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Mental Health

Image by photosforyou from Pixabay

Thursday, February 2, 2023
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CST
11:00 am – 12:00 pm MST, 10:00 am – 11:00 am PST

Sarah Economides, PT, DPT, PCS
Kristin Luethke, CTRS

Speaker Bios:

Sarah Economides, PT, DPT, PCS
Sarah Economides is a physical therapist on the inpatient pediatric unit at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals, joining the team 11 years ago. Sarah specializes in treating children with severe neurologic and pulmonary disabilities. Prior to joining the Madonna team, Sarah worked in multiple pediatric settings, including NICU, school-based, outpatient, and acute care. She is a Board Certified Specialist in Pediatric Physical Therapy and a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST), with additional training for transporting children with special needs. Sarah has extensive experience managing positioning needs for transportation with children and adolescents with physical disabilities. As a graduate of Creighton University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy and Pediatric Physical Therapy Residency programs, she also enjoys collaborating with local PT and PTA programs as a guest lecturer and lab assistant, as well as a mentor for Creighton University’s Pediatric Residency Program.

Kristin Luethke, CTRS
Kristin Luethke is a recreation therapist at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals, bringing over 25 years of clinical experience to her team. During her tenure, she has worked across various teams, and in 2001, she settled into her role within Madonna’s pediatric and traumatic brain injury program. As a certified child passenger safety technician, child passenger safety instructor, and a Transporting Children with Special Healthcare Needs instructor, Kristin collaborated with others across the state to create the Nebraska All Kids Ride Safe Program. She also consults with various teams at Madonna to provide safe transportation options for pediatric and adult patients. Kristin graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in 1997.

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

  • Discuss the impact of crash mechanics relative to body position, size, and restraints;
  • Identify the importance of car seat evaluation and safety;
  • Advocate for optimal seating and positioning for all children during transportation; and
  • Problem-solve common positioning challenges during transportation for pediatric clients with special health needs.

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.

REGISTER

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is proposing to expand access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) by making permanent medication flexibilities put in place during the COVID pandemic, including an increase in number of take-home doses of methadone and the use of telehealth in initiating buprenorphine at opioid treatment programs (OTPs).

In its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to update 42 CFR Part 8, SAMHSA is proposing to improve access to OUD treatment through OTPs. The proposed changes reflect the widespread desire by many stakeholders for SAMHSA to provide greater autonomy to OTP practitioners, positively support recovery, and continue flexibilities that were extended at the start of the nation’s COVID-19 public health emergency. For example, in March and April 2020, SAMHSA published flexibilities for the provision of take-home doses of methadone and for the use of telehealth in initiating buprenorphine in OTPs. Patients deemed stable by physicians have been able to take home up to 28 days’ worth of methadone doses; other patients — again, so determined by their physicians — received up to a 14-day supply. A recent study showed that patients who received increased take-home doses after federal flexibilities were enacted during COVID-19 saw positive impacts on their recovery, including being more likely to remain in treatment and less likely to use illicit opioids.

Read the full announcement.

The PA Department of Health and Penn State University have created a survey to better understand PPE knowledge amongst healthcare workers in Pennsylvania, including dental providers and office teams. In addition to PPE knowledge, they would like to better understand healthcare worker feelings about vaccinations and mental health. All responses are anonymous.

This survey should take you no more than 10–20 minutes, and people who complete the entire survey will be able to register for two chances to win a $250 gift card. Participants can access the survey here.

If you have any questions regarding the survey, please reference the contact information within the flyer.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that provides funds and discounts for families and households struggling to afford internet service. You are likely eligible if your household’s income is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line. Visit here to check your household’s eligibility.

Eligible households may receive assistance of up to $30 a month in discounts for broadband service and/or a one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop, computer, or tablet purchased through a participating provider. See the flyer for more information. Visit here to apply for the Affordable Connectivity Program and learn more.

ACP Information Session
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development is hosting a webinar to provide an overview of the ACP for interested stakeholders. The webinar will cover more information on the ACP, who is eligible, how to apply, ACP outreach grant opportunities, and a Q&A session. Visit here to register for the ACP Overview webinar.

As clinician and staff burnout continues to rise, behavioral health providers have to get creative in finding ways to increase staff productivity, retention, and recruitment.

Streamline client 4C Health did just that – they introduced a 4-day, 32-hour work week. The results?

  • Improved Productivity;
  • Improved Retention;
  • Improved Recruitment; and
  • Decrease in clinician burnout by 50%.

Join leaders and employees at 4C Health for a discussion on their approach and best practices for other behavioral health providers who may be considering a shortened work week.

Webinar Date: Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Time: 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm CT
*All approved registrants will receive a link to the recording 1–2 days post-webinar.

Register Here