OMHSAS
- 08/14: Peer and Provider Training
- 08/13: Fall Training
- 08/08: PA Peer Support Teleconference
- 08/06: Mayview State Hospital Closure Updates
- 07/28: Recruitment and Retention Conference
- 07/24: Comments ROSI Measures
- 07/22: Drexel Co-occurring Series
- 07/21: PA Office of Financial Education
- 07/15: Gambling Treatment
- 07/15: Mayview State Hospital Closure Update
- 07/15: Comments on Draft Guidelines
- 07/14: ACT Workgroup
- 07/08: OMHSAS Advisory Meetings
- 07/03: Message from Speaker O'Brien
- 07/01: Suicide Prevention Conference
- More»
Mental Health America
Let your voice be heard:
Archive
OMHSAS PROVIDES FAQs DOCUMENT (PART 2) AFTER PEER SUPPORT SERVICES BULLETIN ISSUED
OMHSAS has become aware of some issues/questions that have arisen in the field since the Peer Support Services Bulletin was issued. Please find attached a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document (Part 2) that includes 9 questions and answers regarding Peer Support Services as a Medicaid service in Pennsylvania. We fully anticipate that there will be additional questions as the program rolls out across the state, and we will be issuing periodic updates to insure that there is clear communication about the facts statewide.
We ask that you review this information prior to the upcoming Peer Support Specialist technical assistance sessions scheduled for July.
OTHER QUESTIONS??
Should you have any other questions, please contact Karen Morton of OMHSAS at kmorton@state.pa.us or by telephone at 717-346-0752.
Download:
Applications are now being accepted for participation on the Governor's Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities. Background information about the Governor's Advisory Committee and how to apply are in the attached document.
Please distribute this information broadly to your networks so that people interested have opportunity to apply. Thank you.
Ginny Rogers
Executive Policy Specialist
PA Department of Public Welfare
P.O. Box 2675
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675
717-346-4481
virrogers@state.pa.us
Downloads:
To: Members of the OMHSAS Adult, Children's, and Older Adult Advisory Committees
Attached please find updated membership lists for each of the age-based OMHSAS Advisory Committees, which together form the Commonwealth's Mental Health Planning Council for federal block grant purposes.
The names in purple on each list are of those appointed in May 2007 by OMHSAS Deputy Secretary Joan L. Erney to serve new 3-year terms on the Advisory Committees (AC). These individuals will be attending their first AC meetings as appointed members on Thursday, July 12, 2007, at the Four Points Sheraton, 800 East Park Drive, Harrisburg.
We welcome the following new appointees:
- Adult Committee: Cindy Boore, Carol Caruso, Carl Coleman,
and Patrice Terrance. Adult Committee List - Children's Committee: Bernadette Cameron, Kelly Cook-
Boyd, Christine Kuhn, Nancy Priester, and Elizabeth Starks. Children’s Committee List - Older Adult Committee: Susan Bartholomew-Palmer, Brad
Gebhart, Susan Saler, Joan Schmehl, and Ann Stuart
Thacker. Older Adult Committee List
Just a reminder that these lists are provided to enhance communication and networking among OMHSAS AC members and should not be used or further distributed for any other purposes.
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is pleased to announce technical assistance sessions for counties and providers for the development and implementation of Medicaid Funded Peer Support Services. Please see the attached document for complete details.
If you have additional questions regarding the technical assistance sessions, please contact Bill Boyer in OMHSAS by e-mail at wboyer@state.pa.us or by telephone at 717-705-8181.
For information regarding registration, please send all questions directly to Drexel University staff.
In response to additional requests to provide Peer Specialist training, the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is now accepting applications for participation in a Peer Specialist Training and Technical Assistance Initiative. The attached document outlines project goals and objectives, as well as selection criteria and project requirements. If you are interested in participating, please review and submit your application as directed by July 13, 2007. Please contact Karen Morton with any questions related to this initiative. She may be reached via e-mail at kmorton@state.pa.us or by phone, 717-346-0752.
To: OMHSAS Advisory Committees Members (Children's, Adult, & Older Adult), OMHSAS Youth Advisory Subcommittee Applicants, OMHSAS Lead staff, Other Stakeholders
WORK GROUP TO FORM:
The Office of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers' Association (PMHCA) will be hosting the New Freedom Initiative Consumer Driven System Summit on Wednesday and Thursday, July 18-19, 2007. The purpose of this consumer driven system summit is to bring together statewide consumer leaders to engage in planning in order to achieve the goal of mental health care becoming consumer driven in PA.
