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Substance Use Disorder

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To more formally recognize the value of peers in the workforce, Pennsylvania is moving to a new full peer certification offered by the Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB). This new formal certification will be necessary to provide Medicaid billable peer support services.

To make this transition as easy as possible for current Pennsylvania Peer Specialists, there will be a time-limited grandparenting process for those who wish to obtain the new full certification during the grandparenting period.

The grandparenting period began March 1, 2018 and ends August 31, 2019.

The requirements for the grandparenting process must be met but no additional exam will be required.

The requirements to become grandparented are:

  • You must have completed the two-week peer specialist training from one of the recognized training vendors. Those two vendors are the Institute for Recovery and Community Integration and RI Consulting.
  • Complete the CPS Grandparenting Application and sign and date a Peer-specific code of ethical conduct.
  • Signed and notarized release form.

There is no initial cost to peers for obtaining the credential as the grandparenting fee is being underwritten by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS).

The new CPS certification will be valid for two years. To avoid a lapse in certification, recertification should occur before the end of the two-year certification period. Recertification requires obtaining 36 hours of CEUs every two years and a $50 two-year recertification fee.

This new formal certification through the PCB is designed to help strengthen the profession and give CPSs a stronger voice, while maintaining the essence of peer support in delivering recovery oriented services. We urge you to complete the process now, during the grandparenting period, to ensure you can continue to do the great work that you do.

REMEMBER: This new formal certification will be necessary to provide Medicaid billable peer support services.

The CPS Grandparenting Application can be found at the following link: www.pacertboard.org/cps

Requests for paper applications and/or questions should be addressed to:
Mail: PCB, 298 S. Progress Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17109
Phone: 717-540-4455
Email: [email protected]

The following organizations participated in the development of the new certification process:
Pennsylvania Peer Specialist Workgroup
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS)
Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association (PMHCA)
Pennsylvania Peer Support Coalition (PaPSC)
Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB)

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The Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Task Force Annual Meeting will be held on Monday, September 17, 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm at the Child Welfare Resource Center in Mechanicsburg. Anyone (member or non-member) is welcome to come and hear about the work of the task force over the past year and to learn about some very exciting work that is on the horizon.

The 2019 goal is to have children and adults who are diagnosed be provided with appropriate FASD interventions. This is an achievable goal and one that the task force has been longing for and working on for over 10 years. It is within our reach.

If you have any questions, please contact Lyn Becker.

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In preparation for the launch of Community HealthChoices (CHC) in the Southeast region, this CHC Fact Sheet explains the delivery of service coordination through the program. Under CHC, service coordination is a function of the managed care organizations (MCOs). A service coordinator is the MCO’s designated, accountable point-of-contact for each participant receiving long-term care services, their person-centered service plan, and service coordination. Therefore, the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) sees the service coordinators as part of the MCO under CHC.

In addition to the fact sheets, there are now short, easily digestible overview trainings on CHC that can be found here in order to increase stakeholder knowledge in anticipation of the Southeast rollout of the program.

To assist stakeholders in finding answers to questions more quickly, all FAQs have been consolidated into a single CHC Questions and Answers Document. The new document is in searchable PDF format and contains a table of contents that allows the user to easily move to different sections within the document.

The CHC Questions and Answers Document can be found on both the Participant and Provider sections of the CHC website by clicking on “View CHC Publications” or by following this link.

CONTACT: If you have any questions, please visit the CHC website or submit comments via email.

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) recently announced that they will be offering an “Opioid 101” webinar on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 at 1:00 pm.

This webinar will discuss the basics of opioid medications; what they are, how they work, and how substance use disorder is identified and treated. Additionally, the discussion will include current safe prescribing guidelines and alternative methods for managing chronic pain, information on how to recognize and respond to an overdose, how naloxone works, and how individuals can obtain it.

The webinar presenters include: Jordan Lewis, PhD, Public Policy Research Analyst, William Penn Fellow, Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs; Mr. Tim Rader, Chief, Training Section, Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs; Ms. Sarah Boateng, Executive Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Health; Mr. Jeff Geibel, Chief, Treatment Division, Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

To participate in this webinar, individuals are required to register using this link. A confirmation email will be sent that includes additional information about the webinar.

Questions regarding this webinar should be directed to Edward Butler via email or phone at 717-214-3718.

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Lynn Kovich, Deputy Secretary at OMHSAS, held a budget briefing webinar for stakeholders. Topics included state mental health facilities, Community/Hospital Integration Projects Program (CHIPPs) / Southeast Integration Projects Program (SIPPs) summary, regulations overview, 1115 Waiver, Community HealthChoices (CHC), and more. Please see the PowerPoint presentation for details; thank you.

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The Alliance of Community Service Providers has opened online registration for their 16th Annual Conference for Direct Support Professionals (DSP). The event will be held Friday, April 20, 2018, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Philadelphia Hilton on City Avenue. The conference is open to all direct support professional staff who provide services to individuals with intellectual disabilities, behavioral health needs, and/or substance use disorders.

Several workshops are scheduled throughout the day focusing on adult mental health, children and families, addictions, intellectual disabilities, advocacy, and professional development. For more information and to register, use this link.

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Conference Information

  • Theme: Coming Together: Creating a Culture of CommUNITY
  • Date: Friday, April 6, 2018*, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
  • Location: Ramada Inn, 1450 South Atherton Street, State College, PA, 16801
  • Click here for conference information

Price:

  • $79 for current PaPSC members
  • $99 for non-members

To Register:

*On Thursday, April 5, conference participants are invited to attend an informational and networking event from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm in the Gallery Room of the Ramada Inn conference center. Learn more about PaPSC, receive information about the move of Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) credentialing to the Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB), and meet other CPS’s from throughout the Commonwealth!

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