Department of Health Announces Additional Partnerships to Assist with COVID-19 Response
Pennsylvanians Must Remain Vigilant about Preventing Child Abuse and Keeping All Kids Safe
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2020
Harrisburg, PA – Today, Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller urged Pennsylvanians to remain vigilant in our shared responsibility to keep all children safe and prevent child abuse. DHS administers ChildLine, which is a 24/7 hotline available to anyone concerned for the safety or well-being of a child. To report a concern, call 1-800-932-0313.
“While Pennsylvania begins to reopen and some of our lives get back to something close to normal, I want to remind my fellow residents that there are many people – particularly among vulnerable populations – who will continue to feel the effects of this public-health crisis for many months and years to come. And some are still in the shadows,” Secretary Miller said. “We all have a role to play to keep children safe. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, please call ChildLine to make a report.”
In the weeks immediately following the implementation of aggressive social-distancing measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, DHS saw a roughly 50 percent decline in average daily calls to ChildLine compared to the same time period in 2019. This decrease in calls is most likely an unfortunate side effect of school closures and limited interactions between children, their teachers and other mandated reporters in school settings. Of the 39,040 reports made by mandated reporters to ChildLine in 2018, for example, more than a third were reported by school employees.
To address the reduction in calls, DHS has prioritized outreach to stakeholders and external communication efforts to encourage members of the public to be on the lookout for signs of abuse or neglect among children in their community and to call ChildLine if they suspect a child is in danger. Between May 1 and May 28 of this year, ChildLine received 14,181 calls from concerned citizens — down from 23,536 calls during the same time period in 2019, or a roughly 40 percent reduction.
“Calls to ChildLine normally drop during the summer months when schools are closed, but this should only reinforce our efforts to be vigilant about our responsibility to protect all children,” Secretary Miller said. “Each and every one of us can play a role in protecting children from abuse or neglect. Making the call to ChildLine allows trained child welfare professionals and, if necessary, law enforcement to follow up, collect information, and determine if assistive services or other intervention is necessary.”
Anyone can make a report to ChildLine. Anyone who is not a mandated reporter can make a report to ChildLine anonymously. DHS is encouraging all Pennsylvanians to learn more about the signs of potential abuse or neglect and make a report to ChildLine if they begin to suspect abuse or neglect.
Signs of potential abuse or neglect can include:
- Numerous and/or unexplained injuries or bruises;
- Chronic, pronounced anxiety and expressed feelings of inadequacy;
- Flinching or an avoidance to being touched;
- Poor impulse control;
- Demonstrating abusive behavior or talk;
- Cruelty to animals or others; and,
- Fear of parent or caregiver, among others.
DHS also encourages parents and families who are struggling to cope during this time of crisis to reach out for help. Anyone struggling with mental health and in need of referrals to helpful programs can call Pennsylvania’s new Support & Referral Helpline, which is operated 24/7 by skilled caseworkers who can provide emotional support during this difficult period. The number to call is 1-855-284-2494. For TTY, dial 724-631-5600. Another helpful resource is the 2-1-1 hotline operated by the United Way, which can connect people and families to local resources that can help during the public health crisis.
MEDIA CONTACT: Erin James, ra-pwdhspressoffice@pa.gov
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New COVID-19 Funding Available for Pennsylvania Counties
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2020
Harrisburg, PA – Today, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin announced that new funding is available to 60 Pennsylvania counties under the COVID-19 County Relief Block Grant.
“As Pennsylvania continues on its road to recovery after efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, it is critical that we provide any and all assistance to Pennsylvania’s communities and businesses in a widespread and expedient manner,” said Sec. Davin. “This new funding will help Pennsylvania’s counties repair, recover, and reimagine the future that is waiting post-COVID-19.”
Guidelines, applications, and eligible counties can be found here.
Under the program, $625 million was made available to Pennsylvania counties in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding in the form of block grants administered by DCED. This funding may be used to offset the cost of direct county COVID-19 response, assist municipalities with COVID-19 response and planning efforts, fund nonprofit assistance programs, and deploy broadband to unserved or underserved areas.