Please see the attached notice with additional information.
CONTACT FOR QUESTIONS: If you have any questions, contact Pat Madigan, PMHCA, at pat@pmhca.org.
To: OMHSAS Stakeholders
Attached is the revised list of meeting dates for the OMHSAS Advisory Committees for Fiscal Year 2007-2008.
You will receive e-mail notification of RSVP deadlines for these meetings in the month before they are to occur.
Attached please find a letter from OMHSAS Deputy Secretary Joan L. Erney announcing the distribution of and request for feedback on a draft OMHSAS bulletin on Assertive Community Treatment (ACT).
All comments about the draft ACT bulletin should be sent—by Monday, June 18th, 2007—to Benny Varghese at Bvarghese@state.pa.us.
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is pleased to release the Bulletin and Medical Assistance Provider Handbook pages for the implementation of Peer Support Services as a Medicaid reimbursable service in Pennsylvania.
The Peer Support Services Bulletin and Provider Handbook pages outline the information necessary to commence implementation. Guidance pursuant to enrollment, billing, and programmatic reviews are also included in this mailing. Providers that can demonstrate compliance with the Peer Support Services Bulletin and Provider Handbook effective 11/01/06 will be eligible to retroactively bill for services back to this date.
Please contact Karen Morton (kmorton@state.pa.us) (717-346-0752) any questions related to the Peer Support Services Bulletin, Provider Handbook pages.
Downloads:
- Peer Support Services Medical Assistance Bulletin
- Peer Support Services Provider Handbook Pages
- Peer Support Services Supplemental Provider Agreement
- Peer Support Services Frequently Asked Questions
- SMI Adult Priority Group Bulletin
- Peer Support Services Service Description Requirements Checklist
Attached please find pages 1-6 of the latest issue (Vol. 16, No. 1, Spring 2007) of the newsletter, People First, with news and feature stories for the consumers, supporters, and providers of Pennsylvania's behavioral health system.
[NOTE: The file size of this document is, unfortunately, large and can only be e-mailed to OMHSAS listservs if sent in two parts.]
To request a free, hard-copy-mailed-in-the-postal-service-to-you subscription, please print out page 12 (which will be on the second e-mail to you later this afternoon), complete the form, and follow the instructions for mailing it.
Questions about the information in this newsletter may be directed to Shelley Bishop, OMHSAS Consumer & Family Issues, at shebishop@state.pa.us.
Attached please find pages 7-12 of the latest issue (Vol. 16, No. 1, Spring 2007) of the newsletter, People First, with news and feature stories for the consumers, supporters, and providers of Pennsylvania's behavioral health system.
[NOTE: The file size of this document is, unfortunately, large and can only be e-mailed to OMHSAS listservs if sent in two parts.]
To request a free, hard-copy-mailed-in-the-postal-service-to-you subscription, please print out page 12 from the attachment above, complete the form, and follow the instructions for mailing it.
Questions about the information in this newsletter may be directed to Shelley Bishop, OMHSAS Consumer & Family Issues, at shebishop@state.pa.us.
Attached please find information presented during the Joint Session of the OMHSAS Advisory Committees meetings May 3rd, 2007, on Housing Workplan Outcomes. This turns out to be Part 3 of the follow-up e-mailings sent to OMHSAS listservs.
If you have any questions about this document, please contact John Ames in OMHSAS-Consumer & Family Issues at joames@state.pa.us.
Download:
Attached please find documents that are being distributed as follow up to the May 3rd, 2007, OMHSAS Advisory Committees meetings.
Because of the size of the files, two follow-up e-mailings are being sent to our listservs. This is #2 with the Joint Session documents.
JOINT SESSION
- "Assertive Community Treatment" (20 slides) presented by Benny Varghese, bvarghese@state.pa.us
- "OMHSAS Advisory Committee Update" (47 slides) presented by OMHSAS Deputy Secretary Joan L. Erney. If you have any questions about the Deputy's presentation, please contact Shelley Bishop, shebishop@state.pa.us
This concludes the Part 2 follow-up distribution. Thank you!
Attached please find documents that are being distributed as follow up to the May 3rd, 2007, OMHSAS Advisory Committees meetings.
Because of the size of the files, two follow-up e-mailings are being sent to our listservs. This is #1; the Joint Session documents will follow in #2 later today.
