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Articles in this issue of Positive Approaches focus on the importance of employment for individuals with a disability, including those with a serious mental illness, and intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Article topics include the importance of the Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities program (MAWD); employment supports available for those who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing; Pennsylvania’s Employment First initiatives; and the role psychological safety plays in employees’ mental health. There are also articles on employment services for individuals with a serious mental illness and examples of medical assistance for workers in action.
This issue of Positive Approaches Journal is available for viewing online or for downloading here.
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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) is awarding $9 million to single county authorities (SCAs) to establish or expand crisis stabilization services for individuals who present with substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring mental health symptoms. Such services include assessment and stabilization of acute physical and psychiatric symptoms, which may include medical management and behavioral interventions, induction on medication-assisted treatment, level of care assessments, short-term stays, and connections to supportive services.
Grants of up to $3 million will be awarded to eligible SCAs and can be applied toward a range of activities, including construction and building infrastructure, staffing, and programming. The SCAs may provide or coordinate the services.
SUD crisis stabilization services must have the capacity to recognize and manage individuals presenting with a wide range of SUD-related symptoms, mental health disorders, and developmental disabilities. Funds can be applied toward a range of activities, including construction and building infrastructure, staffing, and evidence-based programming.
Earlier this year, the General Assembly allocated its 2022 $17 million portion of Pennsylvania’s $1.07 billion opioid settlement to DDAP. The overall settlement was reached between states’ attorneys general and Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson.
DDAP plans to use the remaining money from this year’s opioid settlement allocation to provide treatment and recovery support services to communities of color; address workforce issues; and fund services in the Kensington area of Philadelphia with a $1 million grant. Read more about the crisis services grants.
The RCPA Behavioral Health Telehealth Work Group will meet Tuesday, December 20, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a new report that highlights patients’ experience of Long COVID to better understand its complexities and drive creative responses by government leaders, clinicians, patient advocates, and others. The Health+ Long COVID Report builds on President Biden’s Memorandum on Addressing the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 and the two previously issued HHS Long COVID reports. The report was commissioned by HHS and produced by Coforma, an independent third-party design and research agency. It provides recommendations on how to deliver high-quality care and relevant and intentional resources and supports to individuals and families impacted by Long COVID.
Last week, the Administration sent a $750 million dollar supplemental funding request to Congress to support Long COVID research and treatment. This funding request would support HHS and their continued work on Long COVID, providers who serve patients with Long COVID and its associated conditions, and community-based organizations that assist with case management and provide other essential services and supports.
The report offers a variety of short-term and longer-term recommendations that come directly from the patient experience.
Creative Solutions and Opportunities to Address the National Juvenile Justice System Staffing Crisis
Please join The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, and the University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute for a facilitated dialogue with national experts regarding the current staffing crisis in juvenile justice systems across the country.
Juvenile justice agencies’ abilities to effectively recruit, hire, and retain qualified staff is currently in crisis. This webinar will bring national attention to a project to address the staffing crisis occurring in juvenile justice systems across the country.
It will also briefly outline the problem, engage with national experts on creative solutions, and highlight an upcoming opportunity to provide input on forthcoming resources to assist the field.
If you have questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.
An overall ranking 1–13 indicates lower prevalence of mental illness and higher rates of access to care. An overall ranking 39–51 indicates higher prevalence of mental illness and lower rates of access to care. The combined scores of all 15 measures make up the overall ranking. The overall ranking includes both adult and youth measures as well as prevalence and access to care measures. See full article and list of all states’ rankings here.