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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMH Provider Meeting Minutes 09-9-22Mental Health Provider Meeting Friday, September 9, 2022 MEETING MINUTES Welcome & Introductions The meeting was held via Google Meets. Jim confirmed provider attendance. Provider Announcements & Updates  Occupational Services, Inc. (OSI) – Michelle Lane OSI is having their first group client event today, their annual picnic, at Green Township Park.  Service Access & Management, Inc. (SAM) – Stephanie Lawson & Rocko Purvis Blended Case Management (BCM) is still slowly processing referrals as they come in. The hope is to shortly stop the waitlist so referrals are able to be processed in 24 hours. Beginning October 1st, SAM is going live with the rapid rehousing grant they received. It will be able to assist ten (10) households with rental assistance that are on the “by name” list. For general information, contact Rocko Purvis. If an individual is seeking rental assistance, they would call 211 and be added to the “by name” list. SAM would then look at the list and draw names from there.  Mental Health Association (MHA) – Barry Munch Fulton County Walk the Walk is scheduled for October 18th in McConnellsburg.  TrueNorth Wellness Services – Stachia Lippy TrueNorth has been able to extend their open access hours in McConnellsburg by an hour and a half. This is walk in access for intakes. Those interested should go through the pre- registration department.  WellSpan Behavioral Health – Steven Petrosky WellSpan is accepting new patients and is able to support any behavioral health needs for adolescents and adults. If anyone has any issues, please reach out to Steven Petrosky any time.  Keystone Rural Health Center – Kelly Goshen Cori Seilhamer and Kelly are part of the Mental Health Task Force for Healthy Franklin County. The task force is looking for new members. The next meeting is September 13th at 2:00 p.m. It is an open invitation for any MH providers. The community health needs assessment summit will reveal its results on October 20th from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Wilson College. This is open to anyone as well. If you need the link, please let Kelly know or contact Noel Purdy. The task force is also looking for health champions. If anyone in your organization has done anything that helps meet the MH needs in the community, please submit their name. Standing Agenda Items  Tuscarora Manage Care Alliance (TMCA) Update No TMCA representation at this meeting. Mental Health Provider Meeting Friday, September 9, 2022  PerformCare Update – Kourtney Griggs & Brian Gannon For any PerformCare providers, staff has been sending out a lot of provider notices and information from the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) regarding telehealth. Please make sure you are paying attention to those updates and changes as they come along. PerformCare and TMCA have approved rate increases for a number of services. Letters, with the new rates, should have gone out to those impacted by this change. The new rates went into effect on September 1st.  Community Resource Spotlight: Community Connections Division Kim Eaton is the Community Connections Division (CCD) Director. The division was created not quite a year ago to restructure and look more carefully at housing programs the County oversees for the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs. Kim was already doing housing for the re-entry program which is why the division was put under her. Through this restructuring, Stacy Yurko and Misty Conner took on different roles within the County. It has been exciting to be able to help as many as they have. CCD is in the process of adding other programs that could help families in addition to the individuals that are already being helped. Misty Conner is the first line of contact for helping individuals who are homeless, at risk for becoming homeless or need assistance with rental assistance. There is a set process and definition for homeless. Misty Conner – The definition followed by CCD is – “where did you sleep last night?” If the individual responds out on the streets then they are a definition of category 1 homelessness. At that point, an 27 question assessment is completed. Completing this assessment puts the individual on the “by name” list. Shelter referrals and resources in the community are then provided. Misty can also assist with applying for SNAP benefits, insurance, looking for employment, etc. A different assessment is completed for those at risk of homelessness. Prevention referrals are then completed to hopefully keep them in their residence. Shelter referrals can also be completed. For individuals with an eviction notice, we can help them get caught up on their rent. The first resource, if the individual has not used it before, is Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) through South Central Community Action Program (SCCAP). From there, there are other resources to reach out to. The Community Connections Division