RCPA Members-Only Webinar “Winning With Insights” to Be Held September 3
Early Bird Registration for the RCPA Conference Ends August 8!
September 9 will be here before you know it — don’t miss your opportunity to register for the RCPA 2025 Conference Strive to Thrive and claim your early bird discount! By registering today, you guarantee your spot for over sixty workshops, live updates from both state and national partners, and inspiring keynote and plenary speakers. View our Registration Brochure for complete details of the conference schedule and speakers.
Early bird registration ends August 8, and hotel room discounts end August 11, so reserve your seat and hotel room today!
A limited number of exhibit booths and sponsorship opportunities remain! Contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, ASAP for details if your organization is interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at our conference. All information is available in our Sponsor, Exhibit, and Advertise Brochure. The deadline for being recognized in conference materials and onsite displays is August 10, so be sure to complete your contract as soon as possible!
View our sponsors and exhibitors at our Conference website!
PHRA Releases 2025–2030 Pennsylvania Rural Health Plan
The Pennsylvania Rural Health Association (PRHA) has released the 2025–2030 Pennsylvania Rural Health Plan, which is a comprehensive roadmap to improve the health and well-being of rural residents across the state.
The plan was developed with input from rural community leaders, health professionals, academic institutions, and policymakers to identify key priority and action steps to address the unique health challenges and opportunities in Pennsylvania’s 48 rural counties. Primary focuses include access to care, behavioral health, oral health, maternal health, workforce development, broadband connectivity, and health equity.
The 2025–2030 Pennsylvania Rural Health Plan can be found here.
OMHSAS Extends Pause on Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Bulletin
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is extending the pause on the implementation of OMHSAS-25-02 Bulletin: Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Forms, which was originally in place until August 27, 2025. OMHSAS is appreciative of all the stakeholders who took time to submit their comments and questions on the updated forms. Based on those comments, OMHSAS is planning to make further revisions to the MH 783 form that will require issuing a new bulletin.
The pause on the implementation of OMHSAS-25-02 will remain in effect until an updated bulletin is issued with the new MH 783 form. OMHSAS anticipates that the updated bulletin will be completed by the end of 2025, and the new bulletin will also have a separate effective date from the issue date to allow counties and providers to update their electronic systems, print new paper forms, and otherwise prepare for the transition to the updated forms. Counties continue to have the choice to use the prior forms or continue with the new forms issued in OMHSAS-25-02 until a new bulletin is issued. Providers, law enforcement, and other individuals using these forms should defer to their county mental health office in determining which version to use.
Along with the updated bulletin and MH 783 form, OMHSAS will be issuing an FAQ document to address questions they received on the forms more broadly and will be holding a Q&A session for stakeholders before the effective date of the new bulletin.
Questions may be sent electronically.
AOPC’s Office of Behavioral Health: PCCD’s Byrne SCIP Grant Announcement
Overview
The Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (“Byrne SCIP”) is a grant administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). These are federal funds that Pennsylvania receives from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). State governments may use these monies to fund “state, local, and tribal efforts to prevent or reduce crime and violence” in accordance with an approved Byrne SCIP Plan.
This AOPC announcement briefly highlights several funding opportunities in Pennsylvania’s approved plan that relate to the intersection of courts and behavioral health, specifically “Priority Area #1: Equip Pennsylvania communities with training and resources to respond holistically to behavioral health crises.”
Please see PCCD’s entire funding announcement here. Grant application and administrative guides can be accessed on PCCD’s website under the Funding section.
Priority Area #1 Objectives:
- Support behavioral health responses in local jurisdictions across Pennsylvania.
- Support efforts to embed advocates and peer navigators within the justice system.
- Build capacity to offer free SIM workshops statewide, commencing in 2026.
The SCIP grant is an excellent opportunity for governmental agencies to obtain funding for specific behavioral health-related purposes that benefit citizens and criminal-legal system actors. Approved funding opportunities include:
- Establishing the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Technical Assistance Center to provide law enforcement training opportunities.
- A county SIM-Mapping initiative that trains in-house SIM facilitators to provide free workshops to counties. Facilitators will be trained in 2026 and allow counties to receive both adult and upstream SIM workshops at no cost.
- Apply for local grants for virtually any project related to the Pennsylvania Courts’ Behavioral Health Initiative. Suggested projects include peer navigators; implementing pretrial programs; expanding the capacity of mental health courts; and developing or expanding the ability to connect individuals in crisis with services.
Eligibility & Deadlines:
- Your recipient agency must be a local government office. Cities, counties, townships, and towns may apply for funding.
- Subrecipients are eligible for support through primary recipient offices. For instance, a city funded through a SCIP grant may award part of their fund to their Police Department as a subgrant.
- Your organization must be registered in the Pennsylvania eGrants system.
- At least two organization members must have eGrants user roles. At least one individual must have an e-signature role within eGrants.
The deadline for applying is September 9, 2025.
- For further information, see the funding announcement here. You may contact PCCD about the Byrne-SCIP Initiative by email. Emails must be sent by September 2, 2025, to receive assistance.
- For difficulties with the eGrants system, you may contact the eGrants help desk by phone at (717) 787-5887 or (800) 692-7292 or by email.
