HomeMy WebLinkAboutMH Provider Meeting Minutes 09-20-19 Mental Health Provider Meeting
Friday, September 20, 2019
MH 1 9/20/19
MEETING MINUTES
Welcome & Introductions
Everyone introduced themselves and their agency affiliation.
Provider Announcements & Updates
§ Pennsylvania Counseling Services (PCS)
PCS has officially moved to 50 Black Avenue (right off Main Street; back side).
PCS has officially launched Lighthouse Recovery. The program has Certified Recovery
Specialists and Care Navigators. The program has the ability to support anybody, anywhere.
The purpose is access for individuals who are struggling with substance use concerns. There
can be resources for families and other individuals and is open to anyone as far as connecting
them with information and support. With this program, there are support groups that are run
by Certified Recovery Specialists. The support groups are open to anyone in the community.
Life in Recovery – Helping each other to manage life in sobriety group is every day, Monday –
Friday; Relapse Prevention – understanding and preventing relapse group is on Tuesdays.
Groups take place on the third floor at the PCS building on Black Avenue.
§ TrueNorth Wellness Services
Peer Youth Training is scheduled for September 30th to October 1st. An outside entity is doing
the training; the Mental Health Association is hosting it.
§ Mental Health Association
CSP Meeting is Monday at 10:30 a.m. Topic will be on suicide prevention in Franklin/Fulton
counties. The meeting is open to everybody!
Community Resource Spotlight – The Salvation Army
Karen Keefer is the Social Worker/Director of Social Services. Her primary function is to maintain
community connections and provide financial assistance. She oversees the non-church services
offered by the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army started out as a church and has grown from there.
Each Salvation Army has different services but the following are specific to Franklin County:
Church – Sunday services. Sunday school starts at 9:00 a.m.; Worship services follow at 10:15 a.m. A
community meal takes place every Sunday except the 1st and 5th Sunday of a month. Programs take
place throughout the week for Kindergarten through 18 years old, adult meetings/bible study, and
Golden agers (50 years old and older). A church activity takes place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. All
transportation is provided. Those needing transportation just need to communicate that it is needed.
Soup Kitchen – open five days a week; closed on Thursdays, Saturdays and the 1st and 5th Sunday of
the month. The Soup Kitchen opens at 10:30 a.m.; lunch is served from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Individuals must have a valid photo ID or a Soup Kitchen card. Once an individual eats at the Soup
Kitchen for the first time they have 30 days to obtain a Soup Kitchen card. It is a yellow card with
their name that is valid for 12 months. Monday, Wednesday & Friday, other organizations in the
community gift the Soup Kitchen items. This allows them to provide those who eat at the Soup
Kitchen with a bag of meat, produce, fresh vegetables, etc. The Soup Kitchen serves 150 individuals.
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Red Kettle Campaign – one of the biggest things the Salvation Army is known for. Applications begin
October 1st. There are three (3) ways to get paid – individuals can volunteer, receive a meal
allowance, or receive an hourly rate. Bells are rung from Black Friday to Christmas Eve. This is the
biggest fundraiser that benefits the Chambersburg location.
Angel Tree Program – this is a Christmas program. Applications are taken the last two (2) weeks of
October. It is for families with children ages birth to 13 years old who are low income and cannot
afford Christmas gifts. Families will receive a gift card to Giant based on their family size so they have
a meal. Each child receives two (2) to three (3) gifts and an outfit.
Family Thrift Store – this is located at 159 Lincoln Way West. It is open Monday thru Saturday from
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Individuals can volunteer, complete community service hours, or potentially
work at the thrift store in the case of a workman’s comp claim. Clothing vouchers can be provided
for the thrift store in the event of a fire or homelessness. Individuals can receive one voucher per 12
month period unless there are extenuating circumstances. The thrift store is based on donations.
Sizes and availability are never a guarantee.
Social Services – individuals must live in Chambersburg, Fayetteville, Scotland or St. Thomas. There
are also service units for those who do not live in these areas; such as, an individual from
Waynesboro would be referred to Waynesboro Community & Human Services. Individuals can be
helped with rental assistance and electric/utility services. This is part of Connect to Home.