Eligible expenditures must have been incurred between March 1, 2020 and December 30, 2020. Formula-driven funding will be made available to the 60 counties that did not previously receive direct assistance via the CARES Act, with a minimum allocation of $1 million. The counties that have already received direct assistance are Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery and Philadelphia.
Applications must be received by June 16, 2020. All applications for the County COVID-19 County Relief Block Grant must be completed and submitted online using DCED’s Single Application at dced.pa.gov or www.esa.dced.state.pa.us. Paper applications will not be accepted.
Applicants should carefully follow instructions outlined in the online Single Application and provide requested information. Questions can be directed to DCED Customer Service at 1-800-379-7448 or ra-dcedcs@pa.gov.
The CARES Act was passed by Congress and signed into law on March 27, 2020. The $2 trillion economic relief package aims to protect the American people from the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19. The CARES Act provides economic assistance for local governments and American workers, families, and small businesses.
For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, Pennsylvanians should follow https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/.
MEDIA CONTACT: Casey Smith, casesmith@pa.gov
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Wolf Administration Outlines Impacts of Ending Disaster Declaration
HHS Announces Relief Fund Distributions for Safety Net Hospitals, Medicaid & CHIP Providers
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced additional distributions from the Provider Relief Fund to eligible Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs. HHS expects to distribute approximately $15 billion to eligible providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs and have not received a payment from the Provider Relief Fund General Distribution. HHS also announced the distribution of $10 billion in Provider Relief Funds to safety net hospitals that serve our most vulnerable citizens. The safety net distribution will occur this week. For further information on provider eligibility and FAQs, please see the HHS website.
Message from National Council: Surgical Face Masks Still Available
Good Morning,
Here at the National Council we work to support the behavioral health community through advocacy, information exchange, resource development and even the acquisition of material goods for those in need.
If you need medical face masks, we still have a limited supply available for purchase. These masks come in batches of 200 and are being sold “at cost,” with shipping charges included. Secure your order today!
We expect these to ship within three working days of receiving your order. All masks will be shipped via UPS ground.
If you have any questions, please email Orders@TheNationalCouncil.org and we will be happy to help.
Thank you,
The National Council for Behavioral Health
Governor Renews Disaster Declaration; Telehealth Extended
On June 3, 2020, Governor Tom Wolf renewed the 90-day disaster declaration that he originally signed on March 6, 2020. The Proclamation to extend the Disaster Declaration can be found here.
This renewal will, for the duration of the extended disaster declaration, extend the approval of telehealth as a means of service delivery. This is in conjunction with the original memorandum from DHS and OMHSAS, “Telehealth Guidelines Related to COVID-19 (Updated),” published on May 5, 2020. See the May 5 OMHSAS Telehealth Memorandum.
The continued use and approval of telehealth services has been reviewed and confirm with OMHSAS. If you have additional questions or feedback, please contact your RCPA Policy Division Director.
CMS Releases Recommendations for Reopening Health Care Facilities
Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a guide for health systems and patients as they consider their in-person care options while COVID-19 cases decline. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, many health care systems and patients postponed non-emergency, in-person care in order to keep patients and providers safe and to ensure capacity to care for the COVID-19 patients. As the cases of COVID-19 decline, CMS is providing these recommendations to ensure that non-emergency health care resumes safely and that patients receive in-person treatment that may have been postponed. On April 19, 2020, CMS issued Phase 1 recommendations to safely resume in-person care in areas with low incidence of COVID-19 cases. As with these Phase 1 recommendations, decisions to reopen should be consistent with federal, state, and local orders, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, and in collaboration with state and local public health authorities.
A Message from DDAP Secretary Jen Smith
RCPA Member Telehealth Survey Overview
The RCPA Member Telehealth Survey elicited responses from more than 300 respondents, representing nearly half of the RCPA member agencies. The data we collected provided an insightful overview of member implementation of telehealth as well as the impacts it had on practitioners and clients.
Your responses, feedback, and ongoing dialogue provided a foundation to a set of recommendations that will be shared with our stakeholder community in efforts to create a viable a platform for the expansion and sustained platform for telehealth.
RCPA thanks the members for their participation in the survey and your ongoing efforts to service those in need. View the RCPA Telehealth Survey Overview. If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.
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