Philadelphia Names New DBHIDS Commissioner
Kehinde “Kenny” Solanke, MSW, LSW, will become Commissioner of the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS), effective September 2. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker announced the selection of Solanke for the role on July 30. Solanke succeeds Interim Commissioner Marquita Williams and former Commissioner Jill Bowen.
As Commissioner, Solanke sets the vision and direction for the entire department. She administers all six DBHIDS divisions and is responsible for aligning priorities, coordinating efforts, and ensuring that everything the 1,000-plus team members do reflects the DBHIDS mission, vision, and values.
Solanke oversees a vast network of providers offering treatment and services to address mental health challenges, substance misuse, and the impact of social determinants of health on behavioral health and wellness.
Solanke most recently served as Senior Director of Operations for Crisis Services at DBHIDS, where she led transformative citywide initiatives, including the implementation of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, expansion of 24/7 mobile crisis teams, and the launch of Philadelphia’s first Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center. She has also overseen critical city responses, including DBHIDS’s behavioral health strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic, managed multi-million-dollar funding portfolios, and championed the department’s equity framework to align services with community needs.
Throughout her career, Solanke has been a respected thought leader and advocate for transforming public behavioral health systems. She has testified before City Council, chaired statewide policy work groups, and represented Philadelphia at national forums — including coordinating with the US Secretary of Health and Human Services to mark the national rollout of 988. Her work has positioned Philadelphia as a leader in crisis system transformation while deepening public trust and strengthening the behavioral health safety net for thousands of residents.
A licensed social worker, Solanke holds a Master of Social Work degree from Temple University and has spent her career within the city’s behavioral health ecosystem, serving previously as Director of Policy and Planning at DBHIDS and Director of Clinical Management at the DBHIDS Division of Community Behavioral Health (CBH).
Governor’s Office of Budget Releases Status Update on Delayed Human Services Payments
On Tuesday, July 29, the Governor’s Office of the Budget provided an update on the status of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26 state budget. The update outlines projected impacts across various departments within the Department of Human Services (DHS) over the next six weeks resulting from the ongoing budget impasse. Although the Governor, Senate, and House leadership have described ongoing negotiations as respectful, they have also been described as inching along. The letter from Secretary Monson cites funding for public schools and mass transit as top challenges in finalizing a budget.
Following is a summary of payments from Pennsylvania health and human services departments that will be delayed without a budget.
Department of Aging cannot distribute:
- $12.88 million in payments to the Area Agencies on Aging, for July and August.
Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs cannot distribute:
- $9.95 million quarterly payments to the Single County Authorities.
- $187,000 quarterly payments for training of substance use disorder and problem gambling service professionals.
- $21 million quarterly payments for State Opioid Response funding.
Department of Health cannot distribute:
- $9.405 million in anticipated quarterly reimbursements to County Municipal Health Departments.
- More than $4.7 million in quarterly funding to support operation and administration of EMS services.
- $9.405 million in quarterly funding to school districts for health services.
- More than $3.466 million in quarterly payments for the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, beginning in July.
- Payments for critical health services, including, but not limited to: Tuberculosis screening, Cystic Fibrosis, Lyme Disease and Cancer Screening, beginning in July.
- More than $1 million in quarterly payments for Maternal and Child Health services and $1.8 million in quarterly for Newborn Screening.
Department of Human Services cannot distribute:
- $15 million in quarterly advances for Behavioral Services, beginning in July.
- Quarterly advances for Breast Cancer Screening services.
- $390 million in County Child Welfare payments for July and August.
- $8.5 million in payments for Domestic Violence for July and August.
- $3.5 million in quarterly advances from the Human Services Development Fund.
- An estimated $33 million in Child Support Enforcement payments, for July and August.
- $3.4 million in payments for Rape Crisis for July and August.
- Approximately $10 million for Community-Based Family Centers for July and August.
- $5.6 million in quarterly advance payments for Homeless Assistance.
Read the letter from Secretary Monson here. If you have any questions, please contact your respective RCPA Policy Director.
National Study on Children’s Liability Insurance Released; RCPA Exploring Possible Captive/Risk Retention Solutions
Reminder for “From Risk to Reward: Strengthening Your Hiring Process” Webinar on August 13
From Risk to Reward: Strengthening Your Hiring Process
Free RCPA Members-Only Webinar
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Register Here
In this session, we will review how introducing value-based tools early in the hiring process has shown to reduce an employer’s risk for turnover, safety incidents, counterproductive employee behavior, and workers compensation claims. We will review recent case studies showing the measurable impact of this process.
Presenter: Mark Walker, MBA, Managing Partner, Safer Hire LLC
Objectives: Following this course, the learner will:
- Identify a value-based hiring process;
- Describe how this hiring process can reduce risk of turnover; and
- Describe how the hiring process can reduce risk of safety & claims.
Certificates of attendance are available to RCPA members who attend this webinar; anyone interested in a certificate should contact Cathy Barrick. To apply for CEs, you will need to register for the RCPA Annual Conference Strive to Thrive and indicate you attended the webinar in your CE packet, which will be made available on the mobile app.
Contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, for details, or visit the RCPA Conference website for information on workshops, sponsors, exhibitors, and more!
The Tragic Consequences of PA’s Failed Mental Health System
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