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Policy Areas

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RCPA is pleased to offer this webinar on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at 1:00 pm to discuss moving beyond the Carve-out/Carve-in debate.

In an age of integrated care, specialty behavioral health care matters. For more than two decades, the debate of what to do in Medicaid managed care with physical health care (PH) and behavioral health care (BH) centered on the question: should a state carve-out BH from PH managed care contracts or carve-in BH to PH managed care contracts? This presentation will focus on the most current answers to that question. Please register here if you have not registered yet for this event.

Presenters include:

Panelists will review:

  • Pennsylvania’s Behavioral HealthChoices;
  • Discuss managed care models utilized in other States; and
  • Asses how the debate is changing from carve-out vs. carve-in to a focus on contractual standards and accountability.

Achieving whole-person care and addressing social determinants of health by doing specialty behavioral health care directly through various Medicaid managed care approaches will be considered. While there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the time of the presentation, we encourage you to submit questions in advance to Tina Miletic.

Please register here to attend this webinar. We look forward to your participation!

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Anthem Foundation is making up to $30 million available over the next three years to support substance use disorder programs that address an array of care and service options, including prevention and early intervention, crisis response and interventions, long-term intervention, and community resources and recovery supports.

Qualified nonprofit organizations with a history of proven, programmatic community initiatives are invited to apply for funding. Although Pennsylvania has not been specifically identified as a local area of focus, Pennsylvania providers can qualify under the National Programs of Emphasis category. More information about funding guidelines and eligibility is available. The deadline to submit applications is January 31, 2022.

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The Administration for Community Living (ACL) has announced a virtual traumatic brain injury (TBI) stakeholder day planned for March 8, 2022, from 12:00 pm–4:30 pm. This free event will be held via webinar, and attendees will spend the afternoon talking about important issues around TBI services, supports, and systems.

Attendees will hear from brain injury survivors, family members, support networks, and state and federal representatives. This year’s sessions include Survivor Engagement Strategies, Domestic Violence and the Effect on Children, Effective Partnerships with Behavioral Health with a Focus on Suicide, and Effective Strategies for Using and Leveraging Data.

Individuals interested in participating should register here.

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Title: A Panel Discussion: Unpacking the Pediatric Behavioral Health Crisis and Key Steps to Address Short- and Long-Term Needs

Date: Thursday, January 27, 2022
11:00 am–12:00 pm EST

Registration: Attendees can register online for the event and add it to their calendar.

Description: Join us for a panel discussion highlighting aspects of the ongoing pediatric behavioral health crisis, seeking your input, and discussing a path forward for ways to better support children and families. As you likely know from your professional and/or personal experience, far too many children and youth across the country are unable to access timely, quality mental health care. What was a crisis before the pandemic has only worsened. According to the CDC, since March 2020, mental health visits have increased for children (ages 5–11) by 24% and youth (ages 12–17) by 31%. In the first half of 2021 alone, children’s hospitals reported cases of self-injury and suicide in ages 5–17 at a rate 45% higher than during the same timeframe in 2019.

This event will be recorded.

A national campaign, Sound the Alarm for Kids, is bringing together organizations calling on Congress to act now to prevent further unaddressed harm to our nation’s children. Every child in America should have the right to live up to their full potential. The mental health crisis is a national emergency – and we’re in the fight of our lives to end it. 

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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced today that Dr. Michael Lynch, UPMC Health Plan Medical Director of SUD Services, has been named Medical Director of DDAP. DDAP’s announcement follows last Wednesday’s announcement by RCPA of the creation of the new position.

Dr. Lynch, who will continue his full-time role with commercial insurer UPMC Health Plan, is board-certified in emergency medicine, medical toxicology, and addiction medicine.

In this position, Dr. Lynch will advise and assist DDAP in the development of policy and procedures related to medical best practice as well as advances related to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, including:

  • Providing technical assistance to SUD treatment providers and physicians in PA’s system of care, including the application of the ASAM criteria;
  • Developing projects to improve delivery of care to individuals with SUD;
  • Researching and reviewing new technologies and procedures, reviewing pertinent medical literature, and presenting findings and recommendations to appropriate entities regarding SUD, opioid use disorder, and medication-assisted therapies;
  • Educating stakeholders and providers relative to medication-assisted therapies as well as drug, alcohol, and narcotic treatment regulations; and
  • Developing new workflows and processes to increase quality improvement measures for DDAP and treatment providers.

Dr. Lynch graduated from the University of Notre Dame and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine before completing his residency in emergency medicine and fellowship in medical toxicology at the University of Pittsburgh. He is an assistant professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh and works in the emergency departments at UPMC Presbyterian and Mercy Hospitals. The toxicology service at UPMC is one of the busiest in the country, seeing patients at five Pittsburgh hospitals as well as providing inpatient addiction and telemedicine treatment. Dr. Lynch is the Medical Director of the Pittsburgh Poison Center and of SUD Services at UPMC Health Plan, and he continues to serve on the Boards of Directors for the PA College of Emergency Physicians and the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

UPMC Health Plan is the commercial insurance arm of UPMC. Community Care Behavioral Health, UPMC’s behavioral health managed care organization, is a sister company and the largest behavioral health Medicaid payer in the commonwealth. Both UPMC and Community Care Behavioral Health are RCPA members.

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Pennsylvania’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) is committed to assisting individuals with disabilities find competitive integrated employment in the community. OVR is looking for feedback to strengthen agency partnerships and enhance employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities in PA. OVR is outreaching to individuals working in 14(c) facilities (sheltered employment/subminimum wage employment) and their support networks to learn more about how OVR can provide services effectively. If you would like to provide feedback to us, we invite you to complete one of the surveys below:

  • You can access the Individual Survey here.
  • You can access the Support Networks Survey here.

Kim Robinson, MS, CRC | Division Chief, Transition and 511
Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation | Bureau of Central Operations
531 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
o: 412-209-4524 | c: 412.932.6149 | f: 412.565.7587

Learn more about OVR.

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Please help the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of Family Health find out what is needed to support transition age youth with special health care needs/disabilities. The Bureau is working with PEAL to outreach to families and will be asking questions about transition planning, bullying, safe relationships, and reproductive health and sexuality.

A $25 Gift Card will be provided per family. We are looking for young adults (12–21) to participate by themselves and also for young adults to participate with their family member to support communication. You can view the flyer for more details here.

Registration for Youth Only
If you are younger than 18, please ask your parent/guardian to register with you.
REGISTER

Registration for Youth Attending with Parent/Family Caregiver
REGISTER

You will need to fill out a form to receive your $25 gift card. If you are ages 12–17 and participating alone in the focus group, you will need parent signatures to receive a gift card and a release form to participate. The links to complete the forms below. Please save and send to Mary Hartley, whose contact information is also below.

If you need any accommodations, support, or have questions, please contact Mary Hartley via email or call (412) 281-4404, ext. 208. We are happy to help!

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