Rental Assistance - Individuals must have an eviction notice; have an income; and be no more
than 30 days past due on their rent. If they are past 30 days, they have to go to other
organizations to request assistance to get the amount down before Karen will even schedule
an appointment with them. An appointment is needed. If an individual calls into the Salvation
Army stating they need help, they are referred to 2-1-1 as they have to contact them first.
They must ask for the Housing Program Specialist to create a profile. The screening process
then begins. If the individuals do not meet criteria then Karen does not even see the referral.
Connect to Home allows Salvation Army to communicate easily with SCCAP, Corpus Christi,
Christian Life Church, and many other organizations working in conjunction with housing
assistance. Connect to Home allows organizations to see if another organization has already
provided an individual with assistance. Individuals can only receive one service in a 24 month
period. The only exception is funeral assistance. After an individual receives rental assistance
three (3) times, they are no longer eligible to receive assistance. However, an exception can
be made in the case of a fire, domestic violence (DV), or an incident beyond their control. The
program can help with first month rent if the individual has never been helped before
(exception in the event of fire, DV, etc.). The program cannot help with security deposits.
Individuals have to provide proof that they can sustain their rent for 90 days after assistance
is provided, before assistance is even given to them. Landlords also have a final say. This
means, when the Salvation Army calls a landlord and asks if they will accept partial donation,
they have the option to decline. There are some landlords that Salvation Army is unable to
work with due to buildings not being up to code and various other reasons.
Utility Assistance can be West Penn Power or borough. Individuals must have termination
notice. Borough customers must obtain a Project HEAT voucher. West Penn Power falls
under the category of assistance within 24 months; whereas, borough can have one Project
HEAT voucher per calendar year.
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Funeral Assistance – individuals must live within service area and must have signed or
completed purchase agreement with a funeral home.
Supervised Visits – Salvation Army offers supervised visits Monday and Thursday nights for
individuals who are ordered through the court for such visitation. This is for non-custodial
parents. Visitation is one time a week for one hour. This typically last for six (6) months or so.
There is currently a waiting list. The goal is to get the non-custodial parent reunited in a safe
environment with the child. It is not meant to be long term – reunite; get the relationship
going; and speak on their behalf of what was witnessed during visitation.
The Salvation Army takes a ton of volunteers to operate. There are approximately 12-15 paid
employees. There are 2-3 officers that are Salvation Army Officers. They have been to training school.
Right now there are two majors and one Lieutenant.
Children’s Services Updates
§ CASSP – Kim Lucas
Kim attended a CASSP and Systems of Care training which had a focus on the use of
acronyms. CASSP stands for Children and Adolescent Service System Program which is the
children’s mental health system in Franklin and Fulton counties.
CASSP is still taking referrals. Kim has been trying to help individual’s navigate the system. If
there are children you are concerned about or there are parents who are unsure where to
start, please call Kim and she can help them. If a child is involved with multiple
agencies/services and things are not going well and you want a team meeting to get
everyone in one spot to talk about goals, what is not working and what is needed, Kim can
assist with this as well.
Kim is available to come to your agency to talk about children’s mental health and CASSP.
Kim can be reached at the main office number (717) 264-5387 or her direct line (717) 709-2307.
Achieving True Self is a new provider in the PerformCare network. They provide strictly
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) services. Their main office is in Erwin, PA but they have an
office in Hagerstown that they use administratively. They are looking to open an office in
Chambersburg.
§ TMCA – Brad Coccagna
Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) is replacing Behavioral Health Rehabilitation
Services (BHRS). The bulletin is due to be published mid-October; with 90 days to be
effective. A webinar is scheduled for October 4th with a Q&A after that. A Regional Meeting is
scheduled for October 16th. This meeting was originally scheduled to be in-person; however,
due to the volume of individuals wanting to attend the only option available now is by
webinar.
§ PerformCare
Another IBHS webinar is scheduled for November 20th. PerformCare encourages everyone to
attend as many webinars as they can as updated and new information will come out with
each webinar. If you were signed up for the September 30th webinar then you are already
registered for the October 4th webinar.