OMHSAS Advisory Committees Members: If you have any questions about these documents, please direct them to your committee co-chairs or lead staff, or the individuals indicated.
CHILDREN'S COMMITTEE
The first two documents were provided by Wendy Luckenbill, with the request that they be distributed AFTER the May 3rd Children's Committee meeting. The third document was distributed at the May 3rd meeting.
- "Response to Intervention: Overview" by Chuck Haley, PDE/BSE, 4/2007 (9 pp.)
- "Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth: 2004/2005 Annual Report for Public Schools, PDE, October 2006" (36 pp.)
- "Recruitment/Retention/Training Subcommittee Notes and Summary of Discussions, August 2006 - February 2007" (6 pp.; p. 6 is blank)
ADULT COMMITTEE
No attachments.OLDER ADULT COMMITTEE
- "Money Follows the Person" (2 pp.) presented by Dan Hoy, dahoy@state.pa.us
- "OMHSAS Quality Management" (22 slides) presented by Mike Jeffrey, mjeffrey@state.pa.us
This concludes the Part 1 follow-up distribution.
Attached is a copy of the draft regulations being developed by Pennsylvania's Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) for Residential Treatment Facilities (RTF). This draft has brought together program regulations, payment regulations, and health and safety regulations onto one package. Also included is the draft Preamble which is required when the proposed regulations are published in the PA Bulletin. We are considering several issues, and we welcome your critique of the enclosed draft as well as your perspective on secure RTFs, other models, and accreditation.
Please share with interested stakeholders and return comments to ra-rtfcomments@state.pa.us. Thank you.
Downloads:
CORRECTION: The Deaf Sensitivity Training event publicized yesterday is being held ONLY for Dauphin County adult and children's Mental Health providers. We apologize for forwarding the notice and ask that you notify anyone to whom you may have sent it, that it was distributed in error. We regret any inconvenience this may cause.
Attached are two announcements that may interest you:
1) The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Invites Public Comments on State Plan, and
2) A Deaf Sensitivity Training Session will be held March 20, 2007.
Please read the attachments for complete details about each
announcement.
Thank you.
Downloads:
OMHSAS Deputy Secretary Joan L. Erney is pleased to announce that Beaver, Berks, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, and York/Adams counties have been chosen to receive targeted Supported Housing technical assistance through OMHSAS from the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC). These counties have indicated an interest in increasing Supported Housing in their communities utilizing HealthChoices reinvestment dollars to work in partnership with the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) to develop supported housing solutions. Other counties who decide to commit reinvestment funds to supported housing may be added to this group at a later date.
This initiative builds on the OMHSAS document, "A Plan for Promoting Housing and Recovery-Oriented Services" that was released in November 2006. This plan is available at the website.
In addition to this specific technical assistance, OMHSAS will continue to offer general housing technical assistance to county MH/MR offices, in order to assist in developing other activities addressed in the Housing Plan that promote meeting the housing needs of people served in the Pennsylvania public welfare system.
Attached please find an article about a program in Denver, Colorado,that demonstrates the success of Supported Housing.
For more information on the OMHSAS Housing Plan, or to learn more about technical assistance opportunities, contact John Ames at joames@state.pa.us. Thank you.
Download:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Feb. 7, 2007 Department of Public Welfare
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120
CONTACT: Rita Frealing-Shultz
Stacey Ward
(717) 787-4592
SECRETARY OF PUBLIC WELFARE ANNOUNCES NEW OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMS
HARRISBURG - In an effort to continue addressing the needs of Pennsylvanians with disabilities, Department of Public Welfare Secretary Estelle B. Richman today announced the creation of the Office of Developmental Programs.
Richman said the new office was created through a reorganization of the Office of Mental Retardation and the establishment of the Bureau of Autism Services.
"Families have made great strides in the past few years in alerting us to the growing number of children and adults being diagnosed with autism, and they have helped us to prepare a path in which to
provide for their unique needs," said Richman. "By establishing this new office, we're taking an important step to help families access information and supports that are so vital for their loved ones."
Autism is a lifelong brain disorder that affects as many as 1-of-every-166 children born in the U.S., or one child every 21 minutes. The number of people across the U.S. diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder over the past 15 years has risen by a staggering 2,000 percent.
Creating the new Office of Developmental Programs within DPW was one of the core recommendations of the Autism Task Force, whose findings were released in December 2004. In its initial stages, the Office of Developmental Programs will house a Bureau of Mental Retardation Services and a Bureau for Autism Services, as well as necessary support bureaus.
