Op-Ed: PA Budget Won’t Fix Crisis in Intellectual Disability/Autism System
Funding
The Provider Dilemma With Medical Marijuana and Conflicting Laws
OMHSAS Releases HCBS Workforce Funding FAQ
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) has just published an FAQ on the Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) workforce support payments. Any remaining questions may be sent to the RA Account.
Please note that after receiving anticipated payment amounts on the attestation forms that were sent to providers at the locations of qualifying services, some providers alerted us to apparent irregularities in the payment amounts. OMHSAS is pulling our data and rerunning our formulas to ensure that payments are based on proper calculations and a balanced distribution of funds. Revised attestation forms will be sent to any providers who may have been impacted in their total allocation (positively or negatively) with a new due date in early March.
RCPA continues to work with its members and OMHSAS on the attestation and allocation process. Please contact your RCPA Policy Director for guidance or questions.
Governor Wolf’s 2022/23 Budget: Initial Overview
Today, RCPA staff watched the Governor’s budget address and attended the Department of Human Services (DHS) 2022/23 Budget Overview webinar. After listening to the Governor and DHS, there were some positive takeaways for RCPA members. Specifically, the Governor is requesting:
- $50 million, or a 44% increase to state supplemental programs for aged, blind, and individuals with disabilities, to increase the personal care home state supplement from $439.30 to $1,351.80 per month;
- $75 million in federal funds to recruit and retain behavioral health providers;
- $36.6 million to invest in critical county behavioral health services;
- $15 million in federal funds to stabilize payments to substance use disorder treatment providers and assist with pandemic related expenses; and
- $18.8 million to serve an additional 832 individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism currently waiting for services.
The Governor also proposed increasing the state’s minimum wage to $12 per hour effective July 1, 2022, including tipped workers, with 50 cent annual increases up to $15 per hour ($74.6 million direct revenue increase).
The above are some highlights from both the Governor’s budget request and the DHS presentation. While some of the Governor’s asks may seem beneficial to members, RCPA staff will be reviewing the more detailed spreadsheets we received from the Governor’s office. Once RCPA staff have had the opportunity to review and analyze these spreadsheets, members will receive a more detailed analysis of the Governor’s budget requests. RCPA plans to have the analysis done as soon as possible, so members can get a clearer picture. If you have any questions, please contact Jack Phillips.
Governor Tom Wolf 2022 Budget Address as Prepared: Press Release
HHS Distributing $2 Billion More in Provider Relief Fund Payments to Health Care Providers Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic
$225M in Federal COVID-19 Relief Slated for Pa. Health Care Workers
Anthem Foundation Issues RFP for SUD Programming
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.
Department of Health Announces LTC RISE Program
The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) has announced a new initiative to assist long-term care facilities (which includes skilled nursing facilities, personal care homes, assisted living residences, etc.) respond to COVID-19, recover, and improve resiliency.
This new initiative, the Long-Term Care Resiliency, Infrastructure Supports, and Empowerment (LTC RISE) is funded by a federal grant provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which began on January 1, 2022, replacing the Regional Congregate Care Assistance Teams (RCATs), whose contract expired December 1, 2021.
With LTC RISE, these long-term care facilities may take advantage of improvement project opportunities in the following areas:
- Implementing infection prevention and control and emergency preparedness best practices to enhance delivery of resident-centered care;
- Building a sustainable outbreak response operation construct that meets the facility’s needs; and
- Promoting professional development and a resilient long-term care facility workforce.
LTC RISE will continue to offer the following RCAT prevention and response support to LTC RISE-eligible facilities:
- A dedicated phone line with 24/7 access, including designated office hours for inquiries, consultations, and follow-up calls from long-term care facilities; and
- Consultation and technical assistance, assessment and feedback, training, and incident management coaching.
The LTC RISE program is a partnership among DOH, Department of Human Services (DHS), Pennsylvania Emergency Management Association (PEMA), and the following healthcare organizations that have established partnerships covering six regions across Pennsylvania to support preventive and emergent assistance for LTCFs:
- Penn Medicine, in partnership with Temple Health;
- The Pennsylvania State University;
- LECOM Health; and
- AMI Expeditionary Healthcare.
CDC Announces New Injury Prevention Research Funding Opportunities
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control’s (NCIPC) Division of Injury Prevention recently announced a new notice of funding opportunities, which include:
RFA-CE-22-006 Research Grants to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Physical Therapy-Based Exercises and Movements Used to Reduce Older Adults Falls
NCIPC intends support up to two (2) recipients for 3 years at up to $350,000 per award per year.
Application Due Date: March 1, 2022
NCIPC is soliciting investigator-initiated research proposals to support both a process evaluation and an outcome evaluation of the effectiveness of strategies commonly used to improve community-dwelling older adults’ balance, strength, and mobility and subsequently reduce their risk of future falls and fall injuries. These strategies may include different types of physical therapy-based exercises and movements such as heel-to-toe walk, sit-to-stand exercise, calf raises, and side leg raises. Of particular interest is research that focuses on populations experiencing high rates of older adult falls and fall injuries, and could include populations disadvantaged by reduced economic stability or limited educational attainment.
Questions should be sent to NCIPC_ERPO (CDC).
RFA-CE-22-007 Reduce Health Disparities and Improve Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Related Outcomes Through the Implementation of CDC’s Pediatric Mild TBI Guideline
NCIPC intends support up to one (1) recipient for 4 years at up to $550,000 per year.
Application Due Date: February 22, 2022
NCIPC is soliciting investigator-initiated research proposals for an implementation study to promote the adoption and integration of the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline on the Diagnosis and Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Among Children” in a large health care system to: a) improve mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) outcomes in children and adolescents, and b) reduce disparities in TBI-related care and outcomes.
Applicants are expected to focus on the following research questions:
What type of disparities in mTBI-related processes and outcomes currently exist at baseline in a healthcare system(s) prior to initiation of an intervention to systematically implement CDC’s Pediatric mTBI Guideline?
Does an intervention aimed at systematically implementing CDC’s Pediatric mTBI Guideline in a healthcare system(s) result in a reduction of health disparities, relative to baseline, vis a vis improved process and health outcomes?
Applicants are encouraged to supplement the mTBI Guideline implementation with added outreach efforts to children experiencing disadvantage, and implementation strategies that address TBI-related care and health disparities identified within the health system.
For the purposes of this NOFO, mTBI-related processes and outcomes include those related to the identification and treatment of an mTBI such as discharge instructions, counseling regarding return to school and return to play, communication with the school about symptoms, recovery, accommodations, as well as health outcomes. An indicator of care might be length of time between injury and diagnosis and treatment of an mTBI or the recovery trajectory of an mTBI. Disparities (health outcomes seen to a greater or lesser extent between populations) may be related to various factors of the injured child or adolescent, their family or neighborhood, or community, such as race, gender, sexual identity, disability, socioeconomic conditions, or geographic location.
Questions should be sent to NCIPC_ERPO (CDC).
Prev