the final-form rulemaking clarifies the documentation that will be reviewed through the exception process to determine if an individual is eligible for PRS as well as revises outdated language.
The Department convened a work group that included stakeholders to review and provide input on the proposed rulemaking. The work group held face-to-face meetings on November 4, 2015; December 8, 2015; and January 28, 2016, to review the current regulation and provide recommendations for the proposed changes, which RCPA and its members took part in.
At this time, we are seeking any further public comment as it relates to these regulations. RCPA intends to submit comments on behalf of our members, though individuals and organizations may submit comments pertaining to the regulations directly to the IRRC website. Please submit your comments to RCPA COO and Mental Health Policy Director Jim Sharp.
The IRRC hearing on the Final Form Regulation Hearing will be held on September 19, 2024, at 10:00 am. RCPA intends to participate in the hearing to speak to our recommendations. If any member would like to attend and or testify, please contact Jim Sharp.
ATTENTION: DHS Updates PROMISe System URL
In accordance with DHS rebranding and the Governor’s Office Customer Service Transformation Initiative, the Office of Medical Assistance Programs will be implementing changes to the old URLs to reach PROMISe hosted applications and websites. The old URLs, using a domain naming convention of dpw.state.pa.us, will be changing to dhs.pa.gov in phased implementations beginning August 7, 2024, and wrapping up in October 2024. Please review the PDF listed below, containing the impacted production environment URLs.
See document for specific PROMISE activity URL updates.
Who is Impacted?
- CWOPA users and registered business partners with active assigned PROMISe role permissions for each URL
- External persons accessing the Physician Provider Directory Search
- Providers accessing the Electronic Enrollment Application or logging into the MA and LiHeap Provider Internet Portals
When is this happening?
- The first URL, Project Workbook access, is scheduled to change on August 7, 2024
- The remaining URLs will be implemented in phases
- All phases to be completed by October 1, 2024
How will these changes be communicated?
- CWOPA users and business partners with active assigned PROMISe role permission to access URLs today will receive targeted email communication shortly before each URL change is implemented
- Broadcast messages will run on the MA Provider and LiHeap Internet Portals
- Providers will receive the same messaging via the ListServ
- For a limited time after implementation, if a user tries to access an old dpw.state.pa.us URL, a redirect message will pop-up for 5 seconds instructing users to save/bookmark the new URL, then continue to the new dhs.pa.gov URL
- The DHS Communications Office will be making pre-identified updates from old URLS to the new URLs throughout the various DHS website pages
What can I do to aid this transition?
- The Old PROMISe URLS have been in place for a long time. We are asking for your assistance, post implementation, in identifying any remaining reference to the old URL. These references could be found on DHS SharePoint, HealthChoices Extranet, and DHS web pages or downloadable documents
- If you discover remaining usage of the old URLs post implementation, please send a message to this email for correction. Be sure to document the exact site location of the reference and include a screen shot to aid in correction efforts.
If you have further questions, please contact the above OMPA Ra account or your respective RCPA Policy Director.
OMHSAS Shares VBP Provider Technical Assistance PowerPoint
On July 19, 2024, the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) presented a Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Provider Technical Assistance Webinar. The webinar, developed and presented by OMHSAS and their partner Mercer, provided an excellent overview of the VBP landscape and valuable guidance for providers to consider future efforts to incorporate VBPs into their service matrix.
OMHSAS supports providers interested in pursuing VBP programming to contact and collaborate with their respective BH-MCOs on VBP options. The Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Provider Technical Assistance PowerPoint provides an outline of the information covered in the webinar. Should you have any questions or comments, please contact the OMHSAS VBP Resource Account via email.
If you have any additional questions, please contact RCPA Policy Directors Jason Snyder or Jim Sharp.
RCPA to Hold Member Webinar on PA Budget Recap Sept. 4
Early Bird Rates for the 2024 RCPA Conference End August 23!
Early bird rates for the 2024 RCPA Conference Embracing Challenges, Empowering Success are ending August 23, meaning you won’t want to wait any longer to claim your seat, book that hotel room, and get ready to make new connections! Register today to gain access to over 60 thought-provoking workshops and speakers who are at the forefront of change in health and human services, including:
- Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh, who will cover the State of the State, identifying both current priorities and upcoming initiatives; and
- Vice President for State Partnerships and Innovation Donna Martin of ANCOR and Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy Reyna Taylor of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, who will give national updates on practices being implemented nationwide as well as legislative updates from Washington, DC.
View our registration brochure for complete details on the conference schedule, current sponsors and exhibitors, and a word from RCPA President and CEO Richard Edley.
Time is also running out if your organization is interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at our conference — the deadline for items is August 23, 2024! Now is your chance to complete our Sponsors, Exhibitors, and Advertisers Brochure or contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, for opportunities to showcase your organization.
We look forward to sharing more details in the near future and would like to extend a thank you to those organizations who have already pledged support for the conference! View our current sponsors and exhibitors on the RCPA Conference website!
Reminder for IPRC Webinar “The Role of the Pediatric Rehab Professional Along the Cancer Care Continuum” on August 6
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
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
Register Here
Jennifer Bernstein, PT, DPT
Speaker Bio:
Jennifer Bernstein, PT, DPT, is a Board-Certified Specialist in Oncologic Physical Therapy. Dr. Bernstein has been a practicing physical therapist for over 10 years, all of which have been spent at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her areas of specialty practice within physical therapy include Oncology, Hematology, and Bone Marrow Transplant for pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients. Jennifer received her Board Certification in Oncology in 2020 and has been involved in extensive program development and leadership roles representing the hospital’s occupational and physical therapists. She serves as the Specialization Chair for the Oncology section of the APTA, which allows her to actively engage with other passionate members of the organization. She serves as a mentor in the APTA Oncology Mentorship Program and has greatly enjoyed sharing her knowledge about the world of oncology physical therapy. Most recently, Whole-Body Vibration in Oncology Rehabilitation: Perceived Benefits, Barriers and Clinical Willingness was published in the Rehabilitation Oncology Journal, serving as Jen’s second publication. She has enjoyed being featured on “The OncoPT Podcast” and serving as a guest contributor for a Medbridge Course About Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology.
Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the evidence on exercise and patients with cancer;
- Identify precautions, indications, and contraindications to be considered when working with individuals under treatment for cancer;
- Acknowledge the diversity, complexity, and variability involved in a cancer diagnosis at various life stages; and
- Establish an understanding of the role of rehab professionals throughout the continuum of care for patients undergoing treatment for cancer in various practice settings.
Audience: This webinar is intended for all interested members of the rehabilitation team.
Level: Beginner – Intermediate
Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.
Complimentary webinars are a benefit of membership in IPRC/RCPA. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today.
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