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Resources

The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is offering a webinar in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education for employers, workers, families, and advocates interested in understanding the application of Rehabilitation Act Section 511 and the protections it offers workers employed under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

WHD also recently published a new Field Assistance Bulletin, and this week published three fact sheets providing new guidance and clarification on these critical protections:

WHD is committed to protecting workers with disabilities — see their recently published blog, along with the Office of Disability Employment Policy, on Protecting the Rights of Workers with Disabilities and Advancing Competitive Integrated Employment. Additional information on Section 14(c) and Section 511 can be found on the DOL website.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) held a webinar for residential and day service providers, families, and Supports Coordination Organizations (SCO) to cover best practices for reopening day service provider facilities on June 6, 2022. The handout from the webinar is available for reference. Please see below:

Message from the Department of Health (PA DOH):

With the recent rise in COVID-19 case counts across the Commonwealth and the country, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) wants long-term care facilities (LTCFs) to be aware of the multiple ways to access lifesaving COVID-19 treatment and preventive products.

We distribute the following outpatient therapeutics directly to LTCFs that enroll in the PA DOH network:

  • Treatment: Oral antivirals (Paxlovid & Lagevrio);
  • Treatment: Monoclonal antibodies (Bebtelovimab); and
  • Preventive: Monoclonal antibodies for pre-exposure prophylaxis (Evusheld).

Stocking therapeutics on-site can help eligible patients access preventive protection and receive timely treatment, which must be initiated within a matter of days from symptom onset. Most patients who test positive for COVID-19 are eligible for treatment.

The one-page guide for LTCFs covers how to enroll in the PA DOH therapeutics network. The first step is to complete our therapeutics enrollment form. You will receive additional instructions after form submission. To enroll, your facility will need a pharmacy license and/or a licensed medical director to take responsibility. If you do not have either of these, please reference the guide for alternative options to access COVID-19 therapeutics.

In addition to reviewing the guide, we appreciate you sharing it with other relevant LTCF stakeholders.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out via email. Thank you for all that you do to protect vulnerable residents across the Commonwealth. We appreciate your partnership in the fight against COVID-19.

RCPA is pleased to support and celebrate Pennsylvania’s participation in the #WeHealUS national campaign during Mental Health Awareness Month.

#WeHealUS is a grassroots campaign that honors May as Mental Health Awareness Month by amplifying the hard work of individuals, organizations, and local/state governments building resilience and healing. Nationwide, more states and municipalities are embracing trauma-informed and healing-centered policies and practices because resilience grows through healthy and informed relationships.

#WeHealUS was the brain child of stakeholders in Illinois and Pennsylvania — pioneering states that have become “healing-centered” with public and private partnerships working outside the box to promote trauma awareness. The Illinois Light Initiative has launched an Illinois Healing Capacity Building Center to unify trauma education, training, and programming. HEAL PA is an innovative mix of state agency representatives and community stakeholders tasked with implementing the Trauma-Informed PA Plan across the commonwealth. #WeHealUS is further supported by the national Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP).

Take a look at the Pennsylvania calendar of #WeHealUS activities as well as the #WeHealUS campaign toolkit for this month. We encourage everyone to share this information widely with your networks, as the events are open for all to attend! Sample social media posts are included in the toolkit.

RCPA remains an active member of the Heal PA trauma-informed initiative. You can contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp with any questions or comments regarding this initiative.

The Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL) recently issued updated information on the Plan of Correction (POC) process. Beginning on May 1, 2022, the following will be implemented:

  • A new one page Effective Plan of Correction Guide, which the licensing representative will review and leave behind at each Exit Conference;
  • The availability of staff to schedule a phone consultation for technical assistance prior to the submission of the initial Plan of Correction;
  • One reminder phone call and email for any overdue initial or revised Plans of Correction;
  • Return of unacceptable initial submissions of the Plan of Correction in Sanswrite with specific comments on what is required on the resubmission for the Plan to be accepted;
  • One phone call and email to schedule an appointment to walk through the Plan of Correction process for any unacceptable second submission of Plans of Correction; and
  • The opportunity to request an extension of due dates for initial and revised submissions of Plans of Correction.

These actions have been taken so that providers have every opportunity to submit an acceptable POC and, when possible, avoid a directed POC.

Other changes that BHSL is implementing to address quality, consistency, and timeliness include:

  • Initial POC that are missing information or do not adequately address the violation will not be accepted or directed. If the Plan is missing any of the required information, such as when the corrective action will be implanted or who is responsible, OR the plan is inadequate to correct for the violation, the plan will be returned with comments in Sanswrite, even for minor errors.
  • If a POC has not been received past the due date, BHSL will direct the POC no sooner than three business days after one reminder phone call and email have been made. BHSL may accept the provider’s late submission of a POC if a directed POC has not yet been started.

To request technical assistance at any point in the process or an extension of due dates, providers should contact their licensing supervisor (or licensing representative in the Central region) prior to the POC due date. Additional information on submitting an acceptable POC is also available at Personal Care Home Licensing under “Plans of Correction.”

For additional information, please refer to the Effective POC Guide and the Sample Acceptable Plans of Correction for Personal Care Homes (PCHs) and Assisted Living Residences (ALRs).

In 2021, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) disseminated The Best Practice Standards for Behavioral Support. They also hosted several Virtual Office Hours (VOHs) for Behavioral Specialists, Administrative Entities (AEs), Supports Coordination Organizations, and Residential Providers. As a follow-up to these efforts, they have created a hub on MyODP that captures all things Behavioral Supports-related to the standards. Check it out and visit often, as ODP intends to update, and they have some additional resources in the works to upload in the future, including FAQs and Sample BSPs.

ODP intends to host additional sessions with providers and AEs to talk about the standards, but in the meantime, they are interested in hearing from those of you who have reviewed the standards or attended a VOH in the past year. Please take a moment to complete this brief survey.

If you have any questions or comments about this communication, feel free to email ODP directly.