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RCPA has extended the deadline to complete the workforce survey to Monday, October 18, 2021. The survey, which is open to all Human Service Providers in Pennsylvania, covers work force issues for a diverse range of programs, including Mental Health, IDD/Autism, Brain Injury, Drug & Alcohol, and Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRF). The survey responses seek to gather data related to hiring, retention, vacancy rates, pay structures, vaccinations, and COVID-19 impacts on programs as well as access to care associated with the pandemic.
We thank you in advance for your time in completing this survey and would ask that you share this information with your colleagues, fellow leaders, and Human Resources teams. The more information collected, the more we will be able to provide to stakeholders, which will affect not only RCPA members but all providers within the Commonwealth.
A copy of the results of this survey will be available to all participants at the conclusion of the study. Please complete the survey here. The workforce survey will end at close of business on Monday, October 18, 2021.
If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Director of Children’s Services Jim Sharp.
On September 28, 2021, AmeriHealth Caritas, which operates Medicaid managed care plans in 13 states and the District of Columbia, launched a new wholly-owned subsidiary called Social Determinants of Life, Inc. The subsidiary will invest in, support, and deploy solutions to help members build resilience, and help improve their health and create a path out of poverty. AmeriHealth Caritas is currently hiring for key leadership positions at the new company.
As the first step for Social Determinants of Life, Inc., AmeriHealth Caritas invested $29 million in Wider Circle in a $38 million funding round, becoming Wider Circle’s largest shareholder. Wider Circle is a California-based startup that builds tech-enabled, hyper-local health programs and peer-to-peer social networks. Its community care model is centered around trust, where culturally competent community engagement leaders and volunteer member ambassadors form groups with their neighbors to inform, support, and motivate one another to be more engaged and proactive about their health. Wider Circle is using the investment funds to continue developing and expanding its model. AmeriHealth Caritas has not released details about how Social Determinants of Life will leverage the Wider Circle model.
Commenting on the funding round, Darin Buxbaum, president and chief operating officer of Wider Circle said, “With the support of AmeriHealth Caritas’s new Social Determinants of Life, Inc., Blue Venture Fund and others, Wider Circle is well positioned to extend our proven hyper-local engagement model to improve health outcomes in communities nationwide.” Wider Circle offers programs to tens of thousands of members in more than 320 communities nationwide across the country
Wider Circle works with Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid managed care organizations and capitated provider organization groups. The company seeks to align with the health plan sponsors through a per engaged member per month payment model. In this model, Wider Circle is paid for each actively engaged member as long as the member remains engaged in the Wider Circle group. The groups meet 10 or more times each year at favorite local public meeting spots, and connect on the phone every other week.
Wider Circle uses an evidence-based, data-driven approach to identify and group health plan members at the local level based on demographic and similar backgrounds. The company hires community engagement and outreach specialists from the same communities to invite health plan members to participate in the local groups. From there, neighbors help the group recruit other neighbors and open doors that would otherwise remain closed.
Trained facilitators build trusted groups of neighbors in a culturally competent manner by engaging members via weekly small-group meetings for six weeks. During this group formation period, the facilitators recruit and encourage able members to become volunteer “ambassadors” to help lead the group and ensure that members are informed about planned meetings and have access to the resources they need. To support the group leaders Wider Circle has employees in every community supported by Area Managers and state and account leadership.
After training, the group members support one another through tailored in-person and virtual interactions. The groups can meet in restaurants, parks, community centers, houses of worship, and other public gathering areas. The group members meet almost every month and chat on the phone every other week.
Wider Circle programs have helped Medicare and Medicaid plan members improve preventative care utilization and vaccine adoption rates while reducing hospital days. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency, the Wider Circle groups supported participants facing isolation, delivered more than 180,000 meals, and helped participants access comprehensive social support services.
AmeriHealth Caritas serves nearly 5 million Medicaid, Medicare, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) members through its integrated managed care products, pharmaceutical benefit management and specialty pharmacy services, and behavioral health services.
OPEN MINDS last reported on AmeriHealth Caritas in the following articles.
For more information, contact:
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging recently announced a “Save the Date” for an upcoming virtual forum with the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Related Disorders Task Force on November 4, 2021 from 9:00 am–12:30 pm. The primary topic of the virtual forum is Physician and Consumer Education in Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Treatment.
