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Tags Posts tagged with "OMHSAS"

OMHSAS

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) are pleased to announce that the latest edition of the Positive Approaches Journal is now available!

Safe Spaces, Strong Supports: Multifaceted Approaches to Suicide Prevention
and Mental Well-being

This issue of the Positive Approaches Journal focuses important attention on the often under-recognized topic of suicide and individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism.

Knowledge brings new understanding, and new understanding brings new opportunities to be hopeful about better addressing the impact of suicidal thoughts and actions. In this issue, authors from a diverse range of voices, expertise, and professional backgrounds share their insights, experiences and resources which will aid in your support of others.

To print a copy of the PDF, online journal, or a specific article, you will find these options within your left navigation bar on any Positive Approaches Journal page. A new window will open with your selected document. In your browser, you may click the Print button in the top left corner of the page, or by using the Print capability within your browser.

Please submit feedback regarding your experience with the Positive Approaches Journal on MyODP by clicking on the feedback image on MyODP within your left navigation bar on any Positive Approaches Journal page.

The Positive Approaches Journal is published quarterly. You can request additional information electronically.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) published a bulletin on patient smoking on June 15, 1993, to clarify smoke-free living areas. The Department now requires all state hospitals to be smoke-free facilities, which was announced during the Department’s press release on December 11, 2018. The facilities are to offer smoking cessation programs and support as needed, including nicotine patches, gum, or other replacement items permissible for both patients (if approved/supported by the treatment team, primarily for new admissions) and staff.

View the full announcement on rescission of Bulletin SMH-93-02, Patient Smoking, here. Comments and questions regarding this bulletin should be directed via email.

If you have additional questions or would like RCPA to submit comments, please contact RCPA Mental Health Services Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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As part of the ongoing efforts by the Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF) and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) to assist children’s providers in the states’ trauma-informed initiative, these offices have partnered with PA Care Partnership to provide any child welfare professionals in Pennsylvania FREE Trauma Training by Lakeside Global through September 30, 2024, or while funding is available. Available trainings will be offered in-person or live via a web-based platform.

For individuals looking for Trauma Training, there are multiple cohorts for courses and workshops scheduled on specific dates and times.

Trainings available include the following:

  • Enhancing Trauma Awareness;
  • Deepening Trauma Awareness;
  • Applying Trauma Principals;
  • Train the Trainers;
  • Trauma-Sensitive Certification;
  • Processing Pain, Facilitating Healing; and
  • Trauma 101 through 110 Workshops.

Questions?
If you already registered for training and did not receive a training link, here are your contacts:

If you have any additional questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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The Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) is pleased to announce the continuation of their partnership with the Office of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) in contracting with Lakeside Global Institute to provide PA Child Welfare Professionals FREE trauma training. What is considered a PA Child Welfare Professional? Anyone who serves children and families who live in Pennsylvania. If your work touches on improving the lives of children and families, this applies to you and your organization!

Multiple cohorts for courses and workshops will be facilitated by Lakeside Global Institute and are available until September 30, 2024, or while funding is available. Available trainings will be offered live via a web-based platform. Tuition and material costs are covered!

This opportunity is perfect for new staff that have joined your team who may need workshops (101–110) as well as the child welfare professionals who are ready to take the next step in their trauma-informed care education journey via completion of the Intensive Courses.

Trainings available include the following:

  • Enhancing Trauma Awareness;
  • Deepening Trauma Awareness;
  • Applying Trauma Principles;
  • Trauma-Sensitive Certification;
  • Train the Trainers;
  • Processing Pain, Facilitating Healing; and
  • Trauma 101 through 110 Workshops.

Interested in workshops? Visit here.   

Interested in the Intensive Courses? Visit here. 

Note: Participants who have completed Enhancing Trauma Awareness, Deepening Trauma Awareness, and Applying Trauma Principles should not take Trauma-Sensitive Certification, as content would be duplicated.

The simple distinction between certification as a Trauma-Sensitive Professional (TSC course) and Trauma-Competent Professional (ETA, DTA, and ATP) is:

  • Trauma-Competent Professional: Requires completion of 3 courses — Enhancing, Deepening, and Applying Trauma (75 hours) and 8 books for required outside reading. The courses must be taken in the order listed, and one must be completed before advancing to the next.
  • Trauma-Sensitive Professional: Requires completion of the course of the same name (50 hours) and 3 books for required outside reading. This certification covers fewer topics than the 75-hour course.

