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Medical Rehab

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published the following reports in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation that examine and address gaps in traumatic brain injury (TBI) surveillance, including concussions that occur in youth sports.

Many concussions and other TBIs are first treated outside of emergency departments, suggesting that surveillance systems that rely only on hospital datasets are undercounting the true number of these injuries in the United States. CDC’s National Concussion Surveillance System (NCSS) Pilot used a random-digit-dial telephone survey to collect information on concussions and other TBIs. In addition to gathering data on more than just hospital-treated TBIs, the CDC report also describes a new tiered case definition with rising levels of certainty that a concussion or other TBI occurred based on the number and types of symptoms reported.

Additional information can be obtained from the CDC’s TBI website.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) is developing an 1115 Medicaid program, Bridges to Success: Keystones of Health for Pennsylvania (Keystones of Health). DHS hopes to use this program to make health care more accessible, improve quality of care and services, and design and evaluate innovative strategies in health care to help people live healthier lives. The department’s goal and vision for the waiver is to address Pennsylvania’s Medicaid participants’ health-related social needs with interventions that are both lifesaving and cost saving. Visit the Keystones of Health web page for more details.

Keystones of Health will focus on four key areas:

  • Reentry from correctional facilities;
  • Housing supports;
  • Food and nutrition supports; and
  • Multi-year continuous eligibility for children up to age 6.

DHS is offering the public the opportunity to come to virtual forums to learn more about Keystones of Health and the proposed services. During the forums, the public will be able to ask questions and submit comments. If you are interested in joining the public forums, the information is below:

Public Forum 1

  • Date: Monday, December 11, 2023
  • Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
  • Register for Session 1
  • Join by phone: 312-626-6799; Webinar ID: 982 3951 9594

Public Forum 2

  • Date: Tuesday, December 12, 2023
  • Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
  • Register for Session 2
  • Join by phone: 312-626-6799; Webinar ID: 980 3834 3590

Public Forum 3

  • Date: Friday, December 14, 2023
  • Time: 9:00 am – 10:00 am
  • Register for Session 3
  • Join by phone: 312-626-6799; Webinar ID: 951 7040 4572

Please register to participate virtually. When you register, there will be an option to add the Public Forum to your calendar. Registration is not necessary to join by phone. Closed captioning will be provided during each public forum.

DHS also invites you to submit written comments on the draft application from December 2, 2023, through January 2, 2024, through the Public Comment Form.

View the Press Release

Join RCPA for a Membership Benefits webinar on Thursday, January 4, 2024, at 1:00 pm to orient yourself with all that RCPA membership entails. This is not just for new and future members; for current members, there may be benefits associated with your membership that you may not be aware of, including meetings and group communications that occur throughout the year. This webinar is a great way to ensure you are getting the most out of your membership!

Register here to attend. During the webinar, you’ll be able to:

  • Virtually meet the dedicated RCPA Policy Staff and lobbyists;
  • Discuss the 2024 Legislative and Administrative priorities;
  • Preview RCPA division committee and subcommittee meetings and what they offer;
  • View the RCPA member-only website;
  • Review exclusive yearly education and networking events; and
  • Understand the value of the National Association memberships included with RCPA membership.

Visit the RCPA member benefits page or contact Tieanna Lloyd for benefit information. We look forward to your participation in this webinar.

Monday, December 4, 2023
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST; 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT;
10:00 am – 11:00 am MST; 9:00 am – 10:00 am PDT
REGISTER

IPRC is pleased to once again host Shari Wade, PhD, and Devi Miron Murphy, PhD, to discuss practical applications of a trauma-informed approach to pediatric rehabilitation delivery. By member request, this webinar will expand on the content delivered in their previous webinar, Trauma Informed Care in Pediatric Settings, which was held on October 4, 2022.

