';
CLOSE
Policy Areas

0 1057

Black and Brown Mental Health vs. Criminal Justice & Policing

Tuesday, August 17, 2021, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm

Subject: Criminal Justice and Policing

Learning Objectives:
• Discuss the impact of Mental Health within the Criminal Justice System and Policing
• Discuss the current data as it relates to communities of color and these systems
• Learn what a community should know about how mental health needs are addressed within Criminal Justice and Policing

Handout: Black and Brown Mental Health vs Criminal Justice & Policing

Registration Link

For more information, contact System of Care Family Peer Support Specialist Lisa Kennedy. If you have further questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.

0 1184

RCPA regrets to inform our members that Charles Ray, former President/CEO for the National Council, has passed away. In his long and remarkable career, Charles effected broad changes in the behavioral health field, of which the impact is long-lasting and felt by many. Please see the message below from Chuck Ingoglia, current President and CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. The RCPA staff would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to Charles’ family, colleagues, peers, and the rest of the behavioral health community.

One of the many things that makes the National Council special is our people. Today I am deeply saddened to announce the passing of a former employee who served with distinction.

Former President & Chief Executive Officer Charles Ray led the National Council for 15 years. He was a visionary leader of the managed care movement within the mental health community. After he left the National Council, Charles went on to work with and lead several organizations, most recently serving as Chair of the Board of Directors of The REACH Institute in New York, whose mission is to bring evidence based behavioral treatment to children and adolescents.

He was a wonderful leader, but don’t just take my word for it.

Carl Clark, a former National Council Board member, also remembered Charles fondly:
“Charles Ray understood community behavioral health deeply from his running a center to the policy work he did through the National Council in Washington. He kept the needs of the people we serve and providers as the focus for making behavioral health services better in our country. I am thankful for his leadership and the lasting impact of his work.”

Betty Funk, former National Council Board member, provided this thoughtful remembrance:
“In the early days, Charles was a visionary leader of the managed care movement within the community mental health arena. It was a challenging time for all of us because we didn’t fit neatly into the complex health systems that needed to get geared up, and for the most part at the community level nationwide, we lacked comprehensive structure among ourselves. Through the National Council, and to some extent privately, Charles held the hands of all of us that got the message that we had to restructure and reorganize and learn how to collaborate, cooperative, count and compete. From the perspective of the Massachusetts system, Charles nurtured the creation of the best management practices that exist today.”

His lasting impact can be seen in many aspects of the work we continue to do, and we ask that you keep his family, friends and loved ones in your thoughts during this difficult time.

Rest in Peace, Charles.

– Chuck

0 634

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) invites individuals to participate in the Attitudes Towards Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) Survey.

Prospective participants are individuals who provide clinical direction or clinical supervision to staff who occasionally provide behavioral or mental health services to children ages 0 through 8 and their families. See the memorandum for details.

To register as a participant and/or to learn more about the benefits of participating in the ARTIC Survey Study and about the Cross-Sector Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Services Collaborative, please review the memorandum, which contains 2 registration links: one for a brief online Question & Answer Webinar, which will be held on August 17, 2021, from 1:00 pm–2:00 pm, and the other for enrolling as a survey participant. Questions regarding the Webinar can be directed here.

Thank you in advance for your interest. We hope you can participate, and we look forward to hearing from you. If you have any further questions, please contact RCPA Children’s Director Jim Sharp.

0 734

A message from ODP to Residential Providers:

ODP has recently learned that residential providers need additional support and access when recruiting Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). Recruitment of CNAs for residential facilities which have a medical focus could be a valuable staffing resource. ODP can assist providers to overcome obstacles in order to achieve appropriate staffing.

The PA Department of Health’s (DOH) Long-Term Care Facility division oversees the CNA registry program. ODP outreached to DOH to get clarification on the requirements, and the DOH explained that PA does not certify nurses’ aides, but the CNA Registry is utilized to meet the CMS mandate for the long-term care facilities. A common challenge, “community homes,” are not listed as qualified facilities, which is required for a CNA to maintain inclusion on the CNA Registry. Despite this challenge, providers may request to be added to the registry, especially in cases where the homes have a medical focus.

How to get enrolled?

To be added to the CNA Registry, providers can send requests directly to DOH, Stephanie Kirkpatrick. The following information must be included with requests to be considered:

  • Name of the provider
  • Contact information
  • Copy of the CNA Job Description
  • Description of the nursing oversight as required by DOH

If approved, the provider will be notified and will be added to the CNA Registry. Providers who have a medical focus and nursing oversight are encouraged to apply for inclusion in this registry.

Thank you for your continued efforts.

0 956

From Deputy Secretary Kristin Ahrens:

Thank you again for all your support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As PA DOH and DHS prepare for the potential for updated vaccine guidance from the CDC, we request that all Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs), Congregate Care Facilities, and Residential Providers fill out the below one-time survey discussing each facility or community home’s vaccine access plan. The survey consists of only a few questions and should take no more than 3 minutes of your time.

Survey: https://form.jotform.com/212066323150139

Long-Term Care and Congregate Care Facilities are asked to share the following information about vaccine access in their facilities:

  • Plan for accessing COVID-19 vaccine doses for residents
  • Who will administer the COVID-19 vaccine at the facility

Please respond to this survey no later than Tuesday, August 17.

Please notify PA DOH if you have any questions about the survey or how to access the COVID-19 vaccines with the subject of the email “Long Term Care Facility Survey Questions.”

Survey: https://form.jotform.com/212066323150139

Thank you for all of the work you’ve done to vaccinate residents and community members during this pandemic.