DO NOT DELAY for this exciting and FREE opportunity, and schedule your trauma trainings today!

If you have questions relating to any of these trainings, please submit them via email to Lakeside Global Institute.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has announced a Statewide Quarterly Positive Approaches & Practices Virtual Meeting on October 12, 2023. It will be held from 10:00 am – 2:30 pm and will be regarding “Navigating Crisis Intervention in Human Services.” View the flyer for complete details.

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In 2008, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published the ACT Evidence-Based Practices KIT (hereinafter referred to as SAMHSA’s 2008 ACT Toolkit), a toolkit to help mental health agencies and teams implement ACT. The toolkit also includes information on fidelity: the extent to which an intervention is delivered as conceived. Both the toolkit and fidelity tools have received widespread use throughout the United States, and ACT principles remain consistent with the 2008 publication.

However, there is growing interest in extending ACT to certain populations and settings, including youth, justice-involved clients, immigrants and refugees, and rural communities. Driven by a need to deliver contextually responsive and culturally relevant services, these extensions often necessitate modifications, making it especially important to monitor fidelity. Research consistently demonstrates that higher fidelity to the ACT model produces better outcomes.

This follow-up and companion product Maintaining Fidelity to ACT: Current Issues and Innovations in Implementation reviews ACT principles, summarizes contemporary issues impacting ACT teams, and examines aspects of ACT implementation when extending the model to specific populations and settings. The goal of this guide is to ensure continued efficacy of ACT by reaffirming its principles while promoting awareness of new developments that providers may want to consider when implementing the model.

RCPA will be following up with the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) on the implementation and the integration of the new toolkit. If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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On behalf of the RCPA Community Residential Rehabilitation (CRR) service providers and the individuals of Pennsylvania that they serve, RCPA submits our CRR Regulatory Reform Recommendations to the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS). The current lack of access to care is a result of the workforce crisis and operational requirements of implementing the regulations. We feel these access issues and individuals waiting for services are compelling reasons, in the interest of the public, to merit a review of the regulations based on section 8.1 of the Regulatory Review Act (71 P.S. § 745.8a).

The COVID-19 DHS regulatory flexibilities provided relief for providers, and OMHSAS continues to offer waivers to agencies experiencing critical staffing shortages. Providers are grateful for these temporary solutions; however, these waivers do not address the long-term impacts of the current regulatory requirements. Providers continue to struggle to hire qualified staff and contend with burdensome operational requirements, many of which negatively contribute to the efficiency of care delivery. Therefore, many of the guidelines that were allowed under the suspension of regulations and frequent waiver requests are incorporated into recommendations for permanent improvements to the regulations.

Our recommendations place focus on the care of the individuals and address the challenges and barriers CRR service providers have faced in creating the staffing infrastructures and meeting the burdensome operational protocols for regulatory compliance. The overreaching nature of the regulations, coupled with the impact of the pandemic, has caused great strain on an already depleted behavioral health workforce. These system stressors limit the ability to provide vital, quality services to individuals. Under current regulations, programs are forced to focus on administrative details that do not have a meaningful effect on the actual care of the individual.

These CRR Regulatory Recommendations will also be directed to the Governor’s Policy Office, the Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Arkoosh, and members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

RCPA would like to thank the members of the CRR Regulatory Review team for their focused and diligent efforts to make this submission possible. If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

The PA Department of Human Services and PA Care Partnership are excited to announce the 21st Children’s Interagency Conference is scheduled for April 22 – April 25, 2024, at the Penn Stater Hotel, State College, PA. The conference theme is “Shine The Light on Mental Health – Building Youth Wellness & Resilience.”

Hosted by the PA Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Bureau of Children’s Behavioral Health Services and the PA Care Partnership, the conference brings together Pennsylvania’s Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP) and System of Care (SOC) partners providing behavioral health services. The conference will provide an excellent opportunity for providers, county administrators, youth, family members, practitioners, and educators to learn about changing trends, promising and best practices, resources, and various system of care activities across Pennsylvania. The conference will also add a national perspective on a variety of issues, including government, family peer, early childhood, youth leadership, and school-based mental health.

See the Save the Date flyer, and please share it with your contacts and invite them to attend. Visit the conference website for additional information. For questions or more information, contact our contract meeting planner Katrina Harris at 610-494-8044 or via email.

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