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Mental Health

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The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic has partnered with the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) on a training series on supporting transgender and gender expansive individuals. The presenters will review language and terminology associated with gender identity and introduce stages for gender identity development. Questions should be directed to Jill Stemple at OMHSAS.

Please see this flyer for more information and to register.

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In March and April of 2019, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) and the Department of Health (DOH) will host eight regional Warm Hand-off Summits. The purpose of each summit is to bring together stakeholders from the public and private sectors across a range of disciplines to learn from experts and one another. Practical examples of successful warm hand-off tools and pathways will build on the success of last year’s summit.

The target audience for the summits includes the following as well as a host of professional organizations representing these stakeholders and the individuals who work for them:

  • Behavioral health managed care organizations (BH-MCOs);
  • Centers for Excellence (COEs);
  • Commonwealth agencies;
  • County/municipal health departments;
  • Drug and alcohol treatment facilities;
  • Emergency Medical Services (EMS) regional directors;
  • Hospitals and health systems with emergency departments;
  • Pennsylvania Coordinated Medication Assisted Treatment (PacMATs);
  • Single County Authorities (county drug and alcohol agencies); and
  • Veterans Administration Medical Centers in Pennsylvania.

Information for the eight regional summits are as follows:

Southeast Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Schuylkill Wednesday, March 20, 2019
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Philadelphia Philadelphia Thursday, March 21, 2019
9:00 AM  – 12:00 PM
Southwest Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington, Westmoreland Wednesday, March 27, 2019
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Allegheny Allegheny Thursday, March 28, 2019
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Southcentral Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, York Thursday, April 4, 2019
1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Northeast Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming Thursday, April 11, 2019
1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
 Northcentral

 Bradford, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Union Tuesday. April 16, 2019

9:00 AM – 12:00PM
Northwest Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Venango, Warren Wednesday, April 17, 2019
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Additional details such as locations will be posted as they become available. Contact Lynn Cooper at RCPA for additional information.

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The Dennis Marion Impact Award recognizes local and state government employees whose initiatives, processes, and projects have led to significant improvements in Pennsylvania’s behavioral health service delivery system.

Background:

The Dennis Marion Impact Award was established in 2017 in honor of Dennis Marion’s commitment to public service throughout his distinguished career, which spanned over three decades.  Dennis served as Deputy Secretary for Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services’ Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services from 2013 to 2017. Prior to his state employment, Dennis served Cumberland County, Pennsylvania for 31 years in various positions, such as County Administrator, Director of the Drug and Alcohol Commission, and Director of the Office of Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities.

Just like Dennis Marion, whose strong leadership, passion for public service, and commitment to the people he served did not stop at the boundaries of his work in any single county or agency, the Dennis Marion Impact Award recognizes strong performers who bridge disparate missions and drive towards a single goal of excellence in public service.

Purpose:

The purpose of the Dennis Marion Impact Award is to recognize outstanding and meritorious achievement in working for state or local government, encourage the highest standards of performance in Pennsylvania’s public sector, attract outstanding individuals to a career in public service, and highlight public awareness of the value of public service and its impact on the behavioral health and quality of life of individuals and communities.

Eligibility Criteria:

Any current state and/or local government employee in Pennsylvania that has made an outstanding contribution in the area of behavioral health (mental health and/or substance use disorders) in Pennsylvania is eligible for nomination for the Dennis Marion Impact Award.  Individuals that have built effective, collaborative partnerships across different organizations, agencies, and/or other stakeholders to define and solve problems, or reach agreements on a course of action, will be given priority consideration for this award.  Nominees’ contributions may be on a sustained basis or through a single, exceptional accomplishment. Nominations will be judged on three measurements: innovation, implementation, and outcomes.

Instructions:

The nomination form is available here.  The nomination period is from January 1, 2019 to January 31, 2019. Completed nominations must be submitted electronically to lkitner@pacounties.org by 5:00 pm EST on January 31, 2019. No nominations will be accepted before or after the nomination period. Note, individuals may not self-nominate.

The award will be presented at Pennsylvania’s May 2019 Mental Health Awareness Month event in Harrisburg, PA.  Questions regarding this award may be directed to sklucar@pa.gov.

Sponsoring Organizations:

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services – Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Association of County MH/DS Administrators
Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association
Pennsylvania Association of County Drug and Alcohol Administrators
Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association

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In today’s competitive health care environment marked by political and economic uncertainty, we need to speak with a united voice to strengthen the public behavioral health system and provide the best possible care to our clients, families, and communities. For this reason, we are excited to inform you that we have recently approved full membership with the National Council for Behavioral Health, which will benefit all members of RCPA.

The National Council supports you and your staff with business development and educational opportunities, insight into national trends related to mental health and addiction services, discounts on webinars and national conferences, and you will become part of a united movement of advocacy on behalf of behavioral health.

