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Substance Use Disorder

For those in health and human services, keeping up-to-date with the latest in payment, treatment, and worker recruitment methods is essential. At the 2023 RCPA Annual Conference A Decade of Unity, you’ll have access to workshops that both highlight and educate on the latest developments in the field, including the use of AI, selective contracting, and telehealth. Our full brochure is available, and you can expect to see workshops such as the following:

  • Guiding the Use of Evidence-Based Practice to Drive Improved Quality Outcomes Across Levels of Care
    • Examine the use of evidence-based practices and the outcomes of value-based payment programs with the PA Opioid Use Disorder Centers of Excellence.
  • Recruitment and Retention of Front Line Workers
    • Focus on the HR challenges of recruiting and retaining workers by reviewing why workers are leaving and analyzing what HR can do to meet goals.
  • Preparing Your Organization’s Infrastructure for Selective Contracting for IDD Providers
    • Define what a preferred IDD provider is when it comes to selective contracting and discuss how to prepare for transitioning your organization’s infrastructure.
  • Not If But When You Use AI and Machine Learning – But is the AI Trustworthy? Some Things to Look For
    • Discuss AI use in the health and human services field in order to make informed decisions for your organization.
  • Connecting Through Movement: Bringing Accessible and Enjoyable Movement Experiences Into the Home and Community
    • Explore ways of staying physically active in community settings with home-based, telehealth methods.
  • A Brief Multi-Disciplinary Intervention for Supporting Adults With IDD and Co-Occurring Mental Health Conditions
    • Analyze the use of the ANSA-DD for holistic intervention and treatment for those with IDD and co-occurring mental health conditions.
  • Community Partnerships That Work: Community Mental Health Centers – School Districts
    • Identify the strengths in collaboration when school districts, community mental health agencies, and their communities work together to assist families struggling with violence and trauma.
  • Leadership and Navigating Change
    • Tackle resistance in a team that is going through significant adjustments and learn how to be a leader by focusing on the ‘people side’ of change.
Register today!

In addition to an impressive roster of speakers, our 2023 Conference will have an exciting array of sponsors and exhibitors. We thank those who have signed on thus far! If you are interested in sponsoring or exhibiting, visit here for more details or contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, with any questions you may have. Keep up-to-date and register today for #rcpaconf!

Capitol hill building in the morning with colorful cloud , Washington DC.

Message from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing:

This month the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and hundreds of other organizations across the country celebrated the first anniversary of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, a new dialing code operated through the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. With the new, easy to remember number, the Lifeline successfully served millions more people than in years prior.

Yet we still have a long way to go to ensure that our crisis care system provides people in every community with someone to respond and somewhere to go.

Recently, Representative Tony Cardenas (D-CA-29) introduced the 988 Implementation Act, bipartisan legislation that seeks to provide federal funding and support for states to enact 988 crisis services and broaden awareness of resources for those in crisis.

What is the 988 Implementation Act? 

  1. Expands behavioral health workforce training programs and provides grant opportunities for local behavioral health centers;
  2. Expands Medicaid coverage for behavioral health services, including short term crisis intervention services;
  3. Increases support for mobile crisis response, ensuring that even those in rural areas have access to timely care;
  4. Creates new capital grants to be used for crisis response program facility renovation, construction, and expansion;
  5. Narrows the IMD exclusion so that services furnished in psychiatric acute care crisis beds administered by CCBHCs and other crisis care settings are eligible for Medicaid coverage; and
  6. Increases awareness of 988 through a national media campaign.

Contact your Congressional Representatives and urge them to support the 988 Implementation Act. By strengthening, and raising awareness for current resources, and building capacity at the state level for on the ground crisis services, this legislation will make a difference, and save lives.

Time is of the essence. Act today, and together we can strengthen the crisis care continuum.

Sincerely,
Rachel Abraham
Federal Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Step By Step, Inc. Launches Community Residential Rehabilitation (CRR) Services in Lewistown and Huntingdon

Step By Step is pleased to announce the official launch of two Community Residential Rehabilitation (CRR) services in Lewistown and Huntingdon. This milestone represents a significant advancement in the agency’s commitment to providing essential mental health support to individuals in need.

Lesley Corey, ​Chief Operating Officer at Step By Step, expressed her satisfaction, stating, “We are excited to take this significant step forward in our mission to offer vital mental health support to individuals within our community who require it the most. Our team has worked tirelessly to transition these services to our agency, and we are deeply committed to making a positive impact in the lives of those we serve. The need for accessible and compassionate mental health care has never been greater, and we are honored to be able to fill this gap in the regions of Lewistown and Huntingdon.”

CRR services are designed to support individuals in their pursuit of wellness and recovery. The service provides transitional housing and support for adults ages 18+ with mental health disorders. In engaging, home-like residences, individuals develop the skills, habits, and confidence necessary to continue on their personal journeys of recovery and growth and ultimately transition to the living arrangement of their choice. Step By Step’s team of dedicated professionals provides comprehensive coaching and practical tools to assist individuals in developing essential skills and successfully transitioning to their desired living environment, whether it be an independent apartment or reuniting with family members.

Step By Step remains committed to delivering trauma-informed, resilience-oriented, and equity-focused services. The human service agency integrates evidence-based practices such as WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plans) and Personal Medicine Coaching, ensuring individuals have the resources to take charge of their recovery and well-being.