Registration will open on October 13, 2021. Questions should be directed to Heidi Champa, Aging Services Specialist.
The following announcement/reminder was issued and directed to Personal Care Homes (PCH), Assisted Living Residences (ALRs), and nursing facilities (NFs) by the Department of Human Services (DHS)/Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL):
This message is to serve as a reminder that the deadline to apply for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) payments is Friday, October 15, 2021. If you have not yet submitted your Facility Acceptance Form, please do so on or before October 15 using the highlighted directions below. The facility acceptance form may be found on the DHS Long-Term Care Providers page. PCH and ALR providers that already submitted a Facility Acceptance Form do not need to resend a form.
This message is to update and replace the Listserv email sent on August 31, 2021 with the subject “American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) One-Time Payments – Notification, Instructions, and Timelines.”
The Office of Long-Term Living has published revised lists of qualifying entities and payment amounts for personal care home (PCH) and assisted living residence (ALR) ARPA payments. The revised lists are available as of September 9, 2021, on the DHS Long-Term Care Providers page under the heading ‘American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding.’ Revisions include the addition of providers omitted from the original published list and corrected payment amounts for providers that experienced a change of ownership or a name change between April 1, 2020 and June 1, 2021. These revisions resulted in adjustments to payment amounts for all qualifying PCH and ALR providers.
PCH and ALR providers that already submitted a Facility Acceptance Form do not need to resend a form.
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) One-Time Payments – Notification, Instructions, and Timelines
Governor Wolf signed Act 24 of 2021, which allocates $282 million of federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for payments to nursing facilities (NF), personal care homes (PCH), and assisted living residences (ALR). To qualify for the one-time payment, a facility must be in operation as of June 1, 2021.
These one-time ARPA funds must be used for COVID-19 related costs not otherwise reimbursed by federal, state, or other sources of funding. The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) sent a letter dated August 30, 2021, with details about the payments, including information about the approved use of and reporting on these funds. For reference, a sample of the letter, a list of qualifying entities and payment amounts, and a copy of the Facility Acceptance Form are available on the DHS Long-Term Care Providers page under the heading ‘American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding.’
Nursing Facility Payments
NFs enrolled in MA do not need to submit requests for funding. All NFs enrolled in MA will receive the funding, provided they meet the criteria described above. OLTL will distribute the funding as a one-time gross adjustment. NFs enrolled in MA can expect to see the payment appear as a gross adjustment transaction/lump sum payment on the PROMISe remittance advice dated September 6, 2021, with payment occurring September 15, 2021.
NFs not enrolled in MA must complete the Facility Acceptance Form and return it by October 15, 2021, to DHS. Providers may also fax the completed form to the OLTL Bureau of Finance at 717-787-2145. Checks will be issued and mailed in the order in which DHS receives Facility Acceptance Forms.
PCH/ALR Payments
PCHs and ALRs must complete the Facility Acceptance Form and return it by October 15, 2021, to DHS. Providers may also fax the completed form to the OLTL Bureau of Finance at 717-787-2145. Checks will be issued and mailed in the order in which DHS receives the Facility Acceptance Forms.
Act 24 of 2021 requires the ARPA funding to be obligated by December 31, 2024, and spent by December 31, 2026, or returned to the commonwealth. Additionally, these funds must be used for COVID-19 related expenses. Providers must keep documentation to prove that these funds were used for their response to the COVID-19 pandemic in case of an audit. Any person or entity accepting an ARPA payment agrees to provide documentation to DHS, upon request, for purposes of determining compliance with Act 24 requirements. Instructions on expenditure reporting will be provided at a later date.
DHS recommends that providers consult their accountants or attorneys for further clarification on acceptable uses of ARPA funding. DHS encourages providers to review guidance for eligible expenditures on the U.S. Department of the Treasury website in their Compliance and Reporting Guidance.
NFs that have questions about the information in this Listserv should contact the OLTL Provider Helpline at 800-932-0939.
PCHs and ALRs that have questions about the information in this Listserv should contact the Operator Support Hotline at 866-503-3926 or via email.