Kevin Casey, currently the deputy secretary for the Office of Mental Retardation, will continue as the deputy secretary of the Office of Developmental Programs. Nina Wall-Cote will serve as the director for the Bureau of Autism Services, which will provide expertise and supports for all state agencies which serve Pennsylvanians with autism.
For more information about the department or services available to Pennsylvanians with autism, visit www.dpw.state.pa.us.
OMHSAS Deputy Secretary Joan L. Erney invites you to a briefing of all stakeholders of the mental health and substance abuse system on the FY 2007-2008 budget, as recommended by Governor Edward G. Rendell in his budget address of February 6, 2007.
The briefing will be conducted in conjunction with the regularly scheduled OMHSAS Advisory Committees meetings at the Four Points Sheraton, 800 East Park Drive, Harrisburg, beginning at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 1st, 2007.
Due to limited space, the Deputy Secretary requests that a maximum of two people attend from each of the stakeholder groups. Those attending the budget briefing only are asked to RSVP to Deb Hodges at dehodges@state.pa.us by noon on Monday, February 26th. We look forward to seeing you at this budget briefing. Thank you.
Attached is a DRAFT OMHSAS policy for Pennsylvania's state mental hospitals (including its restoration center) on "Psychiatric Levels of Intensive Treatment," which is being sent for your review and comments.
Please contact Timothy Corcoran of the Clarks Summit State Hospital if you have any questions, ph. 570-587-7260.
Comments on the draft should be sent to Mr. Corcoran at tcorcoran@state.pa.us, no later than Tuesday, February 20, 2007. Thank you.
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As recommended by the OMHSAS Children's Advisory Committee, OMHSAS is moving forward with a Youth Advisory Membership Workgroup and is requesting participants for this workgroup. The goal of this workgroup will be to develop the process by which the youth voice will be represented and supported on the OMHSAS Children's and Adult Advisory Committees. Please see the attached document for additional information, including the date of the first meeting of this workgroup.
The workgroup will consist of two (2) members from the Adult Advisory Committee; two members from the Children's Advisory Committee; ten (10) youth from various cross systems; Shelley Bishop, Executive Assistant for Consumer and Family Issues in OMHSAS; and Doris Arena, Transition Specialist from the Children's Bureau in OMHSAS.
While the composition of this workgroup will be limited to those individuals listed above, the product of this workgroup will be distributed for broad review and comment, including presentation of recommendations to the Children's and Adult Advisory Committees for further review and consideration.
If you are interested in being considered for a position on this workgroup, please respond via e-mail to Doris Arena at darena@state.pa.us no later than 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 7, 2007. Thank you.
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The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will host two no-cost regional forums—on COMPREHENSIVE ANTI-GANG PLANNING—later this month. These forums will be a starting point for increasing awareness, imparting tools, and facilitating local gang intervention and prevention efforts.
Please read the attached notice for complete details, including registration information and e-mail links for travel directions to the meeting sites. If you have any questions after reviewing the document, contact Dena Jarrah at 610-969-2589.
Thank you.
Download:
Attached is information regarding the 2007 Pennsylvania Aging and Behavioral Health Forums. If you have any questions about the material, please contact Joann Roesner at 215-831-7804 or jroesner@drexelmed.edu.
Download:
Attached are three (3) documents sent on behalf of Sabrina Tillman-Boyd, Director of the Bureau of Policy & Program Development, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS). They are:
- Letter from Ms. Tillman-Boyd announcing the ACT Forum on February 23rd, 2007.
- Save-the-Date notice about the ACT Forum.
- Registration Form for the ACT Forum.
Space for this event is limited. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you have any questions after reviewing all three documents, please contact Benny Varghese of the OMHSAS Bureau of Policy & Program Development at 717-772-7283 or by e-mail at bvarghese@state.pa.us.
OMHSAS Advisory Committees Members: Please assist in your role of information-sharing by distributing this notice broadly.
Below is a notice with information about the 2007 Behavioral Health and Aging Forums funded by the Department of Public Welfare's Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), in collaboration with Drexel University, the PA Department of Aging, and the PA Behavioral Health and Aging Coalition. Questions? Contact Dawn Comly in the OMHSAS Bureau of Policy & Program Development at dcomly@state.pa.us.
