OMHSAS Announcements

June 12, 2009

1. The Pennsylvania Third Annual Suicide Prevention Conference – Creating Healthy Communities, will be held September 15-16, 2009 at the Ramada Conference Center, State College, PA. Conference fee is $150.00; $140.00 when you register by August 14, 2009. Download the conference brochure and exhibitor application.

2. Student Loan Repayment Opportunity:

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the availability of nearly $200 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support student loan repayments for primary care medical, dental and mental health clinicians who want to work at National Health Service Corps (NHSC) sites. In exchange for the loan repayments, clinicians serve for two years with the Corps. 

The new funds are expected to double the number of Corps clinicians and provide 3,300 awards to clinicians that serve in health centers, rural health clinics and other health care facilities that care for uninsured and underserved people. 

Funding is also available for scholarships for students in training to become primary care physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives or physician assistants

Additional information is available at http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/

3. H1N1 Information:

In order to promote preparedness and understanding of what is currently in the media about "pandemic" please view the websites below and please distribute to colleagues, co workers, providers, consumers, advocates, etc.

US Department of Health & Human Services Press Relase

More information about how individuals, families, businesses, and providers can prepare for a bad flu season or pandemic may be found at PandemicFlu.gov.

More information about flu updates may be found at CDC H1N1 Flu or at the Pennsylvania Department of Health website Health: 2009 Novel Influenza A H1N1(previously referred to as Swine Flu)

Another good resource is APA Help Center - Disasters & Terrorism - "Managing Your Anxiety about H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)"

OMHSAS News