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Mental Health

Join RCPA for a Membership Benefits webinar on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at 9:00 am to orient yourself with all that RCPA membership includes. This will certainly be important for new and potential members but will also be of value to current members, as there may be unrecognized benefits associated with our membership.

Register here to attend this webinar. Items we will review include the following and much more:

  • Virtually meet the dedicated RCPA Policy Staff and RCPA lobbyists;
  • Discuss the 2023 Legislative and Administrative priorities;
  • Highlight RCPA division committee and subcommittee meetings as well as what they offer;
  • View the RCPA member-only website;
  • Review exclusive yearly education and networking events; and
  • Understand other National Association memberships included with RCPA membership.

Visit the RCPA member benefits page or contact Tieanna Lloyd  for more information.

We look forward to your participation in this webinar.

The Pennsylvania Senate has confirmed Dr. Latika Davis-Jones as Secretary of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP). As secretary, Davis-Jones leads the Commonwealth’s efforts to reduce substance use disorder (SUD) and problem gambling disorder, with a large focus on expanding access to and increasing the quality of SUD treatment.

Before serving in the Shapiro administration, Secretary Davis-Jones was Senior Director of Behavioral Health at Highmark Wholecare, a Medicaid managed care organization in Pittsburgh. Prior to that, she served as Allegheny County’s Single County Authority Administrator.

Read DDAP’s official press release.

Weaving the Concepts of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion into the Fabric of Pediatric Rehabilitation: One Organization’s DEI Journey
Tuesday, August 1, 2023
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT; 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT;
10:00 am – 11:00 am MDT; 9:00 am – 10:00 am PDT
REGISTER

Penny Adams, MS-OTR/L

Speaker Bio:
Penny Adams is an Occupational Therapist and Inpatient Pediatric Therapy Team Lead on the Inpatient Pediatric Unit at the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Grand Valley State University in 2004 and has worked at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital for the past 17 years, treating children of all ages in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Penny drives her unit’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion efforts and skillfully engages her colleagues, patients, and their families in impactful learning activities.

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

  • Summarize the importance of incorporating DEI activities into the pediatric rehabilitation environment;
  • Discuss strategies to improve staff and patient engagement in formal DEI planned activities;
  • Describe three practical ways to improve equity and inclusivity within a pediatric rehab environment; and
  • Review one multi-disciplinary rehab unit’s approach to year-long DEI programming.

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: 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.

July 25, 2023
1:00 pm EDT
Register Here

Greenspace Health has announced their next insightful educational panel, featuring world-renowned applied psychologist and leading global expert on Measurement-Based Care (MBC) Dr. David Clark. In this webinar, Dr. Clark will share his research and learnings from leading the launch and continued development of the NHS Talking Therapies program (formerly known as IAPT). Attendees will learn how his team made the case for its national rollout and explore key insights based on the program’s implementation and data that can be applied to any MBC implementation.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the impact of Measurement-Based Care from Dr. Clark and explore what the future of mental healthcare looks like with the widespread adoption of MBC.

PS. Check out the Yale MBC Collaborative Knowledge Hub to find clips and insights from the last educational event series hosted by Greenspace Health in partnership with the Yale Measurement-Based Collaborative!

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

The DHS Licensing Administration wishes to provide important information about procedural updates related to the issuance of renewal Certificates of Compliance. In August 2022, the renewal process was updated to require the Civil Rights Compliance Attestation (HS2125) be submitted together with the renewal application to Licensing Administration. Feedback with this procedure change has been favorable.

In reviewing their procedure for issuing the renewal Certificates of Compliance, the Licensing Administration has found that a significant number of providers request changes to their licenses after a renewal has been issued but before the current license expired. This adds an increase in processing time, as the administration then must revise the unexpired license and reissue the renewed license. As a result, it slows down the process to issue the other renewals in queue. Therefore, the procedure has changed. The renewal Certificates of Compliance will not be issued until the current Certificate of Compliance is within 30 days of expiration. This procedural change will better facilitate the timely and accurate issuance of renewal Certificates of Compliance.

Below are a few reminders:

  • The Bureau of Equal Opportunity no longer issues an approval letter after submission of the Civil Rights Compliance (CRC) Attestation (HS2125). The renewed Certificate of Compliance verifies that the CRC Attestation (HS2125) was accepted/approved.
  • The Civil Rights Compliance Attestation (HS2125) can be found here.
  • Licensing Administration frequently uses email for communication, including emailing of the Certificate of Compliance. Therefore, Licensing Administration must be notified of email changes. The renewal application should also include current email addresses.
  • When contacting Licensing Administration, please include the following in the subject line of the email: REASON – AGENCY/FACILITY NAME – LICENSE/CERTIFICATE NUMBER. The reason can be RENEWAL, QUESTION, REQUEST, REVISION, etc.
  • The contact information for each Program Office served by Licensing Administration is as follows:
    • Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF): Email | 717-787-9763
    • Office of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS): Email | 717-703-0006
    • Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL/BHSL) – Personal Care Homes & Assisted Living Residences: Email | 717-705-0382
    • Office of Developmental Programs (ODP): Email | 717-787-6958
    • Licensing Administration Director: Email | 717-705-6954

Photo by Proxyclick Visitor Management System on Unsplash

Tobacco-related illness is a leading cause of death for people in substance use disorder and mental health recovery. In response, the Pennsylvania Recovery Organizations Alliance and the State Tobacco Recovery Free Initiative are hosting a virtual tobacco recovery lunch and learn at 12:00 pm Thursday, July 27, for anyone interested in tobacco recovery.

Registration is required. Registrants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Recognizing the range of tobacco and nicotine addiction severity, this session will teach participants about individualized replacement coping skills. It also will help participants to define the physical, behavioral, and emotional reasons individuals smoke and develop an individualized approach to managing tobacco-free living.

Discussion will focus on:

  • Understanding the nature of tobacco addiction;
  • Ways to relieve craving and withdrawal;
  • Proactive strategies to adapt to behavior change; and
  • Identification of how to support family members who use tobacco.

Tony Klein, MPA, NCACII, is the presenter. He has more than 30 years of administrative and clinical experience in behavioral health services and is known for his work as an advocate for addressing tobacco use disorder by using evidence-based practice guidelines anchored in solution-focused recovery principles.