Capitolwire: $100M for Mental Health Appears Off to Next Session
Jim Sharp
OMHSAS and OCYF Offer Free Trauma Training
In partnership with the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), the Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF) is funding trauma training opportunities for all child welfare professionals in PA via Lakeside Global. From September 30, 2022, through September 30, 2023, PA child welfare professionals serving children in PA are able to take advantage of FREE trainings facilitated by the team at Lakeside Global to become trauma-aware, trauma-sensitive, trauma-informed, or healing-centered. This also includes “Train the Trainer” sessions to support trauma-informed sustainability within a child welfare organization.
To learn more about how you can take advantage of this professional development, please view the Trauma Training Announcement.
If you have questions relating to any of these trainings, please email PA Care Partnership or RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.
National Council for Mental Wellbeing Telehealth Survey
Expanding telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic was crucial to provide quality mental health and substance use treatment services to clients.
Did your organization provide telehealth services? What services will you continue post-pandemic?
We want to hear about your experiences! The survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete and will assist RCPA in our State and Federal Telehealth advocacy efforts.
Please complete the brief survey by 11:59 pm ET on Wednesday, Oct. 26.
The National Council will use these survey findings as part of a larger effort to collect and share data with policymakers, payers, and the field at large to improve access to mental health and substance use treatment services nationwide.
If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.
OMHSAS Telehealth Presentation Overview
Concern Grows in Schools for Mental Health, ‘Erosion of the Social Fabric’
Telehealth Alert: Guidance on Previous Client Verbal Consent Directives
Support for the Behavioral Health Commission Recommendations: Letter From the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition
RCPA OMHSAS Telehealth Update & Guidance
OMHSAS Releases BH Telehealth Phase II Roadmap
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is pleased to share the Pennsylvania Behavioral Health Telehealth Phase II Roadmap, which was developed in collaboration with the OMHSAS Telehealth Steering Committee and Mercer Government Services Consulting. This report focuses on identifying and prioritizing recommendations for short-term and long-term implementation of telehealth services in the Commonwealth. The roadmap includes example documents developed by the Steering Committee that can be used and personalized by the provider when implementing telehealth services. The work of the Steering Committee and other stakeholders has been and will continue to be vital in ensuring that the behavioral health needs of Pennsylvanians continue to be met.
RCPA recommends that your agency reviews the document with your teams as well as compares it to your current policies and practices. These recommendations are not mandates but offer a series of best practices as developed by the Behavioral Health Steering Committee. Additionally, RCPA will conduct an internal review and will request OMHSAS attend the next Telehealth Committee Meeting.
If you have questions regarding this report, please email OMHSAS and/or RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.
Federal Public Health Emergency Extended to January 2023
The Department of Health and Human Services has extended the Federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) an additional 90 days to mid-January 2023. The extension will allow for ongoing flexibilities in areas like telehealth and its continuation.
In addition to this 90-day extension, under the Budget Act of 2022, President Biden created a built-in 151-day extension of these flexibilities at the end of any PHE. With that extension, the current flexibilities would be in effect until June 2023.
If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director. See below for the determination renewal:
RENEWAL OF DETERMINATION THAT A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY EXISTS
As a result of the continued consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, on this date and after consultation with public health officials as necessary, I, Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services, pursuant to the authority vested in me under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, do hereby renew, effective October 13, 2022, the January 31, 2020, determination by former Secretary Alex M. Azar II, that he previously renewed on April 21, 2020, July 23, 2020, October 2, 2020, and January 7, 2021, and that I renewed on April 15, 2021, July 19, 2021, October 15, 2021, January 14, 2022, April 12, 2022, and July 15, 2022, that a public health emergency exists and has existed since January 27, 2020, nationwide.
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