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Mental Health

In May 2024, OMHSAS announced the next evolution of the Call for Change initiative: Advancing the Call for Change. Beginning in 2022, a diverse group of stakeholders with lived experience came together to form a steering committee that convened regularly over the course of a year and formulated goals and objectives they felt were important to continue system transformation. The efforts of this committee resulted in the Advancing the Call for Change document. Advancing the Call for Change was designed to assess how far the behavioral health system has come in 19 years, stimulate conversation, and drive action. As the system progresses, this document should act as a guide for all decision-makers in focusing on the critical principles of recovery and resilience, including ensuring that approaches are person-centered, strengths-based, trauma-informed, follow a DEI framework, integrate peer supports, and are outcomes-focused.

In July 2004, the OMHSAS Adult Advisory Committee called for a work group to guide recovery transformation efforts. In November 2004, the work group held its first meeting and a steering committee was formed to move forward with recommendations. In November 2005, A Call for Change was presented to the Adult Advisory Committee.

A Call for Change offers a basic framework for transformation, including indicators of a recovery-oriented system. In addition, it discusses some of the implications of these changes and recommends some approaches for using the indicators to initiate changes in local, county, and statewide systems. It is to be considered a “living, breathing” document and not a “set in stone” plan. As the first phase of an ongoing process, the purpose of the report is to stimulate discussion in all arenas and at all levels. Additional materials will need to be developed to help inform and guide the process as Pennsylvania shifts toward a more recovery-oriented service system.

We are grateful to the Department for their inclusion of RCPA on the Call for Change Work Group and look forward to the opportunities to implement the recommendations with our members. If you have any questions, please contact RCPA COO and Mental Health Director Jim Sharp.

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Folders with the label Applications and Grants

The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is offering funding through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to support Community Mental Health Services Block Grants. Millersville University of Pennsylvania will administer these grants to implement Community Violence Intervention Projects aimed at reducing trauma in communities affected by gun violence. The university plans to award grants to 2–6 nonprofit organizations, with contracts expected to start in July or August 2024 and ending on June 30, 2025. Applicants can request a budget of up to $250,000 but not exceeding $150,000 for the initial term.

Applications are due by July 31, 2024. Completed applications must be submitted as a PDF via email. For more information, contact Millersville via email or visit the Millersville University Safer Communities Grant Information page. For full details and application instructions, refer to the Request for Applications (RFA) flyer.

If you have any other questions, please contact RCPA COO and Policy Director Jim Sharp.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the availability of $500 million in grants over the next five years to increase the number of organizations who help people enroll in health coverage through the Federally-Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) on HealthCare’s website. This is the largest funding allocation CMS has made available for Navigator grants to date. With the additional funding, CMS encourages eligible entities and individuals to apply, especially those that focus on education, outreach, and enrollment efforts to underserved and diverse communities.

Please read the the full announcement details and guidance below. If you have questions, please contact RCPA COO and Policy Director Jim Sharp.


What’s new for this year’s Navigator Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)?

  • Focuses on increased participation of smaller, community-based organizations as part of CMS efforts to reach people where they are.
  • Provides longer multi-year grant funding.
  • Shorter and easier to understand application.

Who can apply?
Eligible organizations may include but are not limited to community and consumer-focused nonprofit groups; trade, industry, and professional associations; commercial fishing industry organizations; ranching and farming organizations; chambers of commerce; unions; resource partners of the Small Business Administration; and non-healthcare licensed insurance agents and brokers. Such other entities may include but are not limited to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations, and state or local human service agencies.

How much funding is available through this funding opportunity?
CMS expects to award $500 million total over the five-year period of performance, provided in five budget periods of 12 months each; $100 million is available for the first 12-month budget period.

Will there be technical assistance available for applicants?
CMS will hold two technical assistance sessions for potential applicants. These sessions will provide applicants with an overview of this project, relay budget guidance, and review the instructions for applying outlined in the 2024 Navigator funding opportunity. Applicants are encouraged to submit questions in advance of each session to CMS via email.

