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DHS

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has announced a Statewide Quarterly Positive Approaches & Practices Virtual Meeting on October 12, 2023. It will be held from 10:00 am – 2:30 pm and will be regarding “Navigating Crisis Intervention in Human Services.” View the flyer for complete details.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) has made the Medical Assistance (MA) and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Managed Care Quality Strategy (MCQS) for the Commonwealth available for public review and comment. The MCQS is an updated version of the previous strategy submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in December 2020 and accounts for the ongoing post-pandemic delivery system pressures that have affected how managed care organizations (MCOs) deliver care. The MCQS may be viewed online. Comments may be submitted via email, and those received within 30 days will be reviewed and considered. Additional information is available on the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

If you have any questions, please contact Fady Sahhar.

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Young Girl Talking With Counselor At Home

The Pennsylvania Office of Children, Youth and Families (PA OCYF) has announced  that the Pennsylvania 5-Year Prevention Plan for the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) was officially approved by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) on August 15, 2023. This marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to enhance and strengthen our state’s child welfare and family support systems. This also brings to a close a two-year approval process toward the plan, which outlines the comprehensive framework that Pennsylvania will implement to fulfill the requirements and goals set forth by the Family First Prevention Services Act. This legislation seeks to prioritize family-based services aimed at preventing the unnecessary placement of children in foster care, promoting family stability, and improving overall outcomes for vulnerable children and families.

The effective dates of the Pennsylvania 5-year Prevention Plan for FFPSA will be from October 1, 2021, to October 1, 2026. As Pennsylvania moves forward with the implementation of this plan, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS) is excited about the positive impact it will have on the lives of Pennsylvania’s children and families. PA OCYF acknowledges the collaborative efforts of various stakeholders, including partner agencies, community organizations, and dedicated professionals who have contributed to the development of this comprehensive strategy.

Should you have any inquiries or require further information regarding the approved Prevention Plan, its strategies, or the implementation timeline, please do not hesitate to visit Pennsylvania’s Family First website or submit an inquiry through the Pennsylvania Specific Family First Questions Form.

OCYF Leadership will be on the RCPA Children’s Division Meeting on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, at 1:00 pm and will cover this and other topics. If you have questions or feedback, please contact RCPA Mental Health Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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On behalf of the RCPA Community Residential Rehabilitation (CRR) service providers and the individuals of Pennsylvania that they serve, RCPA submits our CRR Regulatory Reform Recommendations to the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS). The current lack of access to care is a result of the workforce crisis and operational requirements of implementing the regulations. We feel these access issues and individuals waiting for services are compelling reasons, in the interest of the public, to merit a review of the regulations based on section 8.1 of the Regulatory Review Act (71 P.S. § 745.8a).

The COVID-19 DHS regulatory flexibilities provided relief for providers, and OMHSAS continues to offer waivers to agencies experiencing critical staffing shortages. Providers are grateful for these temporary solutions; however, these waivers do not address the long-term impacts of the current regulatory requirements. Providers continue to struggle to hire qualified staff and contend with burdensome operational requirements, many of which negatively contribute to the efficiency of care delivery. Therefore, many of the guidelines that were allowed under the suspension of regulations and frequent waiver requests are incorporated into recommendations for permanent improvements to the regulations.

Our recommendations place focus on the care of the individuals and address the challenges and barriers CRR service providers have faced in creating the staffing infrastructures and meeting the burdensome operational protocols for regulatory compliance. The overreaching nature of the regulations, coupled with the impact of the pandemic, has caused great strain on an already depleted behavioral health workforce. These system stressors limit the ability to provide vital, quality services to individuals. Under current regulations, programs are forced to focus on administrative details that do not have a meaningful effect on the actual care of the individual.

These CRR Regulatory Recommendations will also be directed to the Governor’s Policy Office, the Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Arkoosh, and members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

RCPA would like to thank the members of the CRR Regulatory Review team for their focused and diligent efforts to make this submission possible. If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

The PA Department of Human Services and PA Care Partnership are excited to announce the 21st Children’s Interagency Conference is scheduled for April 22 – April 25, 2024, at the Penn Stater Hotel, State College, PA. The conference theme is “Shine The Light on Mental Health – Building Youth Wellness & Resilience.”

Hosted by the PA Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Bureau of Children’s Behavioral Health Services and the PA Care Partnership, the conference brings together Pennsylvania’s Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP) and System of Care (SOC) partners providing behavioral health services. The conference will provide an excellent opportunity for providers, county administrators, youth, family members, practitioners, and educators to learn about changing trends, promising and best practices, resources, and various system of care activities across Pennsylvania. The conference will also add a national perspective on a variety of issues, including government, family peer, early childhood, youth leadership, and school-based mental health.

See the Save the Date flyer, and please share it with your contacts and invite them to attend. Visit the conference website for additional information. For questions or more information, contact our contract meeting planner Katrina Harris at 610-494-8044 or via email.

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On September 7, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) will be offering a webinar on the topic of the PA Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Savings Program from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. A PA ABLE account provides individuals with qualifying disabilities, as well as their families and friends, a tax-free way to save for disability-related expenses while maintaining government benefits. Federal and state law authorized the creation of PA ABLE accounts. The webinar/presentation will be given by a Representative of the PA Treasury Department.

OLTL Service Coordinators, Direct Service Providers, Community HealthChoices (CHC) managed care organization (MCO) staff, and any individuals that work on employment are strongly encouraged to participate in this webinar. It will help you understand the PA ABLE Program and how it can benefit OLTL participants.

Please register using this registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Additional questions about the webinar should be directed to Ryan Dorsey, OLTL, via email.

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The RCPA 2023 Annual Conference A Decade of Unity is scheduled for October 10 – 13, 2023, at the Hershey Lodge. The sessions listed below are a sample of the sessions planned, and these include the opportunities to interact with DHS, OLTL, and Aging Department leaders. This will be further enhanced by the participation of current and prospective CHC-MCOs. Of course, a number of networking events with your peers, technology innovators, and vendors to improve your operations make these days a must-have for your agency! View the list below of planned sessions for your PD&A teams:

  1. State of the State: DHS Secretary Arkoosh
  2. Become a Destination Employer
  3. Moral Injury: Reframing and Repair
  4. Restrictive Practices Across the States: Strategies to Advocate for Change
  5. The Happy Valley FitLink Approach to Inclusive Wellness
  6. OLTL Updates and Quality Initiatives
  7. Driving Pennsylvania’s Health Care Transformation: Integrating Perspectives for Advanced Patient-Centered Care
  8. Value-Based Purchasing: A Survival Guide
  9. Beyond Accessibility: Diversity and Inclusion in the Disability Community
  10. Addressing the Workforce Crisis: Strategy and Policy Learnings From Four Organizations
  11. Enabling Technology: The Why, What, and How Needed to Make it Happen
  12. Leadership and Navigating Change (1 and 2)
  13. Getting Past the First Meeting to the Contract Negotiation
  14. Revealing the Potential of Smart Home Technologies for People With Disabilities Through Research and Resources
  15. Findings on Stakeholder Engagement for the PA Master Plan for Older Adults
  16. Reducing Health Disparities Through a Collaborative Approach to Value-Based Contracting
  17. Attracting and Retaining the Best Talent: Mitigating Bias in Hiring, From Sourcing Through Onboarding
  18. Independence and Wellness Through Employment

Use this link for quick, convenient online registration for the 2023 Annual Conference! You can view the brochure for the full schedule as well as the RCPA Conference website for further details. We look forward to seeing you in Hershey this October!

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