The Northampton County Mental Health, Early Intervention, Developmental Programs Division has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the development of a Long Term Structured Residence (LTSR) as part of the anticipated closure of Allentown State Hospital . The Northampton County administrator of mental health, early intervention and developmental programs has invited all interested parties to review the proposal by using the following link. Please access the RFP on the Northampton County web site using the following link: http://www.northamptoncounty.org. Then click on the section entitled: URGENT, Requests for Proposals.
Lehigh County has offered notice that as part of the state plans to close Allentown State Hospital which were announced on January 28 by the PA Department of Public Welfare, the county will be engaged in a Community Hospital Integration Program Project (CHIPP) that will include a number of specific programs. The CHIPP programs will provide community based services and supports for the Lehigh County citizens who will be leaving the Allentown State Hospital. The county says that the CHIPP will occur in two (2) phases. In Phase One, Lehigh County will be developing services and supports for twenty five (25) individuals leaving the hospital by June 30, 2010. In Phase Two, Lehigh County will be developing services and supports for an additional fifteen (15) individuals leaving the hospital by December 31, 2010. The county has released a Request for Proposal to solicit proposals from interested parties to develop an Enhanced Personal Care Boarding Home as part of the Phase One CHIPP initiative. The Request for Proposal can be found on the county website: www.lehighcounty.org under the HealthChoices section of the human services tab. Those interested in submitting a proposal for this program should follow the instructions within the RFP. FMI: Tim Boyer, Lehigh County MH/MR/D&A and Early Intervention Program, 17 South Seventh Street, Allentown, PA 18101, Phone 610-782-3551; Fax 610-820-3689. Email timboyer@lehighcounty.org. FMI: See http://www.lehighcounty.org/
On February 25, the Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform (GOHCR) announced that Pennsylvania has received more than $17 million in Federal Recovery Act funds to help develop a health information “superhighway” to connect health care practitioners, patients, facilities and pharmacies through a secure network giving them the ability to have a complete record of a patient’s medical history. The $17.1 million grant is part of a $750 million American Reinvestment and Recovery Act initiative to increase capacity and expand health information technology across the country. GOHCR is finalizing a strategic plan to create PHIX. The funds will be spent over the next four years as PHIX is implemented across the state. More information on PHIX is available at www.pahealthinfoexchange.com. See http://www.recovery.pa.gov.
On February 17, Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board highlighted how the state has invested $187.4 million in Recovery Act funds to help create jobs and training opportunities. Since the Recovery Act was signed a year earlier, the PA Department of Labor & Industry has received $187.4 million in Federal Recovery Act funding. With those funds, the Department of Labor & Industry, private and public partners, other workforce agencies and academic institutions have created employment and training opportunities for thousands of Pennsylvanians. FMI: For detailed information about how the commonwealth is using Federal Recovery Act funds to help Pennsylvania residents and businesses, visit: www.recovery.pa.gov.
On February 18, PA Governor Ed Rendell issued a proclamation designating March 2010 as Brain Injury Awareness Month in Pennsylvania. In his proclamation, the Governor cited the incidence of traumatic brain injury in Pennsylvania and the need for extensive support for survivors of brain injury. FMI: For a copy of the proclamation, go to http://www.portal.state.pa.us and go to the middle of the web page and click on the tab for Awareness Month.
On February 2, the PA Office of Development Programs issued a letter and draft bulletin on Planning and Managing Unanticipated Emergencies Submit specific comments via email to the Office of Developmental Programs, at ra-ODPComment@state.pa.us, with a subject line of ‘Draft Unanticipated Emergency Comments.’ by March 4. ODP also included an attachment entitled Unanticipated Emergency Funding Request and Approval Form Submit and an Unanticipated Emergency Screening Tool. FMI: See http://www.temple.edu
