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Mental Health

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RCPA is excited to share our growing list of sponsors and exhibitors who are committed to supporting our 2025 Conference Strive to Thrive! This event, which will be held September 9 – 12 at the Hershey Lodge, is a highlight for the PA health and human services fields. We would like to thank the organizations who have committed their support already; you can view them below as well as on our Conference website!

The conference is only four months away! We will soon be assigning booth numbers to exhibitors, and there are still many opportunities available for sponsorship and exhibit booths. Don’t delay! View this year’s Sponsors, Exhibitors, and Advertiser Brochure, which features detailed lists of all the ways your organization can thrive at our conference. These include networking opportunities in Connections Hall and new sponsorship items, such as the registration table!

Sign Up Now!
Sponsors, exhibitors, and advertisers who wish to be listed on the website, the mobile app, and in the conference program must submit all materials by August 20. The association looks forward to welcoming you at the conference! Space and opportunities are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis, and no reservation is considered complete without payment. If questions remain, please contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator.

View our sponsors and exhibitors at our Conference website!

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Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

Earlier this year, Community Care Behavioral Health (CCBH) notified Behavioral Health Services of Somerset and Bedford Counties, Inc. (BHSSBC) of their intent to withdraw from servicing the HealthChoices contract with the counties. In April, BHSSBC announced that they are working to transition its subcontract from CCBH to Magellan Behavioral Health Services of Pennsylvania, Inc., one of five behavioral health managed care organizations (BH-MCO) in the commonwealth, with an effective transition date of November 1, 2025. The primary goal is to provide a seamless transition for providers to prevent any disruption in the delivery of crucial behavioral health and/or substance use disorder services to their members.

All parties will continue to work collaboratively in an effort to promote the delivery of high-quality behavioral health and substance use disorder services to the community.

BHSSBC is one of 24 primary contractors in Pennsylvania’s Behavioral HealthChoices program. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) receives federal Medicaid funding and enters contracts with these primary contractors, who then enter contracts with BH-MCOs, which, among other responsibilities, manage a network of behavioral health providers.

Read BHSSBC’s latest correspondence here.

Contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp with any questions.

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Trauma-informed care in the Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) has emphasized the importance of trauma-informed approaches in providing technical assistance, training, policy, guidance, support, and monitoring procedures. OCYF has developed and collected many trauma tools and resources that may be helpful for child welfare stakeholders and providers as they proceed on their trauma-informed care continuum, such as their monthly Trauma Tip Sheet.

In the January 2025 Trauma Tip Sheet, the US Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Wellbeing was introduced, and different topics have been explored in the following months. The May 2025 Trauma Tip Sheet highlights the topic of “Mattering at Work,” and can be read here.

Contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp with any questions.

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In a presentation to the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee today, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) Deputy Secretary Jen Smith shared data that shows a significant increase over the past three years in behavioral health managed care organization (BH-MCO) decisions to deny services to their members or contracted providers.

In addition to denial data for calendar years 2022 through 2024, the report also provides data on grievances and complaints and defines what each of those is. Notably, the 2024 data does not include the fourth quarter of the year.

The most egregious service type denials are seen in two categories: 1) non-hospital residential withdrawal management, rehabilitation and halfway-house services for drug/alcohol abuse or substance use disorders; and 2) IBHS for children and adolescents with mental health or substance use disorders. Although the IBHS denials appear down slightly in 2024, when the fourth quarter data is added, the number is likely to increase. On the SUD side, even without fourth quarter data, denials for the non-hospital residential substance use disorder treatment services are up 45 percent over 2023.

The presentation breaks down the number of denials per year per BH-MCO since 2022.

The increases in denials in 2024 occurred at the same time OMHSAS acknowledged a significant miscalculation of capitation rates, resulting in underfunding of the behavioral health system, including primary contractors and BH-MCOs, by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Deputy Secretary Smith cautioned that there are multiple factors to consider when reviewing the data and increase in denials, including Pennsylvania’s SUD treatment system’s ongoing alignment with ASAM Criteria and the increased BH-MCO scrutiny on providers and individual BH-MCO interpretation of ASAM Criteria.

The full presentation is available here.

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The Department of Human Services’ invites you to the Department of Human Services (DHS) Statewide Positive Approaches & Practices Meeting. Jointly hosted by the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), this quarterly meeting aims to provide the most recent research and resources for people with mental health and behavioral challenges, intellectual disabilities, autism, and other developmental disabilities to live an everyday life. Please see the flyer for detailed information.

Date: May 15, 2025
Time: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Zoom Webinar

  • Morning Session: Run. Dance. Play. What’s Your Move? Promoting Physical Activity with the Move Your Way® Campaign
  • Afternoon Session #1: Unlocking Potential: An Overview of Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s Community Sport, Health & Fitness, and In-School Programs
  • Afternoon Session #2: What’s Strong With You? A Shift to Resiliency-Informed Care

Register Here

The Zoom link for joining the session will be sent to the email you used to register. This link will be unique to your registration. Please do not share this link.

Questions? Send via email to PATraining.

Please note that Certificates of Attendance are not issued for Statewide Positive Approaches and Practices Meetings.

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This community-focused advocacy forum brings together experts and stakeholders to discuss the local impact of federal funding cuts to Medicaid, particularly on vulnerable populations and essential services.

The event will be moderated by Chip Minemyer, publisher of The Tribune-Democrat, and panelists will include RCPA Honorary Board Member Jim Cook, who serves as Executive Director of Cambria Residential Services.

The event will be held Monday, April 21, at 6:30 pm. You can view the flyer here for more details.

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