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Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

Multi-ethnic multi-generation group of people from young children to 95 years old.

A Joint Initiative of the FISA Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, and The Pittsburgh:

Date: Tuesday, October 3, 2023
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET
REGISTER
No cost, but registration is necessary.

This session addresses the relationship between race and disability and establishes a common language around intersectionality. You will walk away with insights into cultivating programs, practices, and an organizational culture that is grounded in racial justice, disability justice, and inclusion.

This webinar focuses on inclusive practices around disability and racial justice, led by Keri Gray, CEO of the Keri Gray Consulting Group.

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Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared a flyer regarding a series of free technology trainings. The trainings, titled “My Tech For All,” will teach attendees how to use Zoom, Facebook, email, web browsers, Alexa, Google Search, SmartPhones, and tablets. Training starts Tuesday, October 10, and will occur weekly for six weeks. View the flyer for details and the full schedule.

Prepare your team for challenging events through trainings and sessions being offered at the 2023 RCPA Annual Conference A Decade of Unity! Workshops will focus on some difficult topics but will be certain to improve your team’s treatment of patients as well as their own, personal well-being. View the full brochure here, and claim your early bird rate, your hotel, and your discount today so you can gain direct access to workshops such as:

  • Ethics, Suicide, and Coercive Practices: Are We Doing More Harm Than Good?
    • Examine cultural and societal values in relation to suicide, including a discussion on whether physician-assisted suicide is a human right.
  • Reducing Health Disparities Through a Collaborative Approach to Value-Based Contracting
    • Learn about Highmark Wholecare’s intervention into minority adolescent treatment for STIs, which reduced racial/ethnic disparities through Medicaid VBC payment models.
  • Measurement-Based Care: Exploring the Value of a Coordinated Approach in Pennsylvania
    • Analyze the implementation of measurement-based care models across Northeast Pennsylvania through Greenspace Health and Northeast Behavioral Health Care Consortium.
  • Attracting and Retaining the Best Talent: Mitigating Bias in Hiring, From Sourcing Through Onboarding
    • Discover ways in which bias presents itself during the hiring process and how to manage it so that you can find and keep great talent.
  • The Dialectical Behavior Model of Living
    • Study the Dialectical Behavior Model of Living in order to assist neurodivergent individuals in managing their social, emotional, and environmental processes.
  • Debriefing: Supporting Staff and People Supported Through a Traumatic Event
    • Be a leader for your team by utilizing debriefing tactics in order to help your employees when traumatic experiences happen in the workplace.
  • Treating Problematic Sexualized Behaviors Through a Systemic Model
    • Identify warning signs of problematic sexual behavior in adolescents and learn how to approach and treat such behaviors with cultural and ethical considerations.
  • Machine Learning: New Tools to Improve Youth Mental Health Outcomes
    • Hear from Gemma Services on how they improved their PRTF and Outpatient programs through a data analytics firm and the creation of an Insight Generator tool.
  • RCPA Captive Health Plan: NON-CE Offering
    • Learn about the RCPA Captive Health Care program, including benefits, costs, and savings potentials for your organizations.
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!

At the August 2023 ISAC meeting, Self Advocates United as 1 (SAU1) presented a tribute to Carolyn Morgan, who was an inspiring self-advocate who encouraged many others to speak for themselves. SAU1 has developed a Youth Empowerment Fellowship program in memory of Carolyn, and is seeking support for this program, including financial. Their presentation is now available and can be viewed here. If you would like to support or ask questions about the program, please contact SAU1 directly.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared a list of current Agency With Choice (AWC) Financial Management Service (FMS) organizations that are available to support participants and surrogates who have chosen to self-direct some or all of their Participant Directed Services (PDS) using the AWC FMS model and are in the Consolidated, Community Living, or Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS) waivers. Please view the announcement for additional information and to see the listing.

September continues PA Family Network’s series on Participant Directed Services. Join the team of Family Advisors to get your questions answered about Participant Directed Services and how you can choose to direct your own services under the Intellectual Disability/Autism (ID/A) Waivers. These workshops are created by family members and self-advocates FOR family members and self-advocates.

Register for upcoming events online.

Community Engagement Workshops:
These will only be offered at these dates and times!

LifeCourse Workshops  

Waiver Workshops

Support Groups

The Information Sharing and Advisory Committee (ISAC) met on August 15, 2023. ODP staff shared several updates, including Deputy Secretary Ahrens. The public comment period regarding the Selective Contracting Concept Paper ended July 10, 2023. The Residential Strategic Thinking Group (RSTG) meetings are scheduled through September, and ODP intends to issue a survey to assist in developing performance measures and baselines. ODP will publish the 1915(b)(4) application and any accompanying 1915(c) amendments for public comment prior to submitting to CMS. The PowerPoint presentation reviewed at the meeting can be found here.

Self Advocates United as 1 (SAU1) presented a tribute to Carolyn Morgan, who was an inspiring self-advocate who encouraged many others to speak for themselves. SAU1 has developed a Fellowship program in memory of Carolyn, and is seeking support for this program, including financial. For additional information on this fellowship, please reach out directly to SAU1.

ISAC/ODP strategies to address the following areas were reviewed during the meeting:

#1:   Assure Effective Communication;
#2:   Promote Self-Direction, Choice and Control;
#5:   Promote Health, Wellness and Safety;
#7:   Develop and Support Qualified Staff;
#8:   Simplify the System;
#9:   Improve Quality; and
#10: Expand Options for Community Living.

View the 2022 ISAC Annual Report.