Step By Step extends its appreciation to all individuals and organizations who contributed to the establishment of these CRR services. Their support and collaboration have played a vital role in positively impacting the lives of those served by the organization.

As Step By Step moves forward, it eagerly anticipates engaging with the community and coordinating additional services to further enhance the wellbeing of Huntingdon, Mifflin, and Juniata Counties. Stay tuned for further updates as the organization continues to evolve and expand its mission.


About Step By Step: 

Step By Step, Inc. is a private, non-profit corporation devoted to providing community support services to children and adults in Pennsylvania with intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, autism, mental health disorders, and/ or substance use disorders.

Established in 1977, the agency today provides services to over 2,000 individuals across Pennsylvania. Throughout its history, Step By Step, Inc. has maintained a progressive view of the potential of individuals with disabilities.

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If you haven’t registered yet for the 2023 RCPA Annual Conference A Decade of Unity, then don’t wait any longer! Our plenary sessions throughout the week are sure to inspire you with new ideas to tackle priorities in health and human services. Looking ahead, we have:

  • Returning speaker Michael Cohen, Esq., addressing practical ways for attracting high-caliber employees in a rapidly-changing job market;
  • A panel addressing the realities of the workforce crisis, featuring Tine Hansen-Turton of Woods Services, Toni Pergolin of Bancroft, Rita Gardner of Melmark, and Marco Giordano of Resources for Human Services; and
  • National updates from National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s Chuck Ingoglia as well as ANCOR’s Donna Martin.

Be sure to view our registration brochure to book your seat (and your hotel room) today!

We extend our thanks to those organizations that have already contributed and shown their support! Sponsor and exhibitor spots are filling up quickly, so 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.

The Secretaries of the Department of Human Services, Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Health, and Department of Aging have written a letter to human services organizations about the budget impasse and an estimated $5.9 billion in planned state and federal funding that cannot be disbursed without a signed budget. The letter details specific funds that cannot be distributed through each department.

For Gov. Shapiro to sign HB 611, the General Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2023/24, which was passed by both the House and Senate, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward must first deliver a signed physical copy of the bill to him. Sen. Ward is the only person with the power to call the Senate into session to complete this procedural step. Ward has adjourned the Senate until Sept. 18, 2023.

Read the full letter here.

Explore unique leadership and up-to-date support strategies in health and human services at the 2023 RCPA Annual Conference A Decade of Unity, as our speakers will be covering topics that touch on hoarding disabilities, handling subpoenas, and even tackling social anxiety with tabletop games! Held at the Hershey Lodge October 10 – 13, participants can earn CEs through these exciting and interactive workshops. Our full brochure is available, and below is a sampling of the many sessions being offered:

  • Hoarding Recovery and Maintenance Program
    • Learn about the Hoarding Recovery and Maintenance Program, which was designed to support individuals dealing with anxiety and stress as they let go of their hoarded possessions.
  • Make Difficult People Disappear: How to Reduce Stress and Eliminate Conflict in the Workplace
    • Obtain tricks and resources to not only managing stressful individuals but making them disappear without worsening the situation.
  • Investigating the Use of Tabletop Role-Playing Games as a Potential Therapeutic Intervention for Individuals With Social Anxiety
    • Discover how tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons can assist adults in dealing with anxiety, particularly social anxiety.
  • A Treatment Outcome Measurement System That Helps to Get & Keep Treatment Funding
    • Develop a simple yet effective treatment outcome measurement system in order to keep funding, including Medicaid funding.
  • Addressing Cultural Barriers to Treatment: How to Be Respectfully Curious When Working With Families
    • Address leadership tactics for being curious yet respectful when interacting with fellow employees in order to avoid causing more harm or enforcing one’s personal beliefs.
  • Subpoenas, Court Orders, and Requests for PHI: Obligations Under HIPAA, the MHPA, and Other Statutes
    • Delve into HIPAA and PA statues in order to learn about the complexities regarding subpoenas and court-related orders when working in health and human services.
  • Enabling Technology: The Why, What, and How Needed to Make it Happen
    • Understand how companies can improve organization capacity in order to provide up-to-date technology to disabled communities.
  • Leadership and Navigating Change
    • Tackle resistance in a team that is going through significant adjustments and learn how to be a leader by focusing on the ‘people side’ of change.
Register today!

In addition to an impressive roster of speakers, our 2023 Conference will have an exciting array of sponsors and exhibitors. We thank those who have signed on thus far! If you are interested in sponsoring or exhibiting, visit here for more details or contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, with any questions you may have. Keep up-to-date and register today for #rcpaconf!

Image by Tom und Nicki Löschner from Pixabay

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) issued Policy Bulletin 23-02, which describes modifications to the DDAP Gambling Treatment Manual. Changes outlined in the bulletin include updated qualifications for providers, extended certification timelines, revised billing rates, and streamlined processes for client sessions, record-keeping, and grievance handling. The revised manual can also be accessed on the DDAP website.

Governor Shapiro’s office published a list of regulations being considered by the state agencies in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on July 22, 2023. The document lists regulations being drafted by state agencies that cover a wide variety of activities under oversight of the state government. Under Executive Order 1996-1, all agencies under the jurisdiction of the Governor must submit for publication semi-annually an agenda of regulations under development or consideration. This list is current as of July 15, 2023.