can provide tents, sleeping bags, hygiene kits, book bags, etc. They can assist individuals who need a different residence by looking for housing. They can inform them of what they qualify for and complete applications for low income assistance. To contact Misty, please call (717) 261-3893. Mental Health Provider Meeting Friday, September 9, 2022 Kim noted that is important to understand the definition of homelessness. Many believe because they spent days in a hotel that it is considered homeless. This does not qualify as homeless. Many also think that CCD will give them money for a hotel which is also not the case. They have been able to help some individuals but there are not a lot funds available for this. Shelters are also full in the County. It is key to getting the assessment completed and getting the individual on the “by name” list in order to help them in the future. Kim suggests individuals call Misty directly during business hours Monday through Friday instead of contacting 211. Misty meets directly with the individual in person to assist them. Please encourage individuals that there are things they have to do as well. Individuals are given paperwork that only they can complete. Identification and Social Security cards are an important part of the process. While Misty can help them get these items, the individuals must to their part in participating. What kind of data is collected; is that connected to funding sources; and what is done with the data? Misty noted that questionnaires ask how long someone has been on the street, when was the last time they had stable housing, health, mental health and drug and alcohol questions, etc. This information is what puts them on the “by name” list for CCD to reach out to other resources. Stacy Yurko – Stacy is one of the resources noted above, along with SCCAP, Waynesboro Community & Human Services, Veterans Multi-Center, etc. When Misty completes an assessment, it starts the Connect to Home Coordinated Entry process. Franklin County is one (1) of 33 counties that has to follow the process in order to receive funding. The state wants a one stop situation centered on the individual. Misty completes the assessment and starts with a shelter referral. She assists with birth certificates, SNAP benefits, etc. This helps Stacy, as a provider, to get services put in place. Stacy discussed the importance of individuals meeting with Misty face to face. It has been shown that scores are actually better and higher for individuals when meeting face to face versus completing the assessment over the phone. Each assessment receives a score which is how their name appears on the “by name” list. All providers have to start with those that have the highest score as they are the most vulnerable. These individuals take a lot more supportive services/longer term housing considerations and that’s what needs to be focused on. Individuals receiving a score of 4-5 are street homeless and have more ability to remedy or get themselves out of their situation than individuals who score a 14 or above. Whenever an individual comes into the program, an intake process is started. We look at what benefits they have, their income, insurance, if they are seeing a therapist, if they are able to get their medications, etc. Our first line of defense is not that we have to get them housing, even though the model is Housing First, but also what supports they have to keep them stable. The goal is to transition individuals out of the program and for them to remain stable in the community and do things independently. Mental Health Provider Meeting Friday, September 9, 2022 Stacy oversees the previously known MH housing program. It is now the Supportive Housing program. An individual no longer has to have a serious mental illness (SMI) and chronic homelessness. Now they can have any disability and chronic homelessness. Chronic homelessness is twelve (12) months of homelessness in category 1 or 4 (domestic violence) definition of HUD or over a three (3) year span, have four (4) or more times that equal twelve (12) months. This requires a lot of tracking of documentation. An individual can self-certify for three (3) months of the time but then Stacy looks for letters from the shelter, a doctor, etc. Without that documentation, HUD can request we exit them from the program due to not meeting criteria. Step 1 is getting as much information as possible. Step 2 is housing. While working towards getting an individual into therapy, SNAP benefits, getting a birth certificate, etc. we are also looking for housing to get them a home as quickly as possible. The goal is to have them housed within a matter of days to follow the Housing First model. We are supposed to be able to have a door open when doing the intake to put them into a new home. Realistically, this does not always happen. The Supportive Housing program pays the entire rental subsidy for up to five (5) years every month to the landlord to make them whole. Tenants do pay a percentage of rent though while in the program. The rapid rehousing