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Physical Disabilities & Aging

Photo by Larry Crayton on Unsplash

Family-Centered Care: One Organization’s Revolutionary Approach to Include Families in All Aspects of Care

Monday, April 20, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT; 10:00 am – 11:00 am CDT;
9:00 am – 10:00 am MDT; 8:00 am – 9:00 am PDT 
Register Here

Donna Provenzano, Director of Family-Centered Care

Donna Provenzano is the Director of Family-Centered Care at Children’s Specialized Hospital. She has thirty-nine years of experience in working with children, adolescents, young adults, and their families at Children’s Specialized. Donna serves on several hospital leadership committees and councils and provides administrative and operational management of Family-Centered Care and Volunteers. She supervises and partners with Family Faculty staff and coordinates with the Family Advisory Council. Donna has presented both nationally and internationally on Patient- and Family-Centered Care. Under Donna’s leadership, her department received the IPFCC Family-Centered Care Partnership Award for Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) in 2022. Donna has received additional leadership certifications from the Harvard Business School. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Therapeutic Recreation from Ithaca College.

Linda Waddell, Family Faculty Manager

Linda Waddell is the Family Faculty Manager at Children’s Specialized Hospital. She has been employed at the hospital as a Family Faculty since June of 2008 and a member of the Children’s Specialized Hospital’s Family Advisory Council since 2014. On behalf of the hospital, Linda has presented with her team on Patient- and Family-Centered Care at regional, national, and international conferences. Most recently, Linda was a member of a panel that presented at the 2024 RISE Summit “Addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): A Look into Children’s Specialized Hospital’s Program in NJ and Beyond.” Linda participates in various hospital committees and is also a member of the IPRC Steering Committee, where she provides a family member’s perspective for discussions and decision-making.

Linda was the 2019 recipient of the Lester Z. Lieberman Humanism in Healthcare Award and received the IPFCC 30th Anniversary 2022 Partnership Award on Social Determinants of Health. Linda received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Kean University. Linda’s first experience with Children’s Specialized Hospital began in 1999, receiving multiple services for her newborn, medically fragile baby. She became an expert in the experience of pediatric rehabilitation through caring for her daughter with medical complications.

Family Faculty at Children’s Specialized Hospital are paid positions held by parents and family members whose children have received or are still receiving services at Children’s Specialized Hospital Inpatient, Outpatient, or Long-Term Care sites. Their own day-to-day experiences provide a unique perspective, understanding, and empathy for families going through similar situations. Family Faculty partner with staff and families to build a respectful and understanding relationship by listening, providing insights, and encouraging positive communication between staff and families.

Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will identify strategies to:

  • Embed Patient- and Family-Centered Care into your organization;
  • Cultivate respectful partnerships and collaboration with leadership, staff, and families;
  • Include families in education and training of staff at all levels; and
  • Engage families and staff in creating valuable resources.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all interested members of the rehabilitation team.

Level: Beginner-Intermediate

Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.

Complimentary webinars are a benefit of membership in IPRC/RCPA. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Friday, April 10 at 5:00 pm is the deadline to complete and submit nominations for the Rural Health Transformation Plan (RHTP) Advisory Council and RHTP Rural Care Collaboratives (RCC).

Advisory Council (Statewide): This is a not a decision-making body.
The Advisory Council will provide subject matter expertise (SME) to the RCCs. The Council’s feedback is intended to inform and enhance RCC regional plans to ensure planned projects have the best chance of succeeding and will be sustainable after the 5-year RHTP funding is no longer available.

  • Meeting Cadence: The Advisory Council will meet once a month during the RCC plan development period. Once plans are solidified, the Advisory Council will meet quarterly to help address implementation concerns.
  • Council Member Expectations: Provide technical assistance (TA) to the RCCs in the member’s identified area of expertise. TA can be provided in multiple formats. This could be open discussion during RHTP meetings, written questions and answers, or a more hands-on knowledge transfer.
  • Conflict of Interest: If chosen for the Advisory Council, members must provide their formal CV for documentation, a brief bio, and disclosure of any conflicts of interest. All conflicts of interest also must be communicated verbally during meetings and TA communication with RCCs.

The Advisory Council needs SME representation in:

  • Aging and Access
  • Behavioral Health
  • EMS and Transportation
  • Technology and Infrastructure
  • Maternal Health
  • Workforce

Rural Care Collaboratives (Regional): This is a planning body.
There will be 8 RCCs established with the purpose of:

  • Identifying regional priorities based on healthcare gaps;
  • Developing a regional plan to address prioritized needs; and
  • Recommending/identifying projects to the RHTP interagency project team to operationalize the regional plan that works towards Pennsylvania’s identified outcomes.

Complete the RHTP Advisory Council and RCC Nomination form here.

Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, recently announced a hearing titled Healthier America: Legislative Proposals to Improve Public Health.

The hearing, scheduled for April 15, 2026, at 10:15 am, will focus on the bills below that address various areas of public health, including disease research and prevention efforts, bolstering resources for rural medical services and health care providers, promoting healthy activities, and increasing access to care.

The hearing will be open to the public and will be livestreamed online.

Replay icon on wooden cubes on smart grey background and copy space. Recap business, meeting summary, business review concept.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) held a “kickoff” webinar to discuss the Rural Health Transformation Plan (RHTP) and have released the recording and slides for the presentation, which are available here. DHS is currently awaiting the release of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the first phase of Year 1 implementation.

Year 1 Funding Mechanisms will include:

  • Expansion of existing programs;
  • Program payments;
  • Intergovernmental agreements; and
  • Grant agreements.

If your organization has an interest in these RFPs, RCPA will provide updates as appropriate, but we also encourage you to sign up directly for the DHS listserv info. Direct RHTP inquiries can be sent here.

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has distributed the PowerPoint and additional items from the April 1 Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting. Highlights from the meeting include:

  • The CAHPS survey results for 2025 were presented at the aggregate level. Several key measures were below the target of 86%, but no specific action plans or remediation was discussed.
  • The transcript reflects the discussion around the opportunities in improved Behavioral Health supports and transportation services.

Also available are the March 11 Follow-Up Responses, including the indication of growing importance of Assisted Living Residences as an “in lieu of” service, as it moves a step closer to becoming an approved CHC waiver service.

If you have any questions, please contact Fady Sahhar.