Group Warns of Escalating Health and Safety Crisis in I/DD Community
Releases Video to Increase Awareness
Calls to End One-Size-Fits-All Policy Solutions
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – Together for Choice, a national advocacy organization formed to protect and advance the rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), today announced the ACT NOW for Severe Autism Campaign with a consortium of partners, including the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA), concerned parents and other advocates. The campaign seeks to shine light on the growing health and safety crisis involving individuals with severe autism and change policies that deprive them of the services they need.
“For too long, individuals with severe autism have remained in the shadows and all too-often forgotten in policy discussions,” said Ashley Kim Weiss, National Coordinator of Together for Choice. “Most of the attention and resources have been devoted to integrating high functioning members of the I/DD community into society, which we agree is important. Equally important, however, are the most vulnerable individuals with severe disabilities who can never fully integrate and are in desperate need of customized care and support to live healthy and productive lives.
The group promoted a video, which first debuted at the RCPA Conference held in Pennsylvania last week. A parent of a severely autistic child self-financed and produced the video to combat the increasing claims of the highly vocal and publicly visible advocates of the neuro diversity community, that severe autism does not exist. Or worse yet, that the needs of those individuals with severe autism are no different than the needs of any other individual diagnosed with autism.
The video can be found at: https://youtu.be/xwvKYE5C2Ys
“While the video is at times uncomfortable to watch, it is critical that the public see the realities that these individuals and families face on a daily basis,” said Richard S. Edley, President and CEO of RCPA. “We need more resources and more flexible policy solutions to address this growing crisis. One-size-fits-all solutions must end. We must recognize that one-size does not fit everyone. People will always be left out – and sadly, it is often the most vulnerable who are forgotten.”
The group also launched a website at www.ACTNOWFORSEVEREAUTISM.com which houses the video and contains a petition to end these policies as well as more information about how the public can get involved and advocate for change in policies that discriminate against individuals with severe autism and their families.
About Together for Choice
Together for Choice (TFC) is a non-profit organization with a mission to unite to protect and advance the rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to live, work and thrive in a community or setting of their choice. Please visit www.togetherforchoice.org for more information.
About the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association:
With well over 350 members, the majority of who serve over 1 million Pennsylvanians annually, Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA) is among the largest and most diverse state health and human services trade associations in the nation. RCPA advocates for those in need, works to advance effective state and federal public policies, serves as a forum for the exchange of information and experience, and provides professional support to members. RCPA provider members offer mental health, drug and alcohol, intellectual and developmental disabilities, children’s, brain injury, medical rehabilitation, and physical disabilities and aging services, through all settings and levels of care. Visit www.paproviders.org for more information.
Contact for TFC
Ashley Kim Weiss
National Coordinator
Together for Choice
P: 310-889-8800
Contact for RCPA
Richard S. Edley, PhD
President and CEO
Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA)
P: 717-364-3280
We invite and encourage all Human Service Providers in Pennsylvania to participate in the RCPA workforce survey. The statewide survey examines workforce topics for a diverse range of programs, including Mental Health, IDD/Autism, Brain Injury, Drug & Alcohol, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRF), and others. The survey responses seek to gather data related to hiring, retention, vacancy rates, pay structures, vaccinations, and COVID-19 impacts on programs as well as access to care associated with the pandemic. The workforce survey will close on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.
The survey was developed for Legislative and State Stakeholders that requested RCPA to quantify the impact of the pandemic on our workforce so that we might effectively lobby for the welfare of the agencies that support and serve individuals with disabilities and health issues. RCPA has made the survey available to providers across Pennsylvania, not just RCPA members. Please be assured that response data will be de-identified and aggregated for reporting by an independent research entity, and your individual data will be shared with no one.
We thank you in advance for your time in completing this survey and would ask that you share this information with your colleagues, fellow leaders, and Human Resources teams. The more information collected, the more we will be able to provide to stakeholders, which will affect not only RCPA members, but all providers within the Commonwealth.
Please review the Master List of survey questions, which includes all service line areas, questions on the program operations, and vaccinations, to assist in your survey responses. A copy of the results of this survey will be available to all participants at the conclusion of the study. Please complete the survey here.
If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Director of Children’s Services Jim Sharp.