program only houses individuals no more than six (6) months. Rapid rehousing is provided through Waynesboro Community & Human Services, SCCAP, SAM and CCD. Rapid rehousing is a much smaller amount of time to get individuals into housing and get them transitioned into independency. Some households may need more than six (6) months so we have to look at what we can do to take over that assistance. This is where Housing Choice vouchers come into play. As we continue that process, our goal, whether it’s six (6) months or five (5) years, is to make sure those individuals are eligible to take everything over on their own with limited supports. This allows us to enroll the next individual onto the “by name” list and get them into the program and begin the same process. There are two (2) Supportive Housing programs – o The one has 23 slots and all are full. o The second one has ten (10) slots and nine (9) are full. Stacy is about to enroll another. These are the only two (2) programs that allow for rent subsidy up to five (5) years. Every other program is rapid rehousing. These programs are also only for single individuals. When you have a family score high on the assessment, more supports are needed. Stacy will reach out to Healthy Communities Partnership for children’s support, peer support for the parents, SAM for case management, early intervention services, Little Daisy’s, etc. If anyone has any questions, please email or call CCD staff. The CCD office is located at 550 Loudon Street, across from Sheetz. Please use the side entrance (signs are posted). Mental Health Provider Meeting Friday, September 9, 2022 CCD also has a case manager named Jordan Herman who helps out and makes sure we are meeting individuals. --------------------------- Are you interested in learning more about a community resource? Please let Jim know so he can work out a schedule for a future presentation.  Provider Spotlight: Healthy Communities Partnership Karen Johnston, Executive Director of Healthy Communities Partnership (HCP), presented on the services provided by her agency. HCP provides a variety of health and wellness initiatives throughout the County with the focus being on various aspects of health, social, environmental, physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual. HCP currently has 20 staff members that work with the school districts in Franklin and Fulton counties, community groups, and local agencies. HCP programs include –  Family Group Decision Making  Prevention Education  Elementary Intervention Groups  Tobacco Cessation and Prevention (Fulton, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juanita & Franklin)  Communities that Care (Chambersburg) – a coalition through a federal grant  Events and activities for youth and families, such as POP Club and Kick off Events o POP (Power of Produce) Club is a produce program that introduces kids to where their food comes from and empowers them to make healthy food choices. It is for ages 3 to 12. They receive a token to buy their own produce. Topics, such as mental health, stress, anxiety, etc. have been added to this club during different times.  Works with Waynesboro Area Community Cares Student Assistance Program (SAP) – The primary goal of SAP is to help students overcome barriers in order for them to achieve, remain in school and advance. Since COVID, barriers have increased exponentially. SAP tries to keep children in schools and active. The largest programs are mental health (MH), drug & alcohol (D&A) and co-occurring. The SAP team identifies barriers such as homelessness, food insecurities, etc. Individuals are then connected with agencies that can help them. Homelessness, food insecurities, etc. can be huge barriers to student success. SAP not only refers individuals to agencies but also connects them with other individuals. The core of the program is a professionally trained team, including school staff and liaisons from D&A and MH. Team members are trained to identify problems, determine whether or not the presenting problem lies within the responsibility of the school and to make recommendations to assist the student and parent(s). HCP tries to make it that everyone is SAP trained. There is a virtual SAP training in October. It is six (6) half days of training for free. Anyone who wants to be trained must attend all six (6) sessions. If you are interested or know any school staff that may be, please reach out to Karen. There are a lot of new Chambersburg and Waynesboro school staff attending the October training. Mental Health Provider Meeting Friday, September 9, 2022 SAP team members do not diagnosis, treat or refer to treatment but they may refer for a screening or an assessment for treatment. Anyone can refer to SAP. If you have a neighbor you are concerned about, you can refer them. Church leaders can identify youth struggling and make a referral. Students can refer other students. SAP uses the Behavioral Health Screening (BHS) through the BH-works portal. After completing the screening, a score is received through the system. From