Speaker Bios:

Shari L. Wade, PhD

Dr. Shari Wade is a tenured professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Director of Research in the Division of Rehabilitation Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She is a highly experienced rehabilitation psychologist who has conducted federally-funded research examining outcomes of traumatic brain injury and factors that influence outcomes since 1991. This research has been widely cited (h-index = 65 and i10-index = 189) and shaped how the field understands the role of social environmental factors on recovery and the effects of TBI on child and family functioning over time. For the past 20+ years, she has conducted single site and multicenter randomized clinical trials of interventions to reduce morbidity following pediatric TBI, including some of the first Class 1 clinical trials. She pioneered the development and testing of technology-based interventions to reduce behavioral and family consequences of pediatric TBI, beginning with an R21 award from NICHD in 2001. She is currently conducting a multi-site RCT examining the efficacy of a brief, online intervention to reduce post-traumatic stress following medical trauma.

Devi Miron Murphy, PhD

Dr. Devi Miron Murphy is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of Training, Clinical Psychology at the Tulane School of Medicine. Dr. Murphy’s clinical interests are psychotherapy and psychological assessment with youth and families. Specifically, her clinical activities include the assessment and treatment of young children and their families who have experienced trauma, such as abuse, neglect, exposure to domestic violence, and medical injuries. She is also interested in the evaluation and treatment of attachment disruptions. Dr. Murphy’s research interests include investigating long-term social, emotional, and cognitive outcomes in children who have had traumatic experiences and promoting sensitive caregiving for young children in foster care. Through her research and training endeavors, Dr. Murphy contributes to the development and dissemination of evidence-based treatments for traumatized youth.

Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will:

  • Identify one or more tools to screen for PTSS;
  • List two strategies for working with children with PTSS during their rehabilitation stay;
  • Describe one approach for supporting families experiencing PTSS; and
  • Discuss how to manage vicarious trauma and identify one strategy for self-care.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all interested members of the rehabilitation team, including medical staff, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, licensed psychologists, mental health professionals, and other interested professionals.

Level: Intermediate

Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.

Registration: Registration is complimentary for members of IPRC/RCPA. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today. Multiple registrations per organization are permitted.

REGISTER

Tuesday, November 28, 2023
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST; 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CST;
11:00 am – 12:00 pm MST; 10:00 am – 11:00 am PST

Chani Traube, MD, FAAP, FCCM
Speaker/Panelist Bio:
Dr. Chani Traube is Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, and Director of Clinical Research Mentoring for the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine. She is also Chair of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network (CPCCRN). Dr. Traube is a clinical researcher with expertise in pediatrics, pediatric critical illness, delirium, sedation, and PICU outcomes. She is the Principal Investigator for several NIH-funded multi-site studies investigating the epidemiology of delirium, pharmacokinetics of sedatives, and long-term cognitive outcomes in critically ill children.

Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will:

  • Define pediatric delirium and its associated morbidity;
  • Describe the prevalence and morbidity of delirium in seriously ill children;
  • Recognize that delirium occurs frequently in children with Acquired Brain Injury during inpatient rehabilitation; and
  • Verify that widespread screening for pediatric delirium is feasible.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all members of the rehabilitation team, including medical staff, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, licensed psychologists, mental health professionals, and other interested professionals.

Level: Intermediate

Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.

Registration: *Please note that this event is hosted on a different platform; no pre-registration is required. 
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 975 8167 5193

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced an upcoming transportation summit planned for December 11, 2023, from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.

The purpose of this meeting is to have a full and robust discussion about transportation issues and needs. There will be staff from various programs on the call, including the Managed Care Organizations (MCO) and transportation brokers, Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP), and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). They will be discussing their programs and will be available to answer any questions.

Attendees are encouraged to send questions in advance of the meeting and should be sent to Cortney Alvord via email. Attendees can also ask questions during the webinar by either raising their hand, at which point they will be unmuted, or by asking their question in the chat box.

This meeting is open to the public, transportation providers, and anyone interested in transportation issues in the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Program.

To participate in the meeting, the call information is provided below:

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Visit here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 244 282 417 805
Passcode: T7xSky
Download Teams | Join on the web

Or call in (audio only)
+1 267-332-8737,,693312806#   United States, Philadelphia
Phone Conference ID: 693 312 806#
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Image by Dirk Wouters from Pixabay

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