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Policy Areas

The Mental Health Safety Net Coalition is a group of stakeholders participating in a joint advocacy effort to protect and preserve our mental health service delivery system. The Coalition’s first advocacy bulletin discusses the critical areas of funding for the FY 2025/26 budget, including community mental health, school-based services, crisis intervention services, psychiatric centers, and the Behavioral HealthChoices program.

The full letter can be read here.

RCPA invites all members, non-members, and systems-wide behavioral health stakeholders to participate in the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition meeting on Monday, June 9, 2025, from 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm. This meeting will serve to update the group on strategy, activities, and engagement opportunities.

Please contact Emma Sharp with any questions or if you would like to join the Coalition.

Photo by Mikael Blomkvist from Pexels

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024/25 Q3 Report. This is a temporary report format while ODP builds a dashboard for waiting list and program growth data to make this data more accessible for stakeholders. ODP anticipates this will be ready by August.

The report shows ODP has made great progress on tackling the adult emergency waiting list over the past year, noting a 24% reduction since the Governor’s announcement in 2024.

For Questions or Additional Information
Please contact Tim Sohosky for any follow-up or inquiries related to this update.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) and its Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) technical advisors, in collaboration with the IM4Q Statewide Steering Committee, have begun partnering with provider association representatives to enhance provider agencies’ understanding of IM4Q and their role in the process. The IM4Q Provider Information Sheet outlines how the IM4Q process works, the ways providers contribute to interviews as well as follow up on identified considerations, and how to request IM4Q data to support their quality management efforts.

Please review ODPANN 25-050 for further details and information.

The Office of Development Programs (ODP) and its Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) technical advisors, in collaboration with the IM4Q Statewide Steering Committee, have begun partnering with Support Coordination Organization (SCO) representatives to enhance SCs’ understanding of IM4Q and their role in the process. The IM4Q SC Tip Sheet outlines the IM4Q process, SC responsibilities, how to inform the individuals they support, and what occurs after the interview. SCOs are encouraged to share the tip sheet as a reference when training new SCs and with experienced SCs as a refresher.

Please review ODPANN 25-051 for further details and information.

The Shapiro Administration has released a response to potential federal Medicaid cuts. This document provides information on the Medicaid and SNAP programs in Pennsylvania and offers a high-level analysis of the potential impacts of HR 1, Congressional Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill, on the commonwealth. As currently proposed, the legislation would kick over 300,000 Pennsylvanians off Medicaid, shift $1B in food assistance costs from the federal government onto our state budget, and strain our hospitals, potentially leading to the closure of as many as 25 rural hospitals across Pennsylvania. The legislation would also add significant new IT and administrative burdens for commonwealth agencies in the form of unfunded mandates from Washington.

Read the full report here. In addition, you can view this infographic for details on the impacts of implementing work requirements to SNAP benefits. Contact Emma Sharp with any questions.

The provider revalidation process has been reinstated after the expiration of the Public Health Emergency. Providers will receive a reminder from the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) 90 days prior to the due date of the revalidation date. View the documents below for details.

OLTL will be participating in the PD&A meeting on June 18 and will answer any questions RCPA members may have at that time. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Fady Sahhar.

Tips for Hiring & How to Write a Winning Job Post
Free webinar for RCPA members

Wednesday, June 18, 2025
10:00 am – 11:00 am
Register Here

This presentation explores effective strategies for hiring and crafting compelling job postings in order to attract top talent. Participants will learn how to identify key monetary and non-monetary benefits of working at an agency, such as health benefits, professional development, and overtime/holiday pay, which enhance employee satisfaction and retention. Additionally, the session will cover best practices for evaluating job posting platforms and recruitment methods to effectively connect with potential applicants. Through interactive discussions, attendees will leave with actionable insights and tools to improve their hiring processes and create job postings that resonate with candidates, ultimately fostering a stronger workforce. Join us to elevate your recruitment strategy and build a thriving organizational culture.

Presenter: Olivia Rodgers, Customer Success Manager and Hiring Specialist, MITC
Olivia has a strong track record of helping agencies streamline and strengthen their hiring processes. Through tailored trainings, hands-on support, and data-informed strategies, she empowers teams to attract, assess, and retain top talent more effectively.

Objectives: Following this course, the learner will:

  • Analyze and summarize three monetary benefits and three non-monetary benefits of working at their agency, and how to include the information in their job postings;
  • Assess job posting strategies by evaluating the effectiveness of job posting platforms and recruitment methods and discussing how the approaches connect with potential applicants and influence the quality of candidate pools; and
  • Craft effective job posts that will engage applicants and highlight key benefits of agency employment.

Certificates of attendance are available to RCPA members who attend this webinar; anyone interested in a certificate should contact Cathy Barrick. To apply for CEs, you will need to register for the RCPA Annual Conference Strive to Thrive and indicate you attended the webinar in your CE packet, which will be made available on the mobile app.

Contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, for details, or visit the RCPA Conference website for information on workshops, sponsors, exhibitors, and more!

RCPA invites all members, non-members, and systems-wide behavioral health stakeholders to participate in the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition meeting on Monday, June 9, 2025, from 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm. This meeting will serve to update the group on strategy, activities, and engagement opportunities. Members can participate via Teams; information on how to join can be found below.

The coalition, which is open to all stakeholder groups, convened last week to lay out our primary vision, actions, and goals. The coalition will be sending out its first legislative advocacy bulletin to General Assembly legislators and stakeholders this week, and we encourage members to participate in these efforts of joint advocacy in protecting and preserving our mental health service delivery system.

This meeting will review and discuss the critical areas of funding for the 2025/26 budget, including county mental health, school-based services, psychiatric centers, and the Behavioral HealthChoices system, along with ongoing advocacy for the preservation of Federal Medicaid. The coalition listserv has been updated; if you would like to join the coalition or have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp.


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