there, referrals are made to resources. What has to happen is that parents agree to whatever the screening says and get their child to treatment or a place that is best suited for them. However, this does not always happen. Since the pandemic, parental follow through/permissions has increased. It used to be 25% and is now over 40%. Parents are trying to find their own resources as well. The SAP process: four (4) phases – Referral  Team Planning  Intervention  Support & Follow-Up Once a referral comes in (which can be accessed on the website), the team receives it and does some planning. Some schools meet weekly and some meet every other week. Chambersburg High School meets two (2) times a week. When the team meets, the students that have been referred are discussed. From there, information is sent to teachers, bus drivers, coaches, and anyone involved with the child. They complete a rubric which is then sent back to the team. The team then reviews the rubric/information. SAP cannot work with the student without parental permission so while the rubric is sent out to those noted above to see how others interactive with the child, the SAP team is working on getting permission from the parent(s). Once permission is received, the screening is completed. It takes a day or two (2) to complete the screening as the team wants to try to get the trust of the child before asking personal questions. The results of the screening will give direction in terms of intervention. The SAP team tries to find out what all is needed in terms of what is going on in their life. While having these conversations, it may lend to the team finding out that they may have lost a loved one or a pet, etc. The final phase is checking in with the child once or twice a couple months later to find out if they are receiving supports and if they need additional assistance. The SAP process is not long term. It is typically three (3) to four (4) visits with the child to establish the relationship, complete the screening, make the referral then do a check in. During COVID, the County allowed HCP to extend the typical period/process. Due to waitlists and systems, it did not allow SAP to get children in as quickly. As a result, they were able to stay working with the child longer. As of now, SAP is back to the normalized model (pre-COVID). If a provider is already working with a child, SAP may not be an appropriate referral. However, HCP does have some other programs that could help. Karen reviewed HCP’s Mental Health Provider Meeting Friday, September 9, 2022 website during the provider meeting to demonstrate where to click for a referral for elementary and secondary SAP - https://www.hcpfranklinpa.org/. Additional Programs provided by HCP –  Elementary SAP (E-SAP)  Strengthening Families 10-14  Freedom from Smoking (includes vape) o Individuals with mental health have a higher tobacco and vape use than any other population (25-30%).  Indepth (new!) o A lot of children have been referred over the last year for vaping in school. HCP is trying a different program that is being offered every other month. It is four (4) sessions.  Check and Connect o This is a school engagement program that is trying to combat truancy issues and children being connected to school. This program is in all secondary and elementary school districts in Chambersburg.  T4BT, Be Kind, POP  Go Girls Go! o This program just started in six (6) schools – two (2) in Waynesboro and four (4) in Chambersburg. This is the 12th session/6th year! Strengthening Families – This program is for children 10 to 14 years of age that works with families for seven (7) weeks. This program has been offered virtually lately but is hoped to go live soon. During this program, we sit down and have a meal then the children go to one room and the parents go to another. Facilitators talk about similar issues with both, such as goal setting. After the split groups, they come together as a family to talk about what they learned, such as about goal setting and what are their goals. This is a great engaging program! It is not a parenting program but a family strengthening program. There is a lot of valuable information to keep families from experimentation for drugs and alcohol and sexual experimentation. If anyone is interested in the program, please reach out to Karen or go to HCP’s website. The next virtual session is October 4th. Feedback from families has been that they appreciate the program being virtual. When the program is held in person, it’s families from the community but when virtual, it pulls in families all over the County including Franklin and Fulton. Families have been engaged with the virtual format. If anyone would like to learn more about the virtual format, please reach out to Karen. There are people trained in the Spanish version of Strengthening Families. A pilot will be planned for Chambersburg at some point in the near future. Upcoming Events – Tomorrow (9/10), HCP is co-offering an event for families from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Salvation Army. There will