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Authors Posts by Carol Ferenz

Carol Ferenz

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to recommend that all eligible adults, adolescents, and children 5 and older be up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccines, which includes getting an initial booster when eligible.

On March 29, 2022, the CDC updated its recommendations to allow individuals who are moderately to severely immunocompromised, as well as people over the age of 50 who received an initial booster dose at least 4 months ago, to be eligible for another mRNA booster to increase their protection against severe disease from COVID-19.

It was also announced that adults who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months ago may now receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

These updated recommendations acknowledge the increased risk of severe disease in certain populations, including those who are elderly or over the age of 50 with multiple underlying conditions, along with the currently available data on vaccine and booster effectiveness.

The CDC web page How Do I Find a COVID-19 Vaccine? offers additional guidance to locate a COVID-19 vaccine provider.

Charting the LifeCourse: Applying Principles and Using Tools to Support a Good Life for Individuals and Families
Training Webinar
April 27, 2022
9:00 am–1:00 pm

“Charting the LifeCourse” was created to help individuals and families of all abilities and all ages develop a vision for a good life, think about what they need to know and do, identify how to find or develop supports, and discover what it takes to live the lives they want to live.

This training webinar will act as an in-depth introduction to the LifeCourse framework. Two pre-requisite courses must be passed on MyODP before registering for the webinar:

  • Charting the LifeCourse: Overview of LifeCourse, Part 1
  • Charting the LifeCourse: Overview of LifeCourse, Part 2

Participants in this training will:

  • Learn about the National “Charting the LifeCourse” Community of Practice
  • Apply LifeCourse Principles and LifeCourse Framework
  • Practice Using LifeCourse Tools

Credit Hours: 4

Pre-registration is required. Space is limited.

View the course and register at MyODP.

The Eastern PA Special Needs Association (EPSNA) will be hosting their next meeting TOMORROW, Thursday, March 31, 2022, from 10:00 am–12:00 pm.

Their presenter, Jill Grossberg, will be presenting on Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) 101. Per the PA.gov website:

“The Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, or OVR, provides vocational rehabilitation services to help persons with disabilities prepare for, obtain, or maintain employment. OVR provides services to eligible individuals with disabilities, both directly and through a network of approved vendors. Services are provided on an individualized basis. The OVR counselor, during face-to-face interviews, assists customers in selecting their choice of vocational goals, services and service providers. An Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) is developed, outlining a vocational objective, services, providers and responsibilities. Certain services are subject to a Financial Needs Test (FNT) and may require financial participation by the customer. Counseling and guidance, diagnostic services, assessments, information and referral, job development and placement, and personal services such as readers or sign language interpreters are provided at no cost to the individual.”

Join TOMORROW to learn more about how OVR can assist the lives of persons with disabilities!

This EPSNA meeting is open to caregivers and professionals interested in learning more about navigating the PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) system.  This is a PA statewide training! This meeting will be held via Zoom.

Please feel free to share the attached Save the Date and forward the Zoom link for the EPSNA meeting. RSVPs are not mandatory but welcomed.  If you have any questions, please reach out to Missy Modesti.

Harry Bruell, President and CEO of PathPoint in California, is sponsoring a special free film screening on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at 1:00 pm PDT (4:00 pm EDT) of the award-winning short film “Under the Lights,” the story of a young man with epilepsy.

Under the Lights is the story of Sam, a boy with epilepsy who is so desperate to feel like a normal kid that he goes to prom knowing that the lights will make him have a seizure. Cinema has historically stigmatized and ignored people with epilepsy, a demographic of 1 in 26 who have almost never been represented authentically on screen and suffer from brutal stigma every day. Under the Lights was written and directed by a filmmaker with epilepsy, Miles Levin, and Miles will participate in a Q&A as part of the film screening.

Please register here and consider involving groups of people that you support and/or clients. Feel free to share this invite broadly and invite friends, family, and community members. This could also be a great class for remote learning. Remember to register!

PathPoint
Supporting people in living the life they choose