In a letter to United States governors, Acting Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Norris Cochran announced their intention to keep the public health emergency (PHE) declaration throughout 2021. States will be provided with a 60-day notice before the declaration is terminated or expires to allow stakeholders time to transition. Additionally, HHS has indicated renewals will be announced every 90 days.
Wolf Administration Provides COVID-19 Vaccine Update, Focuses on Getting More Doses to Pennsylvanians Amid Limited Federal Supply
OCYF Bulletin: “Appointment of Legal Counsel for a Child in Contested Termination of Parental Rights Hearing”
Attached please find the Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF) Bulletin 3130-21-01 entitled “Appointment of Legal Counsel for a Child in Contested Termination of Parental Rights Hearing.” This bulletin provides guidance on a Supreme Court decision regarding requirements for the appointment of legal counsel for a child in a contested termination of parental rights hearing.
The requirements outlined within this bulletin are effective immediately. Questions regarding this bulletin or the requirements may be directed to your applicable OCYF regional office. Please contact RCPA Children’s Division Director Jim Sharp for any clarification.
OCYF Releases Updated COVID-19 Mitigation Guidance
The Pennsylvania Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF) has issued updated general guidance reflecting the Governor’s and Secretary of Health’s COVID-19 Mitigation Orders and how they will impact services offered to children, youth, and families served by counties and providers licensed by the Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Children, Youth, and Families.
This guidance replaces the guidance previously issued on June 5, 2020 that was based on the Governor’s strategic three-phased approach (red/yellow/green) to reopen the commonwealth and ongoing mitigation efforts to limit the community spread of COVID-19.
The guidance can be found here.
These safety precautions, including social distancing and building safety protocols, shall be followed for the purpose of minimizing the spread of COVID-19:
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- In-person contact, as required by the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) for Child Protective Services (CPS) and general protective services (GPS) investigations, will continue with strict safety precautions that comply with Department of Health (DOH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance;
- Telework is mandatory unless impossible;
- Previously issued DOH guidance for universal precautions applies;
- All agencies with in-person operations must follow business and building safety orders;
- Agencies must follow the most recent orders and guidelines to include masking requirements, travel restrictions, and continued social distancing requirements; and
- All agencies must screen employees prior to each shift, or for employees who don’t work shifts, before the employee starts work. Visitors should be screened prior to entering the building for visitation. When children return from home visits, screening protocols should be in place to assess for the need to quarantine (See the Symptom Screening Tool).
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Visitation requirements for child residential facilities, child and youth agencies, foster care agencies, and adoption agencies:
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- Visitation frequency and type (in-person/virtual) will continue to be directed by the Court for Children under their jurisdiction. All in-person visitation should consider the unique needs of the child, youth, or family and follow the Governor’s orders and updated DOH protocols.
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Please contact RCPA Children’s Division Director Jim Sharp with any questions or clarifications.
Abuse & Molestation Prevention – Wednesday, Feb 24, 2021
CMS 2021 Call for Quality Measures Webinar
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a webinar to provide an overview of the 2021 Call for Quality Measures timeline and measures evaluation process for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) measure development, submission, and expectations that align with CMS priorities. This webinar is intended to assist with the development of measures for future MIPS performance periods.
The webinar will provide an overview of the development, criteria, and evaluation of MIPS measures. Among the topics to be presented during the webinar, CMS will provide information regarding:
- Overview of Call for Measures
- Requirements for Successful Submission
- Measure Evaluation Considerations
- Exploration of Specialty or Clinical Topic Gap Areas
Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions related to the presentation.
This webinar will be held on Thursday, January 28, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm Eastern Time (ET).
OMHSAS Releases Updated IBHS Guidance Bulletins
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) has released updated Intensive Behavioral Health Service (IBHS) guidance bulletins. These bulletins are both effective beginning January 17, 2021; they provide information on the provision of one-to-one individual and applied behavior analysis (ABA) services in a licensed IBHS location as well as updates to the IBHS procedure codes. The full bulletins can be found below.
- Bulletin OMHSAS-21-02: Provision of One-to-One Intensive Behavioral Health Services in a Licensed Location
- Bulletin OMHSAS-21-02 Attachment A: Additional Information for Service Descriptions for IBHS Agencies that Intend to Provide One-to-One Services in a Center
- Bulletin OMHSAS-21-03: Updates to Procedure Codes for Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) Agencies
- Bulletin OMHSAS-21-03 Attachment A: IBHS Agency Procedure Codes
RCPA will be reviewing these bulletins along with the RCPA IBHS Work Group to develop any needed response or clarification. If you have any questions or concerns related to these bulletins, please reach out via email to this contact or RCPA Children’s Division Director Jim Sharp.
Long-Term Care and the Impact of COVID-19: A First Look at Comparative Cross-National Statistics
Second Draw Paycheck Protection Program Loans
Governor Wolf Nominates New Secretary of Health
HARRISBURG (January 22, 2021) — Governor Wolf announced today that he has nominated Alison Beam as the next Secretary of Health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Beam will succeed Dr. Rachel Levine, who was recently selected by President Biden as his Assistant Secretary of Health.
With many years of experience in the health care arena, one of Acting Secretary Beam’s first priorities will be executing the Department of Health COVID vaccination plan. Prior to her nomination as the Secretary of Health, Ms. Beam served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Tom Wolf.
RCPA President and CEO Richard S. Edley commented, “Acting Secretary Beam’s work with policy development, legislative initiatives, communications, and stakeholder engagement involving multiple state agencies will prove invaluable in helping Pennsylvania move forward to combat the current COVID crisis and all of its far-reaching implications for the health and human services community. As all PA citizens know, focus on and success in this area will be critical. RCPA extends our sincere congratulations and we are very optimistic as to what the future holds for this administration, and for the Commonwealth as a whole.”
Read the Governor’s official press release here.
About the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA):
With well over 350 members, the majority of who serve over 1 million Pennsylvanians annually, Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA) is among the largest and most diverse state health and human services trade associations in the nation. RCPA provider members offer mental health, drug and alcohol, intellectual and developmental disabilities, children’s, brain injury, medical rehabilitation, and physical disabilities and aging services, through all settings and levels of care. Visit www.paproviders.org for more information.
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