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TBI Virtual Trainings Offered in March by Administration for Community Living
In observance of Brain Injury Awareness Month in March, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) will be hosting virtual Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Tuesday training sessions. Additional information is provided below:
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Tuesdays in March
Please join the Administration for Community Living (ACL) this March in observance of Brain Injury Awareness Month. In lieu of ACL’s annual in-person TBI Stakeholder Day, they will be hosting virtual TBI Tuesdays. With an overarching focus on equity, each TBI Tuesday session will highlight the work of the TBI State Partnership Program grantee workgroups and their resources for stakeholders, federal partners, and will involve individuals with brain injury. They have structured each TBI Tuesday session to include panel discussions, question and answer sessions, and generous breaks in between. Each TBI Tuesday session will be live-captioned and ASL-interpreted. If you require additional accommodations to participate or if you have any questions about the sessions, please do not hesitate to submit via email. Please see the session descriptions below.
Outreach to All: Brain Injury within Underserved Populations
The kickoff TBI Tuesday session will focus on Underserved Populations. Reyma McCoy-McDeid, the newly appointed Commissioner of ACL’s Administration on Disabilities will provide opening remarks. Two TBI State Partnership Program state grantees (Oregon and West Virginia) will introduce the Rural Outreach Toolkit and a person with TBI will share their outreach experience. You will also hear from ACL’s federal partner from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (invited) regarding rural and frontier populations.
This webinar will be held on March 9, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Sustainable Partnerships: Forging Relationships that Last
The focus of this second TBI Tuesday session will be Sustainable Partnerships. The session will feature several TBI State Partnership Program (SPP) grantees (Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Tennessee) who will share the work of the Sustainable Partnership SPP Workgroup, including two workgroup products (Success Story and Tip Sheet). ACL will also discuss how to build capacity to better serve people with TBI through partnerships within and between states. Participants will also hear national and state perspectives regarding partnerships with Protection and Advocacy organizations (P&As) and Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs). Session participants will be able to discuss how to build innovative partnerships, how to strengthen federal agency connections at the local level, and strategies to enhance the workgroup products presented.
This webinar will be held on March 16, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Return to Learn: Equal Access to Education for Students with Brain Injury
The third TBI Tuesday session will focus on Return to Learn following brain injury. The session will begin with a panel of TBI State Partnership Program (SPP) grantees (Oregon and Pennsylvania) who will discuss Return to Learn initiatives. Participants will hear from a concussion expert and an individual with a TBI, who will share their return to learn experience. ACL will also lead a discussion with session participants about the pros and cons of state legislation on Return to Learn.
This webinar will be held on March 23, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Justice for All: Serving Individuals with Brain Injury Across the Justice System
The fourth TBI Tuesday session will focus on the criminal and juvenile justice (CJJ) system. Three TBI State Partnership Program grantees (Colorado, Indiana, and Pennsylvania) will provide an overview on CJJ and brain injury, and why it matters. There will be an overview of the SPP workgroup and its structure, purpose, and products as well as a presentation by Policy Research Associates on using the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Sequential Intercept Model to support people living with a brain injury as they move through the criminal justice system. You will hear from ACL’s federal partner with the U.S. Department of Justice (invited) and also from a person with a brain injury on their experience with the justice system.
This webinar will take place on March 30, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
Maximizing the Effectiveness of Advisory Boards Through Full Participation
The focus of this final TBI Tuesday session will be on TBI State Advisory Boards/Councils and how to better engage members, especially individuals with brain injury. Two TBI State Partnership Program (SPP) grantees (Tennessee and West Virginia) will present on the TBI SPP Advisory Board Toolkit. You will also hear from ACL’s federal partner from the Office of Independent Living Programs at ACL on the importance of consumer engagement. Representatives from the Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC) and the TBI Advisory and Leadership Group (TAL-Group) will lead a facilitated discussion about the importance of having consumer-guided council practices and how individuals with TBI and others can become ready to serve on boards.