Kristin Ahrens | Deputy Secretary
PA Department of Human Services | Office of Developmental Programs

 

0 771

Healing from the Heart
How We Can Connect to Help Ourselves and One Another in Times of Trauma and Loss

The National Association for the Dually Diagnosed (NADD) and the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) have partnered to offer a premium webinar series focused on trauma and loss. The series, entitled, “Healing from the Heart: How We Can Connect to Help Ourselves and One Another in Times of Trauma and Loss” will occur every Wednesday until mid-September. Full descriptions of the webinars can be found on the NADD website here. Please note this webinar series is priced per session, and registration will be hosted on the NADD website. For all questions related to webinars, email NADD.

August 18, 2021 (2:00 pm–3:00 pm EST) — Session 1: Beyond Trauma-Informed: Trauma Responsive Care, Part One

August 25, 2021 (2:00 pm–3:00 pm EST) — Session 2: Safe, Connected, and In Control: Trauma Responsive Care, Part Two

September 1, 2021 (2:00 pm–3:00 pm EST) — Session 3: Dangerous Empathy: Burnout, Compassion Fatigue & Empathetic Distress

September 8, 2021 (2:00 pm–3:00 pm EST) — Session 4: Wings of the Bird: Everyday Brain-Body Practices for Healing, Resilience and Self-Care

September 15, 2021 (2:00 pm–3:00 pm EST) — Session 5: One Step Ahead: Being a Trauma Responsive Supervisor in Crazy Times

Register Now

0 1283
Image by Markus Winkler from Pixabay

ODP shared the following message with the ODP ICF/ID Task Force members:

We would like to thank the provider community for your feedback in response to the draft forms which were shared on 6-14-21 and discussed during the 7-6-21 Task Force meeting. ODP & Mercer gave your concerns considerable attention. Attached is a copy of the updated feedback with responses added.

In addition to writing responses, we discussed your concerns and made changes to the approach which was initially shared to better address all parties’ interests. Please join us on Thursday, August 19, 2021 from 1:30 pm–2:30 pm for a webinar to review the new process.

Significant changes have been made to the reporting process for FY 2021–2022 in consideration of provider feedback from the July 6 Task Force meeting.

Note that this meeting will be a demonstration of the final changes and key concepts — along with a visual/graphic of the overall change in the process/templates. We are operating under a revised timeline to deliver the finished product by September 1 for use for FY 21–22 waiver submissions; therefore, this presentation will not include a questions and answers segment.

The Zoom Meeting Link information is:
Join Zoom Meeting
Password: 275027
Meeting URL: https://mmc.zoom.us/j/91216621923?pwd=cUlrbTVuRXlqN1ByZE15MDY1aG9Xdz09 

Join by telephone:
Mobile one-tap: US: +16513728299,,91216621923# or +16465189805,,91216621923# or +16468769923,,91216621923# or +17866351003,,91216621923# or +12678310333,,91216621923# or +13017158592,,91216621923# or +13126266799,,91216621923# or +14702509358,,91216621923# or +14703812552,,91216621923# or +16699006833,,91216621923# or +17209289299,,91216621923# or +19712471195,,91216621923# or +12133388477,,91216621923# or +12532158782,,91216621923# or +13462487799,,91216621923# or +16027530140,,91216621923# or +16692192599,,91216621923# or 8887880099,,91216621923# (toll-free) or 8778535247,,91216621923# (toll-free)
Dial: US: +1 651 372 8299 or +1 646 518 9805 or +1 646 876 9923 or +1 786 635 1003 or +1 267 831 0333 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 470 250 9358 or +1 470 381 2552 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 720 928 9299 or +1 971 247 1195 or +1 213 338 8477 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 602 753 0140 or +1 669 219 2599 or 888 788 0099 (toll-free) or 877 853 5247 (toll-free)

Internal speed-dial (most locations): *9666 or **9666
Meeting ID: 912 1662 1923
Password: 275027
Join from an H.323/SIP room system
H.323: 162.255.37.11 (US West)
162.255.36.11 (US East)
Meeting ID: 912 1662 1923
Password: 275027
SIP: 91216621923@zoomcrc.com
Password: 275027

0 1378

A message from ANCOR:

Dear ANCOR member,

In early 2020, just before the pandemic began to wreak havoc on our lives, ANCOR fielded a survey of its members to discern the ways in which the direct support workforce crisis is impacting organizations like yours.

We understood innately that high turnover was leading to high vacancy rates, added onboarding costs and more. But we wanted to know: what is the human impact of these challenges on provider organizations and the people they support? Is the direct support workforce crisis impacting your ability to accept new referrals? Is it causing you to discontinue lines of service, or delay the launch of new programs? Is it complicating your efforts to achieve quality standards?

The response we received was overwhelming: more than 810 provider organizations responded, giving us a snapshot of just how deep the impacts of this crisis are and illustrating that you’re eager to share your concerns.

That’s why we come to you again with an important ask: we are now fielding a follow-up survey and hope you will take 10 minutes to respond to the questionnaire. Whether you responded to the initial survey or not, we need to hear from you.

Why go through this exercise again, especially so soon after we last solicited such similar data? Quite frankly, we know that although the snapshot we gleaned from the 2020 survey is helpful, it quickly became outdated thanks to the ways COVID-19 has exacerbated many of the challenges described in the survey. Just as our world has changed in the past 18 months, so too has the situation facing community providers. We created this new survey to capture the seismic shifts so we can better adapt to your needs and advocate on your behalf.

The survey can be completed by any organization that provides long-term services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We simply ask that, in order to avoid duplication, only one person per organization complete the survey.

Complete the 2021 direct support workforce crisis survey today.

With gratitude,
ANCOR

Prev1...363364365...738Next Page 364 of 738
© 2021 - Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association