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"Through Deaf Eyes," a two-hour PBS documentary exploring nearly 200 years of Deaf life in America, will air in the spring. The film was inspired by the exhibition, "History through Deaf Eyes," curated by Jack R. Gannon of Gallaudet University. The documentary will air nationally on PBS on Wednesday, March 21st, at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings).
The film presents the shared experiences of American history, family life, education, work, and community connections—from the perspective of Deaf citizens. Interviews include community leaders, historians, and Deaf Americans with diverse views on language use, technology and identity. Bringing a Deaf cinematic lens to the film are six artistic works by Deaf media artists and filmmakers: Wayne Betts, Renee Visco, Tracey Salaway, Kimby Caplan, Arthur Luhn, and Adrean Mangiardi.
Poignant, sometimes humorous, these films draw on the media artists' own lives and are woven throughout the documentary. But, the core of the film remains the larger story of Deaf life in America-a story of conflicts, prejudice, and affirmation that reaches the heart of what it means to be human.
Major funding for "Through Deaf Eyes" is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS, The Annenberg Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Private individuals have also contributed to the funding of this project. The extensive outreach campaign is funded in part by Sign Language Associates. Outreach partners are the National Association for the Deaf, Gallaudet University, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, and California State University-Northridge.
As part of the outreach campaign, numerous local organizations, some in association with their public television stations, will mount events and discussions exploring the issues raised in the film. A comprehensive Web site, found at www.pbs.org accompanies the film. The site includes interviews with the deaf filmmakers whose work is featured in the documentary, while also inviting viewers to submit their own stories, photographs, and films. These will become part of the archival collection of Gallaudet University. A companion book is being published by Gallaudet University Press.
Source: PBS
REVISED ANNOUNCEMENT
TO: OMHSAS Advisory Committee Members and Other Stakeholders
The Membership Work Group of the OMHSAS Advisory Committees is actively seeking NEW membership applicants. For details, see the attached revised announcement and the attached application form. Please share these documents with individuals and groups whose members would meet criteria for membership on the OMHSAS Advisory Committees. Thank you.
Download:
- Advisory Committees Now Seeking Applications for Membership
- Application for Membership on OMHSAS Advisory Committees
TO: OMHSAS Advisory Committee Members and Other Interested Stakeholders
The following information was presented at the January 4, 2007, meetings of the OMHSAS Advisory Committees. You are encouraged to distribute it to other interested persons.
CHILDREN'S COMMITTEE
- BCBHS January 2007 Cross-System Initiatives and Partnerships. Questions about any information contained in this document? Please contact Linda Williams at linwilliam@state.pa.us
ADULT COMMITTEE
No attachments.
OLDER ADULT COMMITTEE
- Data Analysis of Older Adults
- Beneficiary Fact Sheet: Using Your Medicare Drug Coverage in 2007. Questions about any information contained in these documents? Please contact Dawn Comly at dcomly@state.pa.us or Patricia M. Clark at
patrclark@state.pa.us.
JOINT SESSION
- PRO-ACT Presentation
Questions about this information? Please contact Beverly Haberle of PRO-ACT at bhaberle@bccadd.org. - Special Pharmaceutical Benefit Program (SPBP) Presentation
Presenter Daneen Williams wrote: "There was a question posed as to why SPBP worked with the 12 plans that were chosen. I have elaborated on one of the slides to answer that question."
Questions about this information? Please contact spbp@state.pa.us. - Deputy Secretary's Presentation
Questions about this information? Please contact Shelley
Bishop at shebishop@state.pa.us.
CALL FOR WORK GROUP MEMBERS FOR TWO (2) STEERING COMMITTEES
- See attached notice, as announced at the January 4th meetings. Questions about this information? Please contact Jerry Goessel at ggoessel@state.pa.us.
Download Notice.
Thank you.
The DPW Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), in collaboration with other agencies, is pleased to announce a Suicide Across the Age Span Conference to be held Wednesday, September 12, 2007, at the Holiday Inn in Grantville, PA.
To be put on a list to receive more information about this conference, please contact Joann at 215-831-7804.
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This is the link on the DPW Web site to the document titled, "Strategies for Promoting Recovery and Resilience and Implementing Evidence-Based Practices." It has been referred to informally as "the Mercer White Paper." This document was already distributed on November 16, 2006, to the majority of the OMHSAS listservs. This link is being provided to facilitate communication among stakeholders who may not be able to receive or send pdf files.
Any questions about this document may be directed to Linda Zelch, OMHSAS Bureau of Community Operations, at lzelch@state.pa.us
Thank you.