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Mental Health

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PA ABLE Turns 5!

Please join PATF in celebrating the fifth anniversary of the PA ABLE Savings Program.

PA ABLE helps Pennsylvanians with disabilities and their families save safely.

Since the first PA ABLE accounts opened five years ago, Pennsylvanians have saved nearly $72 million for current and future expenses, including assistive technology, education, housing, transportation, health care, financial management, and more.

The program provides a tax-free way to save without affecting eligibility for critical means-tested benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (up to $100,000) or Medical Assistance.

Learn how to set up an ABLE account here.

“Having the ability to save through the ABLE program provides an opportunity for people with disabilities to escape the cycle of poverty that is so often their reality. The ABLE program can make it possible for people with disabilities to be empowered to have greater control over their financial future.”
– Susan Tachau, PATF CEO

This month, our CEO, Susan Tachau, joined PA Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Senator Lisa Baker (R-20), Sherri Landis of The ARC of PA, and other disability advocates in Harrisburg to mark PA ABLE’s fifth anniversary. Read the full News Release.

PATF’s Financial Capability Resources

April is Financial Capability Month so now is a great time to check out our interactive and accessible financial education website. The website is a companion to our book, Cents and Sensibility: A Guide to Money Management. Explore our financial education resources.

Financial education is the key for living independently and access to this information is crucial. With these financial capability tools, people have a solid foundation for success.

In recognition of our financial education work, we were awarded the Non-Profit Organization of the Year 2021 Excellence in Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Award.

Planning for the Future

PATF’s Board of Directors adopted a three-year Strategic Plan Framework, placing equal focus on our four programs: financial loans, information and assistance, financial education, and advocacy.

Additionally, PATF is working on succession planning as CEO Susan Tachau will be transitioning to a new role as Innovations Officer at PATF in September.

PATF has also launched a DEI+A initiative, which includes an internal audit, recommendations for individual and organizational growth, and learning sessions on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility.

Smart Homes Made Simple Webinar Draws International Attention

In 2021, we published Smart Homes Made Simple: Your Guide to Smart Home Technology and launched Smart Homes Made Simple to help the disability community learn about mainstream smart home devices and how they can be financed. In March of this year, PATF hosted a smart home webinar, Real Life Stories: Using Smart Home Technology for Independence, with more than 500 attendees from around the world!

Upcoming Events

The Center for Independent Living of Central PA is hosting a free Youth-Adult Wheelchair Basketball Clinic on Saturday, May 14. PATF’s Outreach Director, Wendy Davis, will be there and can talk more about how PATF can help people with purchasing adapted sports equipment. Learn more about this event.

Disability Pride PA kicks off Disability Pride Philadelphia Week with a flag-raising at City Hall on Monday, June 6 at 3:00 pm. The parade takes place on Saturday, June 11. Get more details.

The Technology Enhancing Capabilities Virtual Conference will be held on Wednesday, June 22. PATF CEO Susan Tachau will be joined by Michael Anderson, Alexa Brill, and George Russo, as they discuss how they use smart home technology to live safer and with greater independence. Additional information.

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Understanding an Infant Mental Health-Informed Approach to Care Delivery:
Optimizing Relational Health in Young Children With Medical and Developmental Complexity Through Safe Nurturing Environments Within the Hospital and at Home

Wednesday, June 8, 2022
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EDT, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm CDT,
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm MDT, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm PDT

Edith Chernoff, MD
Amelia Miller, MS
Laura Kahan, M.Ed

Speaker Bios:
Edith Jacobson Chernoff, MD, is a practicing, board-certified pediatrician at La Rabida Children’s Hospital, a children’s hospital dedicated to children with chronic disease and developmental disorders, where she is medical director of outpatient services. Dr. Chernoff is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics’ section of academic pediatrics at the University of Chicago and a board-certified clinical geneticist. She is medical consultant for Early Intervention CFC#10. Her interests are in Medical Home for children with medical complexity, genetic disorders, patient and family quality of life, and patient safety/quality improvement.

Amelia Miller serves as the Premier Kids Program Lead & Infant Mental Health Specialist at La Rabida Children’s Hospital. She received her Master’s in Child Development along with a specialization in Infancy from Erikson Institute in Chicago, IL. Amelia pursued further specialization with the Infant Mental Health Certificate program at Erikson Institute, completed in 2015. She received her certification from Parent-Child Relationship Programs as a trainer of the Keys to Caregiving & NCAST Parent Child Interaction tools. Amelia also practices as a DIR practitioner and an Infant Massage Instructor.

Laura Kahan is the section chief of Infant Development in the Developmental & Rehabilitative Services Department at La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago. She holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Development, with an Infancy Specialization, from Erikson Institute in Chicago, IL, and an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Credential from the Illinois Association for Infant Mental Health. She has been a practicing Developmental Therapist in the Illinois Early Intervention system since 2004 and is a Certified Infant Massage Instructor. Laura has over 25 years’ experience supporting underserved parents and children in Chicago.

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

  • Discuss how infant attachment affects development into adulthood and how traumatic events, including medical trauma, adversely affect brain development and the ability to interact and learn.
  • Review the design of an inpatient program using a specially trained rehabilitation team and validated assessment tools to support healthy parent–child attachment to enhance child development.
  • Learn how a primary care medical home for children with medical complexities embedded mental health care into the program through use of screenings and specialty sessions during and outside of primary care visits.
  • Review changes made to care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, including successes and failures.
  • Explore findings on quality of life ratings from families receiving care and discuss how these findings were used to enhance program offerings and improve family supports.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all members of the rehabilitation team, including medical staff, 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

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Dr. John Petrila, a national expert on mental health law and policy and data sharing, is sharing some of his expansive knowledge on cross-systems data sharing with participants of the PA Stepping Up Technical Assistance Center via webinar on May 24. The PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) is pleased to pass along the opportunity to register for the presentation on this relevant and timely subject. The webinar will discuss how counties can work within their federal and state privacy laws to share data across criminal justice and behavioral health systems along the Stepping Up 4 key measures in order to understand the prevalence of mental illness in their jails.

PA TA Center Data Sharing Webinar

  • Date: May 24, 2022
  • Time: 11:00 am–12:00 pm
  • Registration Link
    • There is a text box to provide questions when you register – please type any questions you have on this subject! The presenter has specifically asked for questions so that he can tailor the presentation to be most helpful.

If you have further questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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This coming week, the Pa. General Assembly will be voting on a critical piece of legislation, HB 1866, aimed at ensuring standards for permanency services for youth turning 18, a time when typically services can end for a child transitioning into adulthood.

Turning 18 represents a pivotal point in life, with new life experiences like college, entering the workforce, living independently, or other exciting and challenging responsibilities. For many youth, this point in life includes the support of biological parents and other natural networks who help guide them and are available when navigating new experiences. Unfortunately, this is not often the case for older youth who are in and transitioning out of the foster care system.

Transition age youth—ages 14 to 21—are older youth in the foster care system transitioning to permanency with a caregiver or aging out of the system to adulthood. Transition age youth often struggle with this life transition due to unique circumstances with being a foster child. Not always having adequate planning and support services to ease the transition can lead to poorer outcomes that have lifelong impacts.

We ask that you support this bill and work with your legislators to get this passed. PA Partnerships for Children has created an amazing fact sheet that can be used to support your efforts. If you have additional questions, please contact RCPA Children’s Director Jim Sharp. We also ask that you share this information with any and all in your network.

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