Technical Assistance Session #1

Technical Assistance Session #2

What is the deadline to submit an application for the NOFO?

Applications must be submitted by July 8, 2024 at 11:59pm ET. You must submit your application through the Grants website. Grants.gov creates a date and time record when it receives the application. If you submit the same application more than once, we will accept the last on-time submission.

For instructions on how to submit in Grants.gov, see the Quick Start Guide for Applicants.

Can my organization help promote the NOFO?

CMS encourages partners to share this listserv with your networks and to use the below social media and attached graphics on your social accounts.

  • CMS has announced $500 million in grants over the next 5 years for Navigator programs, as part of the continued efforts to connect people to the ACA Marketplace and other health coverage options. Learn more.
  • CMS has announced $500 million in grants over the next 5 years for Navigator programs, as part of the continued efforts to connect people to the ACA Marketplace and other health coverage options. These awards mark the first time the grants have been awarded for a period of more than three years of funding, allowing grantees to better retain and add more staff who are trained to help consumers find affordable, comprehensive health coverage.

For more information about the Navigator NOFO, visit the links below:

This is a reminder that you’re invited to a free webinar hosted by William Rizzo, Managing Partner & Chief Strategist for Quantum Strategies!

As a professional in the Health and Human Services Community, you understand the importance of staying informed and making strategic business decisions. Quantum Strategies will be addressing those common misconceptions that HR Consulting and Managed Services companies are a threat to job security.

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The webinar will be held on Tuesday, June 25, from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (EDT).
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Leading Resilient Teams
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Register Here

Please join RCPA for an inspiring webinar to build leadership skills. Constant change and overwork deplete our teams’ resilience. Using practical tools, you will spot behaviors that drain resilience in your teams, respond constructively to team feedback, and grow your team’s resilience. CEs for this training have been approved, PDC: 1.5.

In this training, you will learn how to:

  • Identify leadership behaviors and practices that drain and nurture resilience in teams;
  • Respond empathetically and effectively to employee concerns; and
  • Implement practical strategies that grow your team’s resilience day by day.

The speaker for this session, Wendy Hultmark, has a Master’s Degree in Organizational Development & Communication, CPC, and is a Leadership & Career Coach, Facilitator, and Speaker. She helps leaders cut through overwhelming constant change so that they feel optimistic and empowered to lead their teams and careers through the latest challenge.

Wendy began as an HR professional in world-leading Boston hospitals and developed into a senior HR leader at a global Fortune 500 organization. Her coaching practice has led her to serve leaders in research labs, investment banking, non-profit, technology, and more, while her unique background helps her bring a practical, empathetic perspective to the demands of today’s rapidly changing world of work. Additionally, Wendy is a lead instructor for the Women in Leadership professional certificate program at Southern Methodist University, with expertise in the areas of Psychological Safety, Trust, and Engagement. She is a certified practitioner of Everything DiSC ® and The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team ® and is credentialed through the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

Register here for this training.

The Department of Human Services Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF) is pleased to announce the release of the Caseworker Recruitment and Retention Study. The report includes 43 recommendations across six themes that address the primary issues driving attrition: cross-cutting; compensation; recruiting; caseworker workloads; training; and safe, supportive workplaces. OCYF recognizes the recommendations will not be applicable, viable, or appropriate to every CCYA. However, the goal is that each CCYA will find some recommendations that will be helpful in bolstering the employee recruitment and retention experience.

If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director and COO Jim Sharp.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services released Medical Assistance Bulletin 99-24-03 on May 28, 2024, detailing updates to the Medical Assistance (MA) Program Fee Schedule based on the 2024 Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) changes. These updates include new codes such as 90867, 90868, and 90869 for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment billing, along with additional modifications to other procedure codes, setting of limitations, fee adjustments, and new prior authorization requirements effective from the same date. This bulletin applies to all providers serving MA beneficiaries under the Fee-for-Service system and those in the MA Managed Care system should contact their respective organizations for specific billing guidance.

For more detailed information, read the full bulletin here.

If you have any other questions, please contact RCPA COO and Policy Director Jim Sharp.