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In partnership with the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), the Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF) is funding trauma training opportunities for all child welfare professionals in PA via Lakeside Global. From September 30, 2022, through September 30, 2023, PA child welfare professionals serving children in PA are able to take advantage of FREE trainings facilitated by the team at Lakeside Global to become trauma-aware, trauma-sensitive, trauma-informed, or healing-centered. This also includes “Train the Trainer” sessions to support trauma-informed sustainability within a child welfare organization.
To learn more about how you can take advantage of this professional development, please view the Trauma Training Announcement.
If you have questions relating to any of these trainings, please email PA Care Partnership or RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
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
Greg Santucci, MS, OTR/L
Speaker Bio:
Greg Santucci is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, the Founding Director of Power Play Pediatric Therapy, and an Occupational Therapy Supervisor at Children’s Specialized Hospital. Greg has worked with children and families for over 20 years, providing OT services in schools, homes, and outpatient therapy centers throughout New Jersey. Greg is certified in Sensory Integration and is the creator of the Model of Child Engagement, a clinical framework to help professionals and parents focus on a child’s felt safety and regulation needs with the ultimate goal of improving a child’s participation in daily activities. Greg has lectured nationally for over a decade on topics related to sensory processing, child development, behavior, and neurodiversity affirming practices; he consults with parents and educators from around the world. Greg is the father of two children and is married to a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, so he shares his toys with everyone in his family.
Objectives:
At the end of this session, the learner will:
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.
On October 28, 2022, House Bill 1630 was signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf as P.L. Act 98 of 2022 and is effective immediately. This law repealed three sections of the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) regulations at 55 Pa. Code § 1153.14(1); § 1223.14(2); and § 5230.55(c) that were previously suspended by the Public Health Emergency (PHE). Behavioral Health (BH) providers may now deliver and bill for BH services through audio-only telehealth for both Outpatient Psychiatric Services and Outpatient Drug and Alcohol Services that is consistent with OMHSAS bulletin OMHSAS-22-02, titled “Revised Guidelines for the Delivery of Behavioral Health Services Through Telehealth” that was issued on July 1, 2022. Additionally, BH providers delivering Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services now have the ability to provide supervision through a video or audio platform.
The purpose of this email is to inform you that the following sections have officially been repealed:
The Public Health Emergency (PHE) is a federal declaration made by the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services that was put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If it is not renewed every 90 days, it ends.
While the PHE is in place, Pennsylvania is allowed to keep Medical Assistance (MA) open for most people, even if they stopped meeting eligibility criteria or did not return a renewal for their MA. This is known as the continuous eligibility option, and people covered by MA could only have their benefits closed during the PHE if they passed away, moved out of state, or asked DHS to close their coverage.
So, what does this mean for MA recipients in Pennsylvania? Here are five important things to know as we approach a possible end to the federal PHE:
On October 13, 2022, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced that it was once again extending the PHE due to COVID-19.
This means that the earliest that the PHE will expire is January 11, 2023. DHS is continuing to monitor the status of the PHE and will let MA recipients know once an expiration date has been announced or if the PHE will be extended past January.
When the PHE ends, states will have to complete renewals for everyone covered by MA to determine eligibility. Coverage will not automatically end, but when a renewal is received it must be completed. If a renewal is not submitted to DHS or the individual is no longer eligible when they complete their renewal, they will be disenrolled and referred to Pennie or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for additional coverage options.
Renewal Packets
Not all renewals will be mailed to MA recipients at the same time when the PHE ends. DHS will be mailing renewal packets to individuals currently covered by MA the month before their renewal is due. If an individual is signed up to receive text messages from DHS, they will receive a text notification when their renewal packet is mailed. A due date will be listed on the renewal packet. If help is needed with completing the renewal or getting the needed verification documents by the due date, MA recipients can contact their local county assistance office or call the Statewide Customer Service Center at 877-395-8930 or 215-560-7226 in Philadelphia.
Completing Your Renewal
Renewals can be submitted using one of these three methods:
If you have questions regarding completing your renewal, please view the PHE FAQ.
Keep your contact information up-to-date
One of the most important things you can do before the end of the PHE is make sure your phone number, email, and mailing address are up to date with DHS.
You can easily update your information anytime by using your My COMPASS account or the myCOMPASS PA mobile app (available from Apple or Google) . If you do not have a myCOMPASS account or the mobile app, you can call the Statewide Customer Service Center to update your contact information at 877-395-8930 or 215-560-7226 in Philadelphia, which are available Monday–Friday, 8 am–4:30 pm.
If a renewal shows that a recipient is no longer eligible for MA, options are available to stay covered.
You and/or your organization can help DHS spread information about the end of the PHE by using your existing communications channels, such as social media and newsletters, to get trusted messages to your neighbors and community members. Simply sign up to be a Helper and you will receive information — key dates, print materials, toolkits, and more — via email that will support you in this effort.
Governor Tom Wolf signed into law House Bill 1630, which makes permanent certain COVID-related regulatory suspensions under the Department of Human Services. While the bill primarily addresses pharmacy benefits, it contained language repealing several Department of Human Services (DHS) regulatory standards, making permanent several critical telehealth flexibilities listed below.