OMHSAS New Bulletin: Revised Guidelines for the Delivery of BH Services Through Telehealth
behavioral health
RCPA Update: National Council’s Hill Day at Home 2022
RCPA hopes that you found the National Council on Mental Wellbeing’s Hill Day at Home 2022 a valuable experience. This year’s focus supported the initiatives that are affecting our organizations and delivery of services to vulnerable consumers across Pennsylvania and our nation.
Be sure to check out the overview from Hill Day at Home 2022 that outlines the issues, impacts, strategies, and “The Ask” from our legislators and stakeholders. These include:
- Fulfilling the Promise of 988;
- Support for the Expansion of Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers (CCBHCs);
- Curbing the Nation’s Substance Use Crisis; and
- Addressing the Mental Health & Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce in America.
RCPA will continue to collaborate with the National Council and our members to advocate for these and other critical initiatives.
If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.
10th Annual Lifesharing Conference: November 7–8
November 7–8, 2022
The Pennsylvania Lifesharing Coalition will be holding its 10th Annual Lifesharing Conference on November 7 and 8, 2022. The conference will take place in-person at Kalahari Resort in Pocono Manor, PA. Registration is $200 through June 30 and $250 thereafter. See the flyer for more information on hotel accommodations and instructions on how to register.
Sessions
The keynote speaker on Monday will be Rachel Simon, author of several books, including Riding the
Bus With My Sister. Sessions also include updates from the PA Office of Developmental Programs, mental health and wellness topics, and lifesharing best practices from families and providers. The Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services will be offering the 8-hour Mental Health First Aid course; 4 hours will be completed virtually in advance of the conference, and 4 hours will be completed on Tuesday, November 8, at the conference.
Visit here to register for the conference.
See the flyer for more information.
Once in a Generation Opportunity to Fund PA’s BH Services Programs — RCPA Announces Revised Recommendations for 2022/23 Budget
988: A Direct Link for Suicide Prevention & Crisis Support
ODP Announcement 22-062 is to inform interested parties of the 988 lifeline. Trained crisis response professionals can provide support to individuals considering suicide, self-harm, or any behavioral, mental health, or substance abuse need.
Starting on July 16, 2022, people who call, text, or chat with 988 will be directly connected to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The existing Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will remain available.
Callers can also connect with the Veterans Crisis Line or receive assistance in Spanish. These services will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are free to any caller no matter where they live.
Additional resources can be found here.
Commissioners Ask for Help to Support ‘Crumbling Mental Health System’
Psychiatric Epidemiologist Tamsin Ford Talks Children’s Mental Health Amid Covid-19
PCCD Forum Registration: Strategies for Cross-Systems Data Sharing on May 24
Dr. John Petrila, a national expert on mental health law and policy and data sharing, is sharing some of his expansive knowledge on cross-systems data sharing with participants of the PA Stepping Up Technical Assistance Center via webinar on May 24. The PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) is pleased to pass along the opportunity to register for the presentation on this relevant and timely subject. The webinar will discuss how counties can work within their federal and state privacy laws to share data across criminal justice and behavioral health systems along the Stepping Up 4 key measures in order to understand the prevalence of mental illness in their jails.
PA TA Center Data Sharing Webinar
- Date: May 24, 2022
- Time: 11:00 am–12:00 pm
- Registration Link
- There is a text box to provide questions when you register – please type any questions you have on this subject! The presenter has specifically asked for questions so that he can tailor the presentation to be most helpful.
If you have further questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.
DHS Webinars Focusing on Behavioral Health Services for the Nursing Facility Population
Due to feedback shared with the Department of Human Services (DHS) regarding the importance of providing behavioral health services in nursing facilities and making sure nursing facilities know how to access these services, DHS has developed a webinar entitled “Behavioral Health Services for the Nursing Facility Population.” The webinars, which all contain the same material being presented, is a joint effort with the DHS’ Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL), Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), the Behavioral Health (BH) Managed Care Organizations (MCO), and the Community HealthChoices (CHC) MCOs, and it is being hosted by the Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA). Other collaborative partners include the PA Department of Health and LeadingAge PA.
The webinars are as follows:
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
2:00 pm–3:30 pm
1.5 CEUs for SNF
Please register using this registration link.
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
2:00 pm–3:30 pm
1.5 CEUs for SNF
Please register using this registration link.
The first webinar was conducted on April 12, 2022. The webinars will be interactive and are meant for nursing facilities to have the opportunity to ask questions and begin dialogue on how to improve behavioral health services in their facilities. The webinars will also allow the BH-MCOs, the CHC-MCOs, and the nursing facilities to further collaborate on this issue. The webinars will be recorded.
Webinar Presenters:
- Jamie Buchenauer, Deputy Secretary, OLTL, DHS
- Kristen Houser, Deputy Secretary, OMHSAS, DHS (April 12 and April 26)
- Adair, Medical Director/Chief Psychiatric Officer, OMHSAS, DHS (May 3)
- Kellie Mainzer, Director Western Operations, Bureau of Community and Hospital Operations, OMHSAS, DHS
- Marjorie Faish, Program Analyst 3, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, OLTL, DHS
- Duncan Bruce, Director of MCO Integration, Community Care Behavioral Health
- Rachel Lee-Price, Manager, Behavioral Health Clinical Services, Beacon Health Options of Pennsylvania, Inc.
- Joe DiMeo, Jr., Behavioral Health Coordinator for Community HealthChoices, Community Behavioral Health
- Lauren Keane, Magellan Behavioral Health
- Dan Eisenhauer, Director of Operations, PerformCARE (April 26 and May 3)
- Brian Gannon, Manager Behavioral Health Programs, PerformCARE (April 12)
- John McFarland, Director, MCO Integration, Relations & Policy, UPMC CHC
- Heather Clarke, Director Care Management, Complex Needs and Behavioral Health, PA Health & Wellness (April 12 and May 3)
- Oliva Martin, Director of LTSS, PA Health & Wellness (April 26)
- Sara Reitenauer, Manager of LTSS Behavioral Health and Collaborative Services, Community HealthChoices, AmeriHealth Caritas CHC/Keystone First CHC
- Dyann M. Roth, President and CEO, Inglis
- Tara Winter, Nursing Home Administrator, Former Senior Center Executive Director, Chapel Manor Genesis HealthCare®
- Jessica Peacock, Director of Recovery and Community Outreach, Peerstar, LLC
- Stacy Williams, Social Service Supervisor, Kane Regional-Scott
Questions should be directed to Marjorie Faish, OLTL.
OMHSAS 2022/23 Budget Proposal Overview
Prev