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Critical Time Intervention – Pennsylvania Counseling Services
Critical Time Intervention (CTI) works with crisis (Keystone Rural Health Center & TrueNorth
Wellness Services) and Co Responders for individuals who are struggling to engage in community
supports after they have had an interaction/period of time at crisis. There have been 57 referrals.
There are 23 active that PCS is in the process of trying to connect with. There are about 15 individuals
that are actively involved with the CTI team. CTI is coming up on their first two (2) individuals being
discharged from the program.
The team has addressed housing concerns, financial aspects, medical concerns such as getting
individuals to appointments, increasing mobility, getting connected with therapy, accessing
resources, rebuilding supports, etc. One individual was making a lot of phone calls to agencies and is
now not doing so. The team has assisted an individual in accessing a scooter through Medicare which
has helped them engage with friends, community, and church. Law enforcement interactions have
decreased. Individuals have been willing to accept help and support. CTI helps individuals achieve a
different level of functioning and reduce behaviors in those higher level concerns.
If there are individuals you are working with that are accessing crisis and Co Responder, CTI is a
helpful program.
Provider Spotlight – Mental Health Association
The Mental Health Association has rescheduled to present at a future meeting.
Community Resource Spotlight – Franklin/Fulton Drug & Alcohol
Operation Save a Life (OSAL) is the opioid overdose response program. If you decide your agency
wants to carry Narcan/Naloxone, Franklin/Fulton D&A provides training and the medication for free.
A booklet is provided when you receive the OSAL training. The booklet pertains to Narcan, how to
use it and administer it in an accidental overdose. Narcan came about in 2017 due to the opioid crisis.
In 2016, Franklin County had 46 overdose deaths; 2017, there were 35; and 2018, there were
32.
Franklin/Fulton D&A contracts with Healthy Communities Partnership (HCP) to provide
training in Franklin County and the Fulton County Family Partnership for Fulton County.
Trainings take place in the community. Training is also provided at the jail. Once the individual
is released, they receive a card that they completed the training and can pick up the free
Narcan. Anyone who completes the training will receive free Narcan. The Narcan can be kept
at the office or out in the field on the person who is trained.
D&A requires an agreement with agencies that complete the training and would like Narcan
dispensed to them. The agreement is a one pager of who the agency is that signs the order,
what it looks like, what it entails, and that the medication can be dispensed to that agency.
The agreement has been through legal review. If an agency is interested in being an agency
that Narcan is dispensed to, training is required. The training is typically an hour and half
depending on the education and skill level of staff. Once trained, D&A provides as much
Narcan as the agency requests (ex: 10 doses; 2 on site). If the Narcan expires, D&A will
update the stock. Expiration is two (2) years if unopened. If the Narcan has to be
administered, D&A will replace it. There is a process set up to notify D&A.
A PowerPoint presentation is reviewed during the training. It reviews Good Samaritan Law.
There is no liability if you administer Narcan on someone. The presentation includes a video
that goes through scenarios. A dummy is present so that participants can see what the
process looks like and how it is used. Narcan is a nasal spray. It is easy to use. At the end of
the training, there is time for open discussion.
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All pharmacies should carry Narcan. If an individual has Medical Assistance there should be
little to no co pay. With private insurance, it will be $20 or less. Anyone can go in and ask for
Narcan. It can be bought with cash. It is around $125-$130. There was an older style that is still
out there. It is an injection. Pharmacies are not handing it out nor is D&A. The injection was a
lower dose. The newer Narcan has a higher dose and is intra-naval right out of the vial. The
FDA has approved a discounted/generic version which will cut the cost of self-pay.
Department of Human Services does have a free Narcan handout day. One was held on
September 19th. The next one is September 25th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the local DHS
office.
If Narcan is given to someone that has not overdosed it will not hurt them.
Individuals under 18 can attend the training. You must be 18 to purchase Narcan but there is
no age requirement of who can be trained on how to use it. Individuals under 18 are still able
to receive the free Narcan given to those who complete the training.
Overview of Franklin/Fulton D&A services (prevention, case management, treatment and recovery) –
D&A contracts out Student Assistance Program (SAP) services. It has expanded to
elementary schools as of last year. There is evidence-based programming such as Too Good
for Drugs.
D&A will be tackling environmental strategies and going into DUI when looking at prevention
as well as Operation Save a Life. Providers have expanded their scope to take on overdose.
Case management is provided for free to anyone in treatment. D&A offers free recovery
support services as well. For case management, insurance does not matter. Case
management is voluntary; never mandated. Case management tends to stop when the
individual is discharged from treatment but it does not have to stop at this point.
Treatment – there is no cap for treatment services now; there used to be a $4,000
deductible. D&A will entertain off setting costs for those who are under insured. For those
who are uninsured (no insurance or pending MA), D&A will cover until MA is approved. If
there is someone with a financial barrier to getting D&A and co-occurring treatment, please
have them call the D&A office. You, as the provider can call for them; call with them or have
them call to make contact. Most cases, we do level of care assessments to see what level of
treatment is needed. After this, the funding process is gone through. There is a standardized
referral form. It is not required; a referral can be verbal. D&A has to speak with the client at
some point before they can enter into treatment. We cannot just do it on their behalf unless
there are extenuating circumstances. Please reach out to D&A if you have any questions.
There is also a generic email address that goes to April and the Administrative officer –
ffda@franklincountypa.gov.
Everything recovery – we look at it as needed. It is voluntary. There are different
engagement and strategies. Anyone who cannot get into services in the community for
recovery support, D&A would offer that. James Eagler is the Direct Peer Support and serves
on case review teams. James helps with Certified Recovery Specialist at Lighthouse
Recovery. They come together as peers to work on things; to build infrastructure with
recovery. If there is something you want D&A to help with in recovery, develop policies, etc.,
please reach out to them.
D&A has traditional trifold brochures but also created a mini guide to services. These will be
printed in bulk. If your agency would like some, please contact D&A. D&A also has Need Help
cards that they can provide. The business card provides the number of who to call. The
number routes to the national number then routes to Franklin/Fulton D&A.
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Operation Reach – this is a veteran’s specific program. It provides emergency services,
assistance with eviction, boots/shoes, anything crisis or long term (treatment and no
diagnosis), recreation activities, etc. It’s a comprehensive model to serve veterans.
Mobile Vivitrol is through Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP). It is handled
through Positive Solutions. There is a location in Chambersburg (Franklin Farm Lane) and one
on Midvale Road in Waynesboro. For information on how to utilize mobile Vivitrol, make
referrals, and what it is, please visit the County website or you can call the D&A office.
Medication lock boxes – the boxes are combination lock boxes for prescriptions/medications.
They hold 12 normal size pill bottles. The boxes are standardized/medium size. D&A offers
this partnership as a campaign. If your agency is interested in obtaining lock boxes, please
contact D&A. Agencies are asked to provide identified/basic data. Once agencies obtain the
boxes, it is up to them on how they operationalize them. The only thing D&A cannot do is
make the boxes available to the general community; it has to be run through a professional
agency.
County Announcement/Information
§ Reports due since our last MH Provider Meeting
Audit Engagement/Extension Letter (FY ending June 30th)
Progress Report on Outcomes in Appendix A
Quarterly Report of Expenditures (April – June)
Salary Review (FY ending June 30th)
Property Purchased/Property Leased Report (FY ending June 30th)
Fixed Assets Purchased with MH/IDD/EI Funds (FY ending June 30th)
§ Reports due prior to our next MH Provider Meeting
Quarterly Report of Expenditures (July – September)
MCR Report – Program Funded Providers Only (September 30th)
§ Psychiatric Admissions Reporting Overview
The report provided is comparing second quarter of 2018 to 2019. If anyone has any
questions, please contact Jim Gilbert.
§ Miscellaneous Updates
The ninth Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training is scheduled for September 30th – October
4th. There are 17 participants registered for the training.
September is Suicide Prevention Month. There are public service announcements on the
radio. Cori has been providing Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) trainings.
The meeting was adjourned.
Next Meeting
Friday, December 20, 2019 starting at 10:00 a.m. at the Human Services Building
[425 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg]
2020 Meeting Schedule
March 13th June 12th September 11th December 11th