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Medical Rehab

Secretary Val Arkoosh and leadership from the Department of Human Services (DHS) will host a webinar to discuss the proposed 2024/25 budget for the department. The briefing will take place at 10:00 am on Friday, February 9. If you are unable to attend, the briefing will be recorded and available for viewing afterwards.

Visit here to register for the briefing. DHS encourages individuals to submit questions ahead of the briefing so they can prepare as much information as possible. The Departments will follow up on any questions that they are unable to answer during the webinar.

(If the registration link above does not work, please try copying this link directly into your browser: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/3049c317-17f6-46ab-8396-1e5f3a370422@418e2841-0128-4dd5-9b6c-47fc5a9a1bde)

RCPA is continuing to accept proposals for our 2024 Conference Embracing Challenges, Empowering Success, which will be held September 24 – 27 at the Hershey Lodge for a statewide audience. Our Conference Committee seeks workshop proposals in every area for possible inclusion, particularly those that assist providers in developing and maintaining high-quality, stable, and effective treatments, services, and agencies in an industry where change is constant. The committee looks for presentations that:

  • Highlight new policy, research, and treatment initiatives, such as the use of artificial intelligence, telehealth innovations, and employing people with disabilities;
  • Provide specific skills and information related to individual and organizational leadership development and enhancement;
  • Discuss advanced ethics practices and suicide prevention;
  • Address system changes that affect business practices, including integrated care strategies, value-based purchasing, performance-based contracting, acquisitions and mergers, and alternative payment models;
  • Provide guidance on building a culture of a committed workforce, including recruitment and employee development as well as effective remote workforce strategies;
  • Offer concrete skills and tools to operate more efficient, effective businesses; and
  • Inspire ideas for organizations to be leaders in their field.

The committee welcomes any proposal that addresses these and other topics essential to rehabilitation, mental health, substance use disorder, children’s health, aging, physical disabilities, and intellectual/developmental disabilities & autism. Members are encouraged to consider submitting, and we highly encourage you to forward this opportunity to those who are exceptionally good speakers and have state-of-the-art information to share. Individuals are welcome to submit multiple proposals.

The Call for Proposals (featuring a complete listing of focus tracks) and accompanying Guidelines for Developing Educational Objectives detail requirements for submissions. The deadline for submissions is Monday, March 11, 2024, at 5:00 pm. Proposals must be submitted electronically on the form provided; confirmation of receipt will be sent. Proposals submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

If the proposal is accepted, individuals must be prepared to present on any day of the conference. Workshops are 90 or 180 minutes in length. At the time of acceptance, presenters will be required to confirm the ability to submit workshop handouts electronically four weeks prior to the conference. Individuals unable to meet this expectation should not submit proposals for consideration.

Notification of inclusion for the conference will be made via email by Friday, May 17, 2024. Questions may be directed to Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator.

Save the Date:
Thursday, February 29, 2024, 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm

The Pennsylvania Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) Pediatric Shift Care Team is holding the next Stakeholder Update Call virtually on February 29, 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm ET.

Among other updates to be shared on the call, the Pediatric Shift Care Team will highlight the refreshed Executive Summary to Pediatric Shift Care Whitepaper. The Executive Summary reviews various measures to strengthen the homecare workforce, the expansion of health information technology, and progress in the implementation of the Pediatric Complex Care Resource Center.

Meeting invite and link to follow.

Monday, March 4, 2024
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST; 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CST;
10:00 am – 11:00 am MST; 9:00 am – 10:00 am PST
Register Here

Kara Monnin, PhD
Kara Monnin, PhD, is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Ohio State University’s School of Medicine in Columbus, OH. Dr. Monnin provides clinical services across multiple inpatient units, including complex healthcare, inpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation, and acute care services (PICU, Trauma/Surgery/Neurosurgery), and operates on a consultative basis for Complex Care clinics. Dr. Monnin also serves as a member of the Advanced Illness Management/Palliative Care team at NCH and specializes in traumatic brain injury, rehabilitation populations, and children and adolescents with complex medical needs.

Kelsey E. Bakaletz, MSW, LISW
Kelsey E. Bakaletz, MSW, LISW, is most importantly, a mother to 2-year-old Ellis. Kelsey is a clinical medical social worker in Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH. Kelsey received both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Ohio State University. Prior to working at NCH, Kelsey spent two years in rapid re-housing of homeless military veterans, and before that, she spent almost two years in therapeutic rehabilitation of adjudicated juvenile sex offenders. Kelsey is a member of the Trauma-Informed Care Work Group at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, working to provide and teach the best trauma-informed practices. Kelsey is passionate about treating every patient interaction as though the caregiver and child are part of our family, to lead with empathy, compassion, and determination that we resist re-traumatization.

Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will:

  • Understand what secondary trauma is and who is at risk;
  • Discuss practical self-care strategies and ways to manage secondary trauma; and
  • Implement strategies to support colleagues who are experiencing secondary trauma.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all members of the rehabilitation team, including medical staff, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, licensed psychologists, mental health professionals, and other interested professionals.

Level: Intermediate

Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.

RCPA is delighted to share our 2023 Year in Review! We’re confident that this review will provide you with valuable insights, and inspire you as we highlight some of our significant achievements. This past year, we have embarked on groundbreaking initiatives and celebrated remarkable successes, all thanks to our collective efforts. As we step into 2024, we remain optimistic about reaching new heights together, and hope this review fuels your enthusiasm for what we can all accomplish in the coming year.

Information was issued on January 11, 2024, regarding a second virtual transportation summit that has been planned for February 7, 2024.

Due to the original webinar not being accessible to everyone, the decision was made to change the format of the summit to a Teams virtual meeting. The meeting is open to the public, transportation providers, and anyone interested in transportation issues in the Community HealthChoices (CHC) program.

The purpose of the meeting is to have a full and robust discussion about transportation concerns and needs. There will be staff from various programs on the call, including the CHC Managed Care Organizations (MCO) and transportation brokers, MATP, and PennDOT. They will be on the call to listen to the issues and answer questions as they can.

This is a follow-up to the meeting held on December 11, 2023. This meeting will not have any formal presentations but will allow for participants, providers, and attendees to discuss their transportation issues, difficulties, or positive experiences. Participants can also ask questions during the webinar by either raising their hand and waiting until they are unmuted or by asking their question in the chat.

Attendees are encouraged to send questions or requests to speak in advance of the meeting to Cortney Alvord via email.

________________________________________________________________________________

Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Join the meeting

Meeting ID: 218 762 770 115
Passcode: 7Hdkxm
Download Teams | Join on the web

Or call in (audio only)
+1 267-332-8737,,881854265# tel:+12673328737,,881854265#
United States, Philadelphia
Phone Conference ID: 881 854 265#

The 2024 RCPA Conference Embracing Challenges, Empowering Success will be held September 24 – 27 at the Hershey Lodge for a statewide audience. The Conference Committee is seeking workshop proposals in every area for possible inclusion, particularly those that assist providers in developing and maintaining high-quality, stable, and effective treatments, services, and agencies in an industry where change is constant. The committee looks for presentations that:

  • Highlight new policy, research, and treatment initiatives, such as the use of artificial intelligence, telehealth innovations, and employing people with disabilities;
  • Provide specific skills and information related to individual and organizational leadership development and enhancement;
  • Discuss advanced ethics practices and suicide prevention;
  • Address system changes that affect business practices, including integrated care strategies, value-based purchasing, performance-based contracting, acquisitions and mergers, and alternative payment models;
  • Provide guidance on building a culture of a committed workforce, including recruitment and employee development as well as effective remote workforce strategies;
  • Offer concrete skills and tools to operate more efficient, effective businesses; and
  • Inspire ideas for organizations to be leaders in their field.

The committee welcomes any proposal that addresses these and other topics essential to rehabilitation, mental health, substance use disorder, children’s health, aging, physical disabilities, and intellectual/developmental disabilities & autism.

Members are encouraged to consider submitting, and we highly encourage you to forward this opportunity to those who are exceptionally good speakers and have state-of-the-art information to share.

The Call for Proposals (featuring a complete listing of focus tracks) and accompanying Guidelines for Developing Educational Objectives detail requirements for submissions. The deadline for submissions is Monday, March 11, 2024, at 5:00 pm. Proposals must be submitted electronically on the form provided; confirmation of receipt will be sent. Proposals submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

If the proposal is accepted, individuals must be prepared to present on any day of the conference. Workshops are 90 or 180 minutes in length. At the time of acceptance, presenters will be required to confirm the ability to submit workshop handouts electronically four weeks prior to the conference. Individuals unable to meet this expectation should not submit proposals for consideration.

Individuals are welcome to submit multiple proposals. Notification of inclusion for the conference will be made via email by Friday, May 17, 2024. Questions may be directed to Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator.