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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMH Provider Meeting Minutes 12-10-21Mental Health Provider Meeting Friday, December 10, 2021 MH 1 12/10/21 MEETING MINUTES Welcome & Introduction This meeting was held via Google Meet. Jim Gilbert confirmed which providers were in attendance prior to the beginning of the meeting. Provider Announcements & Updates ≠ Service Access & Management (SAM) – Stephanie Lawson SAM is still providing a hybrid of in-person and virtual services for individuals. ≠ AHEDD – Sarah Marshall AHEDD is going out in the community to meet individuals as well as offering telehealth services. A staff member has returned after being out for over seven (7) months. ≠ Laurel Life Services – Dee Santiago There is currently a waitlist for all services. There is a three (3) to six (6) month wait for outpatient services, intensive behavioral health services (IBHS), and family based services. Families are still encouraged to reach out to Laurel Life Services in order to discuss the waitlist. Laurel Life Services will assist families when trying to find a provider if they need immediate assistance. ≠ Occupational Services, Inc. (OSI)– Gabby Snider OSI is still accepting new referrals for all their mental health programs. ≠ Keystone Human Services – Nicole Humbertson and Cali Newcomer Keystone Human Services is still trying to fill staffing vacancies in order to open the Forensic Specialized Community Residence (FSCR). ≠ Healthy Communities Partnership (HCP) – Karen Johnston HCP is currently at full staff. HCP is forming new smoking cessation classes starting in January. The cessation classes have been offered in a hybrid format, Zoom, and in-person for adults in the past. Individuals interested in the cessation classes can call 717-264-1470 ext. 101. HCP will offer cessation classes on-site for groups of four (4) or more. Individuals interested in quitting smoking over the holidays can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to speak with a representative. HCP is working with local schools to help with vaping cessation. A school district reached out to HCP with preliminary Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) data for 2021. All schools in Franklin and Fulton County have agreed to take the online PAYS. The survey is completed by 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. The preliminary information received by HCP indicates a large increase in mental health issues for students. The survey showed an exponential jump in suicidal ideation and attempted suicide among students. Karen would like Christy Unger to get the County data for an upcoming meeting. ≠ Pennsylvania Counseling Services (PCS) – Janelle Ward PCS has experienced some recent staff changes and is currently hiring. ≠ New Visions, Inc. – Craig Cordell New Visions is currently trying to fill staff vacancies. Mental Health Provider Meeting MH 2 12/10/21 ≠ Kidz Therapy Zone – Allison Kilmowicz Kidz Therapy Zone provides outpatient, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and respite services for Franklin County. ≠ Mental Health Association (MHA) – Barry Munch A community support program (CSP) meeting is scheduled for 6:00 P.M. tonight. The meeting link was sent out to all involved parties. The meeting can also be attended in- person at the MHA office on Grant Street. ≠ Keystone Behavioral Health & Keystone Crisis Intervention Services – Jackie Ulmer There are currently staffing issues with Keystone Behavioral Health and Crisis Intervention Services. Standing Agenda Items ≠ Tuscarora Manage Care Alliance (TMCA) Update – Gen Harper TMCA has made an offer for the development director position and are waiting to hear if the individual has accepted the position. Gen will provide more details at the next MH provider meeting. ≠ PerformCare Update – Brian Gannon and Kourtney Griggs There is a training scheduled for IBHS providers on January 6, 2021. Providers should have received an email about signing up for the training. ≠ Community Resource Spotlight: Franklin County Children & Youth Services (CYS) – Minnie Goshorn CYS is the entity that provides all services for children from birth to eighteen (18) years old for Franklin County. Providers are all mandated reporters. Providers can call CYS or ChildLine to make referrals. Providers can also utilize the online referral system. Providers should notify CYS if there is a situation that needs immediate attention as there is a time delay when calling ChildLine directly. A referral made at 9:00 A.M. may not be received by CYS until 2:00 P.M. All CYS referrals are evaluated to determine if they meet the criteria to perform an assessment on the family. CYS makes initial contact with families for most referrals. There are some referrals that do not justify child welfare and are screened out by CYS. CYS screens out approximately fifty (50) calls a month. There were 371 referrals received by CYS in the month of November. Assessments are completed for abuse and neglect, environmental issues, truancy, general neglect, supervision issues, and any other situations revolving around children. CYS has Child Protective Services (CPS) reports for physical, sexual, serious neglect, and mental or emotional neglect. CYS investigates all four (4) of these categories in the CPS report. CYS makes the report to ChildLine. ChildLine will make the determination if it is a general referral or grounds for a CPS investigation. In home support services are provided to families by CYS. CYS utilizes the HCP Check & Connect program to monitor truancy in the schools. CYS is part of the JusticeWorks YouthCare program in Pennsylvania. Immediate intensive in home crisis intervention is Mental Health Provider Meeting MH 3 12/10/21 provided through the PA Family Support program. Referrals are made to SAM and other providers as needed for family services. Placement services are provided by CYS, which is the process of removing a child from the home based on a court order. CYS has to wait for the signed court order from the judge prior to removing a child from their home. The child will be placed in a foster home, shelter facility, or residential facility based on the allegations. Removing the child is the last resort after attempting all other in home service options. Individuals can stay in CYS care until the age of eighteen (18). Individuals can choose to stay in care after the age of eighteen (18) if they have nowhere else to go at that time. CYS will work with individuals over the age of eighteen (18) on independent living skills. Individuals will age out of care at twenty-one (21) years old. The program includes assessments by a service coordinator, money for housing, reimbursement for cars, and money from the State to help individuals transition to living independently. Placement services go all the way up to adoption. CYS handles the voluntary and involuntary termination of parental rights. A subsidy is paid to adoptive parents until the child reaches the age of eighteen (18). The truancy prevention program is an ongoing unit. A task force was developed with Judge Angela Krom, providers from the local school districts, CYS, and magisterial district judges (MDJ) to discuss getting kids back on track. A lot of students are dealing with mental health and anxiety issues at this time. Truancy referrals tripled last year compared to the previous year. Providers can reach out directly to Minnie with any questions or suggestions. Nicole Weller was just hired as the Assistant Director of CYS. She can also be contacted by providers to address questions or concerns. Minnie can be contacted at mmgoshorn@franklincountypa.gov or by calling 717-263-1900 extension 21153. ≠ Community Resource Spotlight: WellSpan Behavioral Health Case Management – Steven Petrosky Steven is the Director of Behavioral Health Case Management for the WellSpan system. Steven has a social work background and has worked in the field for over thirteen (13) years. WellSpan Health is one of the largest mental health providers in South Central Pennsylvania. WellSpan has integrated the Chambersburg Hospital, Waynesboro Hospital, Philhaven, and Summit Behavioral Health. There is a behavioral health unit for adults at the Chambersburg Hospital. An adolescent pediatric in-patient facility is located in Mount Gretna (a borough in Lebanon County, PA; where WellSpan Philhaven is located). WellSpan Health is constantly taking referrals for the pediatric in-patient facility. There are 225 beds available for in-patient psychiatric services across the whole WellSpan system. WellSpan has served individuals across all age ranges. There has been a huge increase in the need for pediatric in-patient psychiatric beds and there are long waitlists for services in the community. A lot of different factors have led to the current state of instability for mental health in the local community. Steven stressed early intervention when referring individuals for mental health assessments. WellSpan has confirmed the increase of suicides, suicidal ideation, and depression among adolescents. Mental Health Provider Meeting MH 4 12/10/21 WellSpan is willing to partner and support any providers in an effort to help the mental health of individuals in the community. COVID cases and other illnesses have impacted the ability of individuals to get care at hospitals. Hospitals are overcrowded and this has led to patient diversions. WellSpan is dealing with the increase in individuals needing treatment as well as staffing issues. Hospitals are working at the fullest capacity possible to provide needed services. WellSpan is a partner in leveraging COVID vaccinations to anyone who is interested in the community. WellSpan is advocating booster shots for all individuals. COVID vaccines are now available for children five (5) years of age and older. Unvaccinated individuals currently make up 98% of the population on a ventilator due to COVID in the WellSpan Health system. WellSpan strongly encourages older adults and at risk populations to get a COVID vaccine. It could reduce the hospitalization time along with decreasing the risk of death. WellSpan will bring the vaccine to facilities to administer the doses if needed. Providers can email or call Steven with questions at any time. WellSpan is interested in networking with providers to help the local community. Steven is happy to inform WellSpan Health staff of the provider services available to individuals. Any fliers or information can be shared with Steven to disseminate to WellSpan Health staff. Steven can be contacted at spetrosky@wellspan.org or by calling 717-821-7994.  Barry Munch asked if Steven travels to agencies to provide presentations. Steven is willing to provide presentations on available services to providers.  Karen Johnston wanted to know if texting or email based mental health counseling is available to adolescents. Steven stated that due to billable services, WellSpan text only counseling services are not an option. The individual would have to complete the initial intake and get opened with a therapist. There could be some flexibility in how services are offered once the individual is open with a therapist. Gen Harper confirmed the suicide text line is still up and running. Individuals can access the text line information at https://www.crisistextline.org. ≠ Provider Spotlight: Kidz Therapy Zone – Allison Klimowicz Kidz Therapy Zone provides outpatient therapy services including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, social skills groups, and a feeding clinic. Kidz Therapy Zone is at full capacity for staffing. Services are provided to individuals from birth to twenty-one (21) years of age. The practice is now open to individuals over the age of twenty-one (21) with a disability including autism and cerebral palsy. Kidz Therapy Zone does not participate with Medicare. Kidz Therapy Zone specializes in sensory services including a Snoezelen Room. The Snoezelen Room is a room dedicated to the sensory needs of children. Kidz Therapy Zone has recently become a Center of Excellence (COE) for communication devices and the Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) program for non-verbal children. Respite services are offered once a month from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Chambersburg office. Families can sign up to take part in a respite session. Respite sessions are run by therapy staff. The respite services are offered in a locked and secure center. The children are able to participate in activities, play games, sing a longs, and crafts during the respite sessions. The kids are grouped with their same aged peers. Cell phone numbers are provided to parents in case they need to pick up their child prior to the end of the session. Mental Health Provider Meeting MH 5 12/10/21 Respite services are going to be expanded to one of the schools in the Waynesboro area. Allison can be contacted at allisonk@ktherapyzone.com or by calling 717-446-0439. County Announcements/Information ≠ Psychiatric Admissions Reporting Overview (handout): Comparing July – September 2021 with July – September 2020 The handout was sent out with the meeting agenda. The Danville State Hospital bed cap continues to be five (5). The current census is down to ten (10). An individual at the Danville State Hospital will be one of the three (3) individuals moving into the Keystone FSCR which will reduce the census to nine (9). ≠ Reports due since our last MH Provider Meeting:  MCR Report (Program funded providers only) [NOTE: MH Fiscal Officer will contact these providers after receiving the MCR report from the State]  Quarterly Report of Expenditures (July - September) ≠ Reports due prior to our next MH Provider Meeting:  Audited Financial Report ( for FY ending June 30th)  Audit Engagement/Extension Letter (for calendar year ending 12/31)  Progress Report on Outcomes in Appendix A (first six months)  Internal Quality of Service Survey  Quarterly Report of Expenditures (October – December)  Appendix A for upcoming fiscal year  Budget Packets (to include Budget/Rate Letter, Staff Roster, Unit Assumptions, Budget Narrative for upcoming fiscal year – if appropriate) ≠ Updates from Mental Health staff – Erin Nye on behalf of Kim Lucas: The next Children’s Resources Meeting will be taking place at the end of January or early February. Providers interested in attending the meeting should contact Kim Lucas at kmlucas@franklincountypa.gov. The meeting was adjourned. Next Meeting: Friday, March 11, 2022 starting at 10:00 a.m. Meeting format is to be determined. 2022 Meetings: June 10th September 9th December 9th Minutes by Larry Reed