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Policy Areas

Goodwill Unveils Redesigned Website to Enhance User Experience and Showcase Mission-Driven Initiatives

HARRISBURG, Pa. (August 1, 2023) — Goodwill Keystone Area, a leading nonprofit dedicated to advancing sustainability in the communities it serves, today announced the launch of its newly redesigned website, yourgoodwill.org. The revamped site, developed in collaboration with Sharp Innovations, is designed to provide a modern look and feel, streamline user navigation, and foster a deeper connection to the organization’s mission.

The revamped website offers an enhanced experience for both loyal supporters and new visitors, with easy-to-find information, user-friendly tools, and comprehensive summaries on the wide array of programs and services Goodwill offers throughout its 22-county territory. Key features include:

  • Refreshed Appearance: The website boasts an aesthetically pleasing design that captivates and inspires visitors to engage with the organization’s mission-related initiatives from the moment they land on the homepage.
  • Improved Navigation and Features: With a more intuitive layout and enhanced features, visitors can easily find the information they seek, whether it is about store and donation center locations, leadership, employment, or services offered by Goodwill Keystone Area.
  • Flexible Content Management Solution: The website is equipped with a new content management system that allows for easy updates and maintenance, ensuring that the platform remains relevant and up-to-date for future initiatives.

“We are thrilled to unveil our redesigned website, which embodies the essence of Goodwill’s mission-driven efforts and the compassion that drives our work,” said Mark McGaffin, Goodwill Keystone Area’s Director of Communications and Marketing. “Through this revitalized platform, we look to provide a seamless experience for those looking to donate and shop at our stores and, at the same time, highlight the work we are doing to advance sustainability in our communities so that individuals and families can thrive and flourish.”


About Goodwill Keystone Area

Goodwill Keystone Area serves 22 counties in central and southeastern Pennsylvania. As a nonprofit, revenue generated from the sale of donated goods in its retail stores and online auction site directly supports Goodwill’s mission to advance sustainability so that individuals and families can thrive and flourish. Goodwill fulfills this mission by recycling donations into training, paychecks, and careers. Additionally, as America’s original recycler, environmental sustainability has been central to Goodwill’s mission since its founding. To learn more, visit yourgoodwill.org.

Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Step By Step, Inc. Launches Community Residential Rehabilitation (CRR) Services in Lewistown and Huntingdon

Step By Step is pleased to announce the official launch of two Community Residential Rehabilitation (CRR) services in Lewistown and Huntingdon. This milestone represents a significant advancement in the agency’s commitment to providing essential mental health support to individuals in need.

Lesley Corey, ​Chief Operating Officer at Step By Step, expressed her satisfaction, stating, “We are excited to take this significant step forward in our mission to offer vital mental health support to individuals within our community who require it the most. Our team has worked tirelessly to transition these services to our agency, and we are deeply committed to making a positive impact in the lives of those we serve. The need for accessible and compassionate mental health care has never been greater, and we are honored to be able to fill this gap in the regions of Lewistown and Huntingdon.”

CRR services are designed to support individuals in their pursuit of wellness and recovery. The service provides transitional housing and support for adults ages 18+ with mental health disorders. In engaging, home-like residences, individuals develop the skills, habits, and confidence necessary to continue on their personal journeys of recovery and growth and ultimately transition to the living arrangement of their choice. Step By Step’s team of dedicated professionals provides comprehensive coaching and practical tools to assist individuals in developing essential skills and successfully transitioning to their desired living environment, whether it be an independent apartment or reuniting with family members.

Step By Step remains committed to delivering trauma-informed, resilience-oriented, and equity-focused services. The human service agency integrates evidence-based practices such as WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plans) and Personal Medicine Coaching, ensuring individuals have the resources to take charge of their recovery and well-being.

Step By Step extends its appreciation to all individuals and organizations who contributed to the establishment of these CRR services. Their support and collaboration have played a vital role in positively impacting the lives of those served by the organization.

As Step By Step moves forward, it eagerly anticipates engaging with the community and coordinating additional services to further enhance the wellbeing of Huntingdon, Mifflin, and Juniata Counties. Stay tuned for further updates as the organization continues to evolve and expand its mission.


About Step By Step: 

Step By Step, Inc. is a private, non-profit corporation devoted to providing community support services to children and adults in Pennsylvania with intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, autism, mental health disorders, and/ or substance use disorders.

Established in 1977, the agency today provides services to over 2,000 individuals across Pennsylvania. Throughout its history, Step By Step, Inc. has maintained a progressive view of the potential of individuals with disabilities.

