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Mental Health

The Juvenile Court Judges Commission (JCJC) is currently accepting nominations for the 2024 Professional and Youth Award Programs, with the awards ceremony taking place at the James E. Anderson Pennsylvania Conference on Juvenile Justice from November 6–7, 2024, at the Hilton Harrisburg. Professional awards include the Residential Program of the Year, Community-Based Program of the Year, and the Meritorious Service Award for notable service to at-risk youth and advancements in juvenile justice. Youth awards comprise the Outstanding Achievement Award and the Creative Expression Contest, which features categories like Poster, Written (essay, poem, story), and Mixed Media (dance, song, audio, video, photography), themed “The Real Story: My Battle, My Strength.” Nominations are due by July 29, 2024.

For more information or to nominate, visit the JCJC website. You can also contact Angel Stewart at 717-783-7835 or via email, or Keysla Rodriguez at 717-783-6263 or via email.

If you have any other questions, please contact RCPA COO and Policy Director Jim Sharp.

Wednesday, June 5, 2024
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT; 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT;
10:00 am – 11:00 am MDT; 9:00 am – 10:00 am PDT
Register

Tami Konieczny, MS, OTR/L, BCP
Speaker Bio:
Tami Konieczny is an occupational therapist, board certified in pediatrics, and a clinical supervisor for the past 25 years at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She specializes in the treatment of children with brain injury, facial motion disorders, amplified pain, burns, limb deficiency, and scar management. She has presented nationally and internationally on a variety of topics, including facial motion disorders. She co-authored a book chapter on pediatric upper extremity limb deficiency and has research publications related to facial motion disorders, amplified pain, and quality improvement.

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

  • Identify and define anatomical structures involved in facial expression;
  • Identify primary causes of facial paralysis;
  • Identify functional impairments related to facial paralysis;
  • Review standardized assessment tools used with this population;
  • Review methods of evaluation and tracking progress; and
  • Review treatment approaches.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all interested members of the rehabilitation team.

Level: Intermediate

Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.

Complimentary webinars are a benefit of membership in IPRC/RCPA. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today.

The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is excited to engage with stakeholders in developing a statewide child, youth, and young adult (CYYA) behavioral health emergency (crisis) community. As a first step, they have developed a brief survey to gauge interest in a symposium on this topic. They also have plans for ongoing opportunities for discussing CYYA behavioral health crisis response, identifying and highlighting promising practices within the Commonwealth and nationally, sharing training opportunities, and gathering feedback on interests and needs.

If you are interested in this topic or otherwise have feedback on Pennsylvania’s crisis continuum for CYYA and their families, please complete this short survey. The survey is available now and will be accessible through June 7, 2024, at 5:00 pm EST.

Thank you in advance for your time and dedication to Pennsylvania’s children, youth, young adults, and families. Any questions can be sent via email, or you can contact RCPA COO and Policy Director Jim Sharp.

Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

Full Diagnosis: Impact of Trauma, Physical Health, and Metabolic Health
May 22 and 23, 2024

The full conference schedule for the 2024 Pennsylvania Dual Diagnosis Conference is now available! To view the conference schedule, view the flyer or visit the Dual Diagnosis Conference website.

About the Event
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Office of Developmental Programs and Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services invite you to participate in the statewide Dual Diagnosis Conference being held virtually next week on May 22–23, 2024. Nationally recognized speakers will provide a variety of perspectives on the impact of trauma, physical health, and metabolic health.

Registration
There is no fee to attend the virtual conference, but advance registration is required. Closed captioning and ASL will be provided during the livestreaming of the conference. Register here today!

This is an announcement that the 988/Crisis Work Group meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 22, has been cancelled. RCPA will reschedule the meeting in the coming months. Currently, there is no movement or update in the OMHSAS Crisis Regulations release for public comment. Additionally, at this time, OMHSAS is making structural changes in their Policy and Crisis divisions. There are legislatively very few federal or state bills suggesting substantive changes in the development of the 988 system.

If you have any questions, please contact RCPA COO & MH Policy Director Jim Sharp.

A new bulletin addressing revisions to the Older Adults Protective Services Act (OAPSA) has been released by the Commonwealth Court. This bulletin specifically focuses on clarifying the legal standing of certain provisions, notably the “lifetime employment ban” for individuals with criminal convictions. Enacted in 1987, OAPSA aimed to protect Pennsylvania’s older population from exploitation, neglect, and abuse, establishing a program for their safeguarding, including those in mental health inpatient and residential facilities. However, subsequent amendments in 1996 introduced a permanent employment ban for individuals convicted of certain crimes. Despite this, a 2015 ruling by the Commonwealth Court found this provision unconstitutional, citing violations of due process guarantees under the PA constitution.

The full bulletin, titled “Bulletin OMHSAS-24-03 Employment Bans in OAPSA,” can be accessed here. Further inquiries regarding OMHSAS-24-03 can be directed to OMHSAS via email. You can also contact RCPA Policy Director and COO, Jim Sharp, with any additional questions.