be food and resources to get children and families introduced to organizations in Franklin County. Mental Health Provider Meeting Friday, September 9, 2022 HCP hosted a Camp Fire Chat with kids in August. It was not very successful because an hour before there was a big thunderstorm. HCP is planning another Camp Fire Chat in mid- September. This event includes a camp fire, lawn chairs, blankets and chats about whatever is on the child’s mind such as stress, going back to school, etc. New staff have been introduced to SAP and ESAP. HCP has a bilingual staff member that will be in a lot of the schools, especially elementary schools. HCP is trying to engage children who may be struggling culturally and connecting with friends due to their ability to speak. --------------------------- If your agency would like to be in the Provider Spotlight during a future MH Provider meeting, please let Jim know. County Announcements/Information  Psychiatric Admissions Reporting Overview (handout): Comparing April – June 2022 with April – June 2021 This handout was sent out with the meeting agenda. There have been three (3) adults who have been inpatient for a significant period of time which is pushing the numbers up for this quarter. Some quarters there are quite a few admissions and others not so much.  Reports due prior to our next MH Provider Meeting:  Audit Financial Report (for calendar year ending 12/31)  Audit Engagement/Extension Letter for FY ending 6/30  Progress Report for Outcomes in Appendix A  Quarterly Report of Expenditures (April-June)  Property Purchased/Property Leased Report for FY ending 6/30*  Fixed Assets Purchased with MH/IDD/EI Funds for FY ending 6/30* Reports with an * are not required from providers whose service is being paid at a “State- set” rate.  Reports due prior to our next MH Provider Meeting:  Quarterly Report of Expenditures (July – September)  Updates from Mental Health staff –  Alex Gallant Alex is in the final stages of closing fiscal year 21-22. He thanked providers for their patience. If anyone has any questions about billing or fiscal in general, please reach out to Alex.  Cori Seilhamer PESI trainings are being offered again this fiscal year. If did not receive the flyer and are interested in registering, please reach out to Cori and she can send the registration to you. The trainings are – o Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy (C-DBT) Professional Training o Youth Mental Health Specialist Certification Training Mental Health Provider Meeting Friday, September 9, 2022 o Anxiety, Panic & Phobia Certification Training o Essentials of Treating & Preventing Suicide Cori attended a webinar today with the state regarding training for early intervention clinical mental health. They want us to focus on behavioral health in young children; birth to six (6) years old. Cori will have a list of trainings, online courses and conferences that have been pre-approved to utilize the funding. Please consider if you have any staff that may be interested in that population. Please reach out to Cori if interested or if you have any questions.  Kim Lucas Kim noted that our students and children in our community, as well as their parents, are having a rough time lately. We need to meet them where they are and be supportive; not just formal or in a mental health way but listening and providing ways for them to problem solve. There is a Children’s Resource Meeting on Friday, September 16th at 10:30 a.m. If you do not have the information and wanted to be included, please reach out to Kim. It is open to anyone working with students and youth. The meeting lasts about an hour to an hour and a half. During the meeting, resources are shared and speakers present on their services. Through the Systems of Care/PA Cares Partnership, there is a virtual speakers series. These are live and recorded webinars regarding current trends and relevant topics that we see with individuals we are working with. The next webinar is October 20th regarding Pandemic, Anxiety and Stress. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hHmOBJJdTZW1au4xF6It-A The Michael Taylor Foundation has a Drew’s Hope session. It is a seven (7) week in person program that starts at the end of September at Shippensburg University. It is for the entire family, not just the individual, who is dealing with the loss of a loved one or family member. You can go onto their website to download the flyer. https://drewmichaeltaylor.org/drews-hope/ The Sharing Resources Network (SRN) is a very helpful tool. It is an email that includes attachments that keeps everyone connected with resources in the community. If you are not receiving these emails and would like to, please reach out to Jim. If you have a program or information that would be relevant to MH, IDD or EI, please send that to Jim as well so he can include it in an upcoming SRN. The meeting was adjourned. Next Meeting: Friday, December 9, 2022 starting at 10:00 a.m. Meeting will be virtual. 2023 Meetings: March 10th June 9th September 8th December 8th Minutes by Erin Nye