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If you haven’t registered yet for the 2023 RCPA Annual Conference A Decade of Unity, then don’t wait any longer! Our plenary sessions throughout the week are sure to inspire you with new ideas to tackle priorities in health and human services. Looking ahead, we have:

  • Returning speaker Michael Cohen, Esq., addressing practical ways for attracting high-caliber employees in a rapidly-changing job market;
  • A panel addressing the realities of the workforce crisis, featuring Tine Hansen-Turton of Woods Services, Toni Pergolin of Bancroft, Rita Gardner of Melmark, and Marco Giordano of Resources for Human Services; and
  • National updates from National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s Chuck Ingoglia as well as ANCOR’s Donna Martin.

Be sure to view our registration brochure to book your seat (and your hotel room) today!

We extend our thanks to those organizations that have already contributed and shown their support! Sponsor and exhibitor spots are filling up quickly, so complete the sponsor/exhibitor brochure today! As a reminder, sponsors, exhibitors, and advertisers who wish to be listed on the website, the mobile app, and in the conference program must submit all materials by September 8. In order to be considered for booth self-selection, a completed contract with payment must be submitted, and no reservation is considered complete without payment. If questions remain, please contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared these important workshops from PA Family Network! August continues the series on Participant Directed Services. The team of Family Advisors will answer your questions about Participant Directed Services and how you can choose to direct your own services under the Intellectual Disability/Autism (ID/A) Waivers. These workshops are created by family members and self-advocates FOR family members and self-advocates.

Register for upcoming events.

Community Engagement Workshops: Participant Directed Services

LifeCourse Workshops

Waiver Workshops 

Support Groups

  • Caregiver Support Group: Wednesday, August 2, 2:30 pm
  • Caregiver Support Group: Monday, August 21, 6:30 pm
  • Sibling Good Life Group: Monday, August 28, 6:30 pm

Caregiver supporting sick elderly man in the wheelchair during stay in the hospice

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), announced the new Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model. The purpose and goal of this model is to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia, reduce strain on unpaid caregivers, and help people remain in their homes and communities through a package of care coordination and management, caregiver education and support, and respite services.

Through the GUIDE Model, CMS will test an alternative payment for participants who deliver key supportive services to people with dementia, including comprehensive, person-centered assessments and care plans, care coordination, and 24/7 access to a support line. Under the model, people with dementia and their caregivers will have access to a care navigator, who will help them access services and supports, including clinical services and non-clinical services such as meals and transportation through community-based organizations.

The GUIDE model supports President Biden’s Executive Order that directed HHS to develop a new health care payment and service delivery model focused on dementia care that would include family caregiver supports.

There is a web page that has been created specific to this care model that provides additional information, including a link to a webinar that will provide an overview of this care model scheduled for August 10, 2023:

CMS will release the application for GUIDE, a voluntary, nationwide model, in the fall of 2023. Prior to the application release, interested organizations are encouraged to submit Letters of Intent to CMS by September 15, 2023. The model will run for eight years beginning July 1, 2024.

If you are interested in receiving additional information, updates or have questions about the GUIDE model, please send an email to the GUIDE Model team’s inbox.

The next Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee is scheduled for August 2, 2023, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. The meeting will be held in the Honors Suite, 1st Floor, 333 Market St., Harrisburg, PA 17126. Participation is also available by conference call, via webinar, or through remote streaming. Please see the information below:

Conference Line:
Bridge Number: 1-213-929-4212
PIN: 445023599#
Webinar Link
Remote Streaming Link

View the agenda for the August 2 meeting here. Questions about the meeting should be sent in via email.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 23-069, which informs all interested parties that the recording of the Clarifications and Guidance for the Community Participation Support (CPS) Service in the Intellectual Disability/Autism (ID/A) Waivers webinar is now available on MyODP. Clarification and guidance on the CPS service and CPS flexibilities that will be ending with Appendix K are discussed during the recording. Please review the announcement for details on accessing the recording.

The Secretaries of the Department of Human Services, Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Health, and Department of Aging have written a letter to human services organizations about the budget impasse and an estimated $5.9 billion in planned state and federal funding that cannot be disbursed without a signed budget. The letter details specific funds that cannot be distributed through each department.

For Gov. Shapiro to sign HB 611, the General Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2023/24, which was passed by both the House and Senate, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward must first deliver a signed physical copy of the bill to him. Sen. Ward is the only person with the power to call the Senate into session to complete this procedural step. Ward has adjourned the Senate until Sept. 18, 2023.

Read the full letter here.