National Council offers extensive resources and national expertise in the behavioral health field. Key benefits of membership include:

  • Discounts on registration for the National Council’s Annual Conference and other events;
  • Participation in practice improvement initiatives;
  • Discounts on Mental Health First Aid instructor training;
  • Access to 50+ webinars with tools and resources on a variety of topics;
  • Discounts on Mental Health Weekly, The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, and Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly;
  • Exclusive access to the Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research;
  • Exclusive access to the Member Listserv and listserv archives on a variety of topics; and
  • Featured on the “Find a Provider” section of the National Council Website.

Together, we will attain our mutual goal: to ensure all Americans living with mental illnesses and addictions have access to comprehensive, high-quality care that affords every opportunity for recovery.

Contact Sarah Eyster, RCPA Mental Health Division Director, with questions.

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Earlier this week, State Representative Seth Grove (R – York) drafted and has been circulating a co-sponsorship memo that will possibly eliminate the behavioral health carve out. Additionally, State Representative Aaron Kaufer (R – Luzerne) spoke with Jack Phillips, RCPA Director of Government Affairs, expressing his interest in drafting similar legislation.

Today, Richard Edley, RCPA President/CEO, and Jack Phillips spoke with staffers from the House Human Service and Health Committees about this legislation. The House staff asked for RCPA’s   feedback within the next few weeks, because staff will be working on the draft legislative language. During the discussion with House staff, RCPA requested stakeholder meetings and possibly a House hearing on the legislation. The House staff was open to RCPA’s recommendations, and they indicated a willingness for a robust discussion on this legislation.

The elimination of the behavioral health carve out will be discussed at the upcoming RCPA Open Board Meeting on Wednesday, December 12. The RCPA Open Board meeting will take place at RCPA, 777 E Park Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17111. Questions, contact RCPA Director of Government Affairs Jack Phillips.

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The RCPA staff and conference committee would like to thank you all for sponsoring, exhibiting, advertising, and/or attending the 2018 RCPA Annual Conference.

It’s official: The 2019 RCPA Annual Conference will be held September 24–27 at the Hershey Lodge, in Hershey, PA — be sure to mark this landmark event on your calendars!

It is our hope that, as you plan your 2019 events, you will once again consider supporting and attending the conference. Some other key dates to remember:

  • The 2019 Call for Workshop Proposals will be sent out by the end of January.
  • The request for sponsors, exhibitors, and advertisers will be sent out by the end of February.

For any questions about the RCPA Annual Conference, please contact Sarah Eyster, RCPA Conference Coordinator. We wish you all a happy and safe holiday season.

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At this point, you’ve probably heard about the move toward value-based payment (VBP) models.

The promise – better quality care at a lower cost. But, what does this mean for behavioral health providers? With all the uncertainty around if, when and how VBP will be implemented, what is the best way to proceed? And, what can you do to influence the policy decisions being made in your state?

Join the National Council on Thursday, November 15 from 2 to 3 p.m. ET for VBP: Adoption Rates, Policy Pitfalls and Provider Readiness to get the answers to these questions and more. During this webinar, speakers will discuss trends and current approaches in adopting VBP models, lessons learned from a state’s past and what behavioral health organizations can do to adopt a culture of value amid uncertainty.

Speakers:

  • Nina Marshall, Assistant Vice President of Healthcare Finance, National Council for Behavioral Health
  • Richard Edley, President and CEO, Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA)
  • Echo Shumaker-Pruitt, Vice President of Quality Improvement and Data Analytics, The Mental Health Association of Westchester

Register today and walk away with concrete actions you can take to shape the policy discussions in your state and prepare for VBP.

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The National Council for Behavioral Health is helping to connect some of our members with some researchers. Western Michigan University is conducting an NIH-sponsored study to better understand the usefulness of evidence-based program registries in behavioral health care.

Are you an executive or senior staff member who is involved in selecting and/or implementing behavioral health care interventions at your agency? If so, the study would like to conduct a short telephone interview with you. If not, we are asking that you forward this email to an appropriate colleague at your agency.

The interviews are confidential; no individual or agency names will be associated with responses. In appreciation, you or your agency can receive a $25 Amazon gift certificate, as allowable.

To schedule a telephone interview and/or for more information, please email
eval-nihstudy@wmich.edu and include your agency’s name and state. Responses will come from one of the study’s collaborating organizations: The Evaluation Center, Kercher Center, Rady Hospital, or DSG Inc.

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The National Council Conference will be held Mon–Wed, March 25–27, 2019, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. This event is the health care industry’s foremost behavioral health conference. Each year, more than 5,000 leaders like you explore health care’s greatest innovations in practice improvement, financing, integrated health care, technology, policy and advocacy and professional development at the National Council Conference. Pennsylvania is consistently among the most well represented groups from around the country.

RCPA members are offered a discounted registration; please use the coupon code NatCon19PA (not case sensitive) for $225 in savings. Contact Sarah Eyster with any additional questions.

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