RCPA is a proud contributor of this event:
Jewish Family Service of Greater Harrisburg presents:
Mental Illness and the Role of the Faith Community
FREE to the entire community
Thursday, May 11, 2017, 7:00 pm at the Jewish Community Center in Harrisburg
https://paproviders.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Fried-event-revised-electronic-version-4-19-17.pdf
In Pennsylvania, approximately 21,000 babies and their mothers are affected by postpartum depression each year. In January, Representative Schlossberg, with the #StrongMomStrongBaby coalition and Representative Tarah Toohil, re-introduced Pennsylvania HB 200 to support mothers facing postpartum depression and their babies through the state’s Early Intervention System. The legislation would make developmental assessments, follow-up services, and if needed, early intervention services available to mothers and their babies. This Thursday, April 27, a group of Pennsylvania legislators and health care experts come together at the Lehigh Valley Hospital to host a public panel discussion to address questions surrounding postpartum depression and early childhood development. The experts on the panel will discuss their current work with perinatal depression, developmental delays among infants, and early intervention services. Medical and mental health professionals are welcome to attend this event and can RSVP attendance on Facebook or by emailing Sara Gouldman.
(From OMHSAS)
From: DHS STAKEHOLDERS
On Behalf Of: HS, Secretary’s Office
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2017 2:41 PM
To: DHS Stakeholders
Subject: OMHSAS Leadership
Today I am announcing that Dr. Dale Adair will serve as the Acting Deputy Secretary for the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS). For those of you who have not yet met him, Dale currently serves with distinction as the Chief Medical Officer at OMHSAS and is an essential member of the OMHSAS executive team.
Dale’s nearly 30 years of experience in all levels of state government and his leadership experience will be invaluable as we move forward during this difficult time and begin the process of selecting our next Deputy Secretary. I have complete confidence that Dale will make the transition to a new Deputy Secretary as smooth as possible and that the critical work that OMHSAS does every day continues without interruption.
I would personally like to thank Dale for stepping up into this role, your leadership is needed now more than ever at DHS.
Please join me in welcoming Dale to this new role and working with him so that we can ensure that services continue for the vulnerable Pennsylvanians that OMHSAS serves.
Ted
RCPA has joined the many community organizations across Pennsylvania that are now participants in the #FamilyFirstPA Coalition. #FamilyFirstPA is a campaign committed to enabling families to advocate for themselves in the ongoing effort to protect human services in the state budget process. The project works with provider, advocacy, faith-based, and community organizations to identify FAMILIES and provide social media platforms for them to share their stories of the challenges they face and the critical support their family has received from community services that rely on state and county funding. While these families may not know about funding streams, waivers, etc., they know what a difference critical human services are making in the lives of their families. In the current phase of the project, #FamilyFirstPA is seeking and interviewing families in four regions:
More information about the project can be found online and providers and families are encouraged to “like,” participate in, and “follow” #FamilyFirstPA on Facebook and Twitter.
In follow-up to an Info issued on March 17, 2017, announcing the launch of PA Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Savings Program at a legislative event conducted on April 3, the Pennsylvania Department of Treasury announced they will be offering free webinars on this program. The webinars will provide an overview of the important features and benefits of PA ABLE, including eligibility requirements for opening an account, the federal and state tax benefits, and how the account interacts with current benefits. The dates and times of the webinars available are on the PA ABLE website and will be held in April.
A report released this week from Millbank Foundation continues that organization’s focus, research, and information on the growing integrated physical and behavioral health (BH) care delivery system. Behavioral Health Integration in Pediatric Primary Care: Considerations and Opportunities for Policymakers, Planners, and Providers reinforces prior and troubling findings that reflect the rate of childhood mental health needs, professional staff shortages, and the extraordinarily high cost of child-adolescent mental health disorders. More important are the findings related to the growth and positive impact of models for consultation, care coordination, and co-located mental health care in pediatrics. The full report as well as other Millbank Memorial Fund publications related to integrating physical and mental health care are available online.
With regret, RCPA has learned of the passing of OMHSAS Deputy Secretary Dennis Marion. Our sincere condolences go out to Mr. Marion’s family and colleagues. Here is the announcement from the State:
(From OMHSAS)
From: “HS, Secretary’s Office”
Date: March 30, 2017 at 11:35:55 AM EDT
To: “DHS-STAKEHOLDERS”
Subject: [DHS-STAKEHOLDERS] Dennis Marion
I am writing today with great sadness to let you know of the passing of our colleague and dear friend, Dennis Marion. Dennis served admirably as the Deputy Secretary for the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and all of us throughout the Department are feeling this tremendous loss.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Marion family and especially his wife Camille during this difficult time. I feel honored to have been able to call Dennis a friend and will miss him terribly. He was a great colleague, husband, and father and will be missed by us all.
Thank you all for the messages of condolences that we have already received. The outpouring of sympathy is a testament to Dennis and the passion that he had for his work and his family.
Ted
Drexel University is offering a core training for mental health targeted case managers (TCM) on Wednesday, April 26 and Thursday, April 27, 2017 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. See flyer for details. All new targeted case managers (blended case managers, intensive case managers, resource coordinators) are required to successfully complete the TCM core training within six months of hire.
Drexel University is one of the entities authorized by the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to provide this training. Please call 877-243-3033 or email with any questions. Have a great day!
A Story From Southeastern Pennsylvania
The National Association of Social Workers Pennsylvania Chapter (NASW-PA) representative to the Learning Community Leadership, Troy L. Brindle, LCSW, has led his organization in the vanguard of creative approaches to integrated and co-located mental health care. Recent articles in the Chester County and Delaware County Medical Society publications chronicle “The Benefits and Challenges of Behavioral Health Services in the Medical Setting” as experienced at Springfield Psychological. This brief article offers important insight into how this large, multispecialty outpatient practice has, through “persistence, flexibility, and creativity” begun providing co-located mental health services in a range of primary care, patient-centered, medical home model practice settings.
RCPA received an email seeking articles related to behavioral health workforce. If you are interested in submitting an article the process is outlined below. Any questions, contact Jack Phillips.
Call for Abstracts for AJPM Supplement Issue
Behavioral Health Workforce: Projections, Practice, and Preparation
The Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center at the University of Michigan is sponsoring a supplement issue in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM) entitled Behavioral Health Workforce: Projections, Practice, and Preparation.
Overview of Supplement Topic:
Demand for mental health and substance use condition prevention and treatment continues to grow, placing additional stress on a workforce that already suffers from inadequate supply, maldistribution, and numerous policies restricting reimbursement and effective service delivery. This supplement issue will highlight research findings and best practices for the behavioral health workforce to inform policies aimed at relieving the workforce crisis faced by the field.
Guest editors for this supplement issue are:
Editors are seeking articles related to three behavioral health workforce themes:
Process for Article Selection:
Interested authors should submit the following information to Angela Beck by Sunday, April 30, 2017:
Issue Timeline:
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