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Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

Message from RCPA Member Foothold Technology:

It’s DSP Recognition Week! — Check Out Our Kudoboard Thanking DSPs Around the Country & Join Us for a Webinar We Are Sponsoring With NADSP!

It’s DSP Recognition Week! We’re thrilled to celebrate amazing DSPs making a difference in their communities. Each nominee received a special message of gratitude from Foothold along with a Starbucks gift card. Check out our Kudoboard highlighting the stories and nominations we’ve received over the past several weeks. Maybe you’ll recognize someone you know!

Webinar: Recognition, Retention, and Returns: How One Organization Empowers Direct Support Professionals — September 28 at 2:00 pm ET

In this sponsored webinar from Foothold Technology and NADSP, three direct support professionals from The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region and CEO Shawn Kros share the impact of NADSP materials on their organization. This panel discussion will focus on how Arc NCR infused NADSP materials and technology into their daily operations. Shawn Kros will share data on the impact as well as the benefits of doing so in their workforce. The direct support professionals will share how they have been influenced by this cultural shift at the organization and how recognition affects their role. Don’t miss out on this amazing session. Visit here to register!

Image by Katja Fuhlert from Pixabay

ODP Announcement 22-105 provides the most recent update to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about details for COVID-19 vaccine and boosters. Release of this announcement will obsolete “ODPANN 22-046: COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Reminder.”

This updated guidance includes information on newly available booster vaccines, which are referred to as bivalent or updated vaccines. The guidance also discusses the availability of a newer primary vaccine called the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. The CDC has updated information regarding the vaccination schedule for individuals based on age and provides considerations based on additional factors. Full information is available at the CDC’s Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Approved or Authorized in the United States.

ODP Announcement 22-106 states that the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) contracts with Temple University Harrisburg to deliver the ODP Certified Investigator Program and that ODP and Temple University are conducting Certified Investigator Friday Forums. These forums are an opportunity for current Certified Investigators and other interested parties to receive up-to-date information about the incident investigation process.

The next session date and time is Friday October 7, 2022, at 10:00 am – 11:30 am. The topic being covered is the Certified Investigator Report (CIR).

Please submit questions to Amanda Black by close of business Friday, September 30, 2022.

The seats are quickly filling as we get closer to the 2022 RCPA Conference Together! Be sure to register now to see our exciting workshops in person and earn continuing education credits. The final online registration deadline is Friday, September 30. Take a look at our full brochure to view the schedule and find valuable information on our upcoming workshops, which include:

  • Competing for Quality: Strategies for Becoming a Top Talent Manager
    • Presented by Ed Krow of Ed Krow, LLC
  • Creating the Playbook on the Fly: Lessons Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic That Will Endure as We Navigate to the “New” Normal
    • Presented by Woody Rosenbach, Trapeta Mayson, Tyrone Howell, and LaMar Brooks of COMHAR
  • Reducing Obstacles to Care: Low-Barrier Access to Buprenorphine and Other Life-Saving Treatments
    • Presented by Mark G. Fuller and Stuart Fisk of Allegheny Health Network
  • Reviewing Data Together: The Impact of the COVID Crises on Children’s Services Outcomes
    • Presented by Dan Warner of Community Data Roundtable
  • Healing-Centered Supervision: Lessons From Peer Support
    • Presented by Emily Ferris and Dana Lombardi of Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania
  • One Hospital Diversion VBP Project: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
    • Presented by Lisa M. May and Mandy Fauble of UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor
  • Technologies Needed to Be Successful in Healthcare Reform for Mental Health, Substance Use, Developmental Disabilities, and Human Service Organizations
    • Presented by Michael Lardieri of Core Solutions
  • Supporting Children With Medically Complex Conditions — Overview of Medical Support Needs
    • Presented by Gregory Cherpes and Rhonda Gengler of the Office of Developmental Programs

Note that sessions will be recorded to allow registered participants to view content after the event concludes.

In addition to an amazing roster of speakers, our 2022 Conference will have an exciting array of sponsors and exhibitors. We thank those who have committed to our conference thus far! If you are interested in sponsoring or exhibiting, visit here for more details. For sponsors and exhibitors to be included in signage, RCPA will require contracts no later than Thursday, September 15.

We’d like to give a special shoutout to our Connections Hall sponsor Beacon Health Options as well as our Welcome Reception sponsor UPMC Community Care Behavioral Health Organization. Thank you for your support!

Questions about the conference may be directed to Carol Ferenz or Sarah Eyster, Conference Coordinators.