This webinar will be held on April 6, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month — View Governor Wolf’s Proclamation
DOH/DHS Announce Extension of Regional Congregate Care Assistance Teams
The Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Human Services (DHS) announced the Regional Congregate Care Assistance Teams (RCAT) will continue to provide COVID-19 outbreak support to facilities from March 1, 2021 through May 31, 2021. The continuation of the RCATs is possible due to additional funding that was made available to them. Those facilities that were previously eligible for the Regional Response Health Collaborative (RRHC) program will also be eligible for the RCAT. Facilities experiencing outbreaks may request assistance with personal protective equipment (PPE), staffing, and testing. Please refer to this document for additional information and some great resources.
ANCOR Offers One Month Access to Free Training Resources
DOH Aligns Quarantine Guidance For Fully Vaccinated Individuals With CDC COVID-19 Recommendations
Open for Public Comment: Renewal of the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW)
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is pleased to announce the opportunity for public comment on Appendices A through H of the AAW. There is a 30-day public comment period that begins on February 27, 2021 and ends on March 29, 2021. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approves waivers for a five-year period. The current AAW expires on June 30, 2021. As such, ODP must submit an application to renew the AAW to CMS. The waiver renewal is anticipated to be effective on July 1, 2021.
In the request for renewal of the AAW, ODP proposes substantive changes to Appendices A through H as outlined in ODP Announcement 21-024. As part of this process, ODP is seeking your valuable feedback and comments on Appendices A through H of the proposed renewal.
ODP will be publishing a separate notice announcing the availability of Appendices I and J for public comment upon completion of the rate-setting process. A communication will be published when these appendices are available.
- Appendices A through H of the proposed renewal of the AAW are available here.
Information regarding Appendices A through H of the proposed renewal of the AAW, including how to provide comments, can be found in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, Volume 51, Number 9, published on Saturday, February 27, 2021.
Interested persons are invited to submit written comments regarding the proposed AAW renewal. Comments should be addressed to Laura Cipriani, Department of Human Services, Office of Developmental Programs, 625 Forster Street, Room 510, Harrisburg, PA 17120. Comments may also be submitted to ODP via email, using subject header “AAW Renewal.”
Comments received by 11:59 pm on March 29, 2021 will be reviewed and considered for revisions to the proposed renewal of the AAW.
ODP will also hold a webinar to receive comments on the proposed renewal of the AAW. Date, time, and link for registration to attend this webinar are as follows:
Tuesday, March 16, 2021 • 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Use this link to register
Philadelphia DOH Vaccine Clarification – DSPs in Phase 1A
The Philadelphia Department of Health has issued clarification on the vaccine status of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) being in Phase 1A. In their initial letter, they incorrectly left out Behavioral Health DSPs and only mentioned those who are working with individuals with ID/Autism. This was an oversight, and they have now corrected it both on their website and in the letter.
Hence, all DSPs are considered to fall into Phase 1A, regardless of what service line they work in. Please contact your RCPA Policy Director for further clarification.
ODP Human Rights Webcasts
With the recent release of Bulletin 00-21-01 Guidance for Human Rights Teams and Human Rights Committees, ODP is making available a 4-part webcast series titled Human Rights In Depth, which provides additional information and support for stakeholders involved in implementing the guidance and requirements related to individual rights and restrictive procedures.
ODP is not requiring a specific timeframe for completion of the webcasts; however, it is recommended that all of the webcasts be viewed, with priority placed on the first one, which is an introduction to the concept of individual rights and its importance to our community.
ODP Announcement 21-023 provides more detail regarding these courses. Also, please visit MyODP using the following link to access the webcasts and webcast versions in PDF format. To receive a certificate, you will be required to view all four webcasts, complete a training confirmation, and pass the course post-test.
Course: Human Rights and Restrictive Procedures: Human Rights in Depth (myodp.org)
For questions please email: RA-PWODP_OUTREACH@pa.gov.
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