Access Services Will be Providing Community Wide Support Groups via ZOOM for Chester County Residents
TBI Virtual Trainings Offered in March by Administration for Community Living
In observance of Brain Injury Awareness Month in March, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) will be hosting virtual Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Tuesday training sessions. Additional information is provided below:
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Tuesdays in March
Please join the Administration for Community Living (ACL) this March in observance of Brain Injury Awareness Month. In lieu of ACL’s annual in-person TBI Stakeholder Day, they will be hosting virtual TBI Tuesdays. With an overarching focus on equity, each TBI Tuesday session will highlight the work of the TBI State Partnership Program grantee workgroups and their resources for stakeholders, federal partners, and will involve individuals with brain injury. They have structured each TBI Tuesday session to include panel discussions, question and answer sessions, and generous breaks in between. Each TBI Tuesday session will be live-captioned and ASL-interpreted. If you require additional accommodations to participate or if you have any questions about the sessions, please do not hesitate to submit via email. Please see the session descriptions below.
Outreach to All: Brain Injury within Underserved Populations
The kickoff TBI Tuesday session will focus on Underserved Populations. Reyma McCoy-McDeid, the newly appointed Commissioner of ACL’s Administration on Disabilities will provide opening remarks. Two TBI State Partnership Program state grantees (Oregon and West Virginia) will introduce the Rural Outreach Toolkit and a person with TBI will share their outreach experience. You will also hear from ACL’s federal partner from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (invited) regarding rural and frontier populations.
This webinar will be held on March 9, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Sustainable Partnerships: Forging Relationships that Last
The focus of this second TBI Tuesday session will be Sustainable Partnerships. The session will feature several TBI State Partnership Program (SPP) grantees (Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Tennessee) who will share the work of the Sustainable Partnership SPP Workgroup, including two workgroup products (Success Story and Tip Sheet). ACL will also discuss how to build capacity to better serve people with TBI through partnerships within and between states. Participants will also hear national and state perspectives regarding partnerships with Protection and Advocacy organizations (P&As) and Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs). Session participants will be able to discuss how to build innovative partnerships, how to strengthen federal agency connections at the local level, and strategies to enhance the workgroup products presented.
This webinar will be held on March 16, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Return to Learn: Equal Access to Education for Students with Brain Injury
The third TBI Tuesday session will focus on Return to Learn following brain injury. The session will begin with a panel of TBI State Partnership Program (SPP) grantees (Oregon and Pennsylvania) who will discuss Return to Learn initiatives. Participants will hear from a concussion expert and an individual with a TBI, who will share their return to learn experience. ACL will also lead a discussion with session participants about the pros and cons of state legislation on Return to Learn.
This webinar will be held on March 23, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Justice for All: Serving Individuals with Brain Injury Across the Justice System
The fourth TBI Tuesday session will focus on the criminal and juvenile justice (CJJ) system. Three TBI State Partnership Program grantees (Colorado, Indiana, and Pennsylvania) will provide an overview on CJJ and brain injury, and why it matters. There will be an overview of the SPP workgroup and its structure, purpose, and products as well as a presentation by Policy Research Associates on using the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Sequential Intercept Model to support people living with a brain injury as they move through the criminal justice system. You will hear from ACL’s federal partner with the U.S. Department of Justice (invited) and also from a person with a brain injury on their experience with the justice system.
This webinar will take place on March 30, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
Maximizing the Effectiveness of Advisory Boards Through Full Participation
The focus of this final TBI Tuesday session will be on TBI State Advisory Boards/Councils and how to better engage members, especially individuals with brain injury. Two TBI State Partnership Program (SPP) grantees (Tennessee and West Virginia) will present on the TBI SPP Advisory Board Toolkit. You will also hear from ACL’s federal partner from the Office of Independent Living Programs at ACL on the importance of consumer engagement. Representatives from the Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC) and the TBI Advisory and Leadership Group (TAL-Group) will lead a facilitated discussion about the importance of having consumer-guided council practices and how individuals with TBI and others can become ready to serve on boards.
This webinar will be held on April 6, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
DOH/DHS Announce Extension of Regional Congregate Care Assistance Teams
The Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Human Services (DHS) announced the Regional Congregate Care Assistance Teams (RCAT) will continue to provide COVID-19 outbreak support to facilities from March 1, 2021 through May 31, 2021. The continuation of the RCATs is possible due to additional funding that was made available to them. Those facilities that were previously eligible for the Regional Response Health Collaborative (RRHC) program will also be eligible for the RCAT. Facilities experiencing outbreaks may request assistance with personal protective equipment (PPE), staffing, and testing. Please refer to this document for additional information and some great resources.
DOH Aligns Quarantine Guidance For Fully Vaccinated Individuals With CDC COVID-19 Recommendations
Philadelphia DOH Vaccine Clarification – DSPs in Phase 1A
The Philadelphia Department of Health has issued clarification on the vaccine status of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) being in Phase 1A. In their initial letter, they incorrectly left out Behavioral Health DSPs and only mentioned those who are working with individuals with ID/Autism. This was an oversight, and they have now corrected it both on their website and in the letter.
Hence, all DSPs are considered to fall into Phase 1A, regardless of what service line they work in. Please contact your RCPA Policy Director for further clarification.
Paycheck Protection Program to Have Small Business Focus Until March 9
Covid Vaccine Websites Violate Disability Laws, Create Inequity for the Blind
DHS Issues COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has issued a request for providers to track the initial administration of the COVID-19 vaccination in the following facilities that it licenses:
Office of Developmental Programs (ODP)
- Community Homes for Individuals with an Intellectual Disability or Autism
- Private Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with an Intellectual Disability
Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS)
- Long Term Structured Residences
- Residential Treatment Facility for Adults
- Private Psychiatric Hospitals
Office of Long-Term Living/Bureau of Human Services Licensing (OLTL/BHSL)
- Personal Care Homes
- Assisted Living Facilities
Office of Children Youth and Family (OCYF)
- Child Residential Facilities (Chapter 3800)- For staff and residents over 18 years of age
This will be a one-time data collection to understand the level of vaccination for residents and staff at these facilities.
It is very important that facilities complete this form. This information is essential to implementing the Commonwealth’s vaccine planning and administration plan and to help ensure that vaccines are being administered as soon as can be accomplished. Completing this form is a major component to stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth. Detailed instructions are available here.
Please enter the required information at the COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker link.
If you have any questions or still need any assistance regarding vaccinations, please send an email to RA-pwarlheadquarters@pa.gov.
Legislative, Budget and Finance Committee Releases Study on Community Mental Health
Today, the Legislative, Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) released a study on community mental health services. Last year, the General Assembly adopted House Resolution 515 of 2019, which directed LBFC to conduct a broad-based study of Pennsylvania’s county administered, community-based mental health (MH) services. The resolution directed LBFC to collect and present information on 10 comprehensive and complex data points.
In response to HR 515, LBFC modified the objectives and scope and focused on creating observational summaries of data, which were collected from various state agencies, including the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Corrections (DOC), and the Health Care Cost Containment Council PHC4). LBFC also surveyed all county MH Administrators. The report can be found on the LBFC’s website.
Distribute CARES Act Funds in Minutes: Aunt Bertha Webinar March 4
Prev