COVID-19 Safety and Telehealth Practice Resources Developed
- Developed and disseminated COVID-19 Home Visit Safety Recommendations for Intensive Home-based Treatment providers, Wraparound service providers, and Mobile Response Stabilization Service providers.
- Developed and disseminated practice guidance for Wraparound and Service Coordination providers statewide: Family and Children First Councils (FCFCs) and children’s mental health providers.
- In process: Developing practice resources for telehealth provision of IHBT.
COVID-19 Technical Assistance Providers
- Intensive Home-Based Treatment (IHBT) Supervisor Learning Community COVID-19 (March 17, 23, and 27). Provided practice guidance and up-to-date resources, and facilitated discussions on 1) agency-level responses to youth and families during the COVID-19 crisis; 2) emergency telehealth rule language; 3) HIPAA enforcement discretion, telehealth consent, and allowed teleconferencing modalities.
- Agency-specific technical assistance responses to children’s mental health provider community
- Disseminated COVID-19 time-sensitive resources from Ohio Department of Health, CDC, Office of Civil Rights HIPAA discretion memo, emergency Telehealth rules from the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OHMHAS).
COIVD-19 TA State
- Guidance letter to the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) advocating for allowing Telehealth billing and fidelity discretion for Intensive Home-based Treatment providers during the COVID-19 crisis. Ongoing conversations with ODM (phone, email) on COVID-19 impact on IHBT consumers (youth and families) and on IHBT service provision.
- Advocacy letter to the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OHMHAS) for inclusion of IHBT in emergency telehealth rule.
Remote/Telehealth Mental Health Treatment Trainings
- COVID-19 and Impact on System of Care Practice:
- Developed and presented power point training for the System of Care Project ECHO
- Over eighty statewide participants representing county level Family and Children First Councils, Ohio Department of Developmental Disability, OHMHAS, Mental Health and Addiction Boards, and other statewide children’s system of care providers.
- Shifting Gears & Changing Our Minds: Adapting BH services during COVID-19 Bobbi Beale, Psy.D. CIP/Begun, MSASS
- Developed new training and changing practices during the COVID-19 crisis.
- Provided 4 times via webinar to Hancock County agencies, and on March 26th to IHBT provider community.
- Description of training: We are ALL caught up in unrelenting, traumatic stress with the pandemic right now. As practitioners and service providers, we are being asked to rise up and deliver our services in new and complex ways. Join us to learn how to Shift Gears & Change Our Minds about how we provide services and where our clients need to focus. This is the perfect time to refresh our understanding of basic crisis management skills, hone up our anxiety reduction strategies, and realize that no one is going to be working on their old treatment goals now. We need to put basic needs first, and ensure that our clients’ have what they need for safety and survival. A renewed focus on activating both provider and client resilience will usher us into the future.
This 60 minute experiential workshop will review how people respond to trauma and how we can enhance safety and survival during these uncertain times. Core components of resiliency will be explored and include how to tailor treatment services, treatment planning, and treatment interventions. Experiential activities will be demonstrated that you can immediately integrate into your treatment sessions (even if they are virtual!) Participants will also receive resources for the practitioner, for the client, and detailed instructions of the activities included.
- Rick Shepler is the featured presenter for a TA Network event: A Conversation on In-Home Behavioral Health Care During COVID-19, Thursday, March 26, 2 - 3:30 p.m. EDT
- Experts from the Intensive In-home Behavioral Health Treatment Learning Community for a discussion on the challenges of COVID-19. Designed just for those working in in-home behavioral health, this facilitated discussion includes an opportunity to hear about specific experiences from the field and to brainstorm solutions.
*Activities listed above were supported by grants from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Ohio Department of Medicaid, Hancock County System of Care grant, and the National Training and Technical Assistance Center (SAMHSA).