HealthBridges

Disability Awareness: Promoting Advocacy and Competency in Behavioral Health and physical Health care
2023-10-06 08:15 - 16:30 (America/New_York)
This conference is about learning the value of community and academic partnerships to forge learning and collaborative care opportunities that benefit our most vulnerable patients. Participants will learn ways that professionals can foster moving research and best practice ideas to their clinical work. We will review the importance of learning about community resources, relevant advocates, and accommodations that are needed to meet the needs of people with mental health, physical, and sensory differences.

We are pleased to offer this educational activity with the support of UPMC, the community, and the university.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Students, advocates, mental health and physical health providers, payors, case managers, and stakeholders who are passionate about the care of people with disabilities.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this conference, participants should be able to:

Recognize ways to translate research to practical applications, thus, improving healthcare outcomes.

Review system changes led by consumer and provider advocacy.

Discuss the role of present and future technology in accessibility and its opportunity to advance consultation and direct service provision.

Utilize future models of community/academic collaboration to promote disability awareness and education.

Here is the registration link to share:

https://cce.upmc.com/disability-awareness-promoting-advocacy-and-competency-behavioral-and-physical-healthcare#group-tabs-node-course-default1

The conference is a virtual event which will be held October 6th on Zoom

The conference is free to students and continuing education is offered.

Toddler Playgroup for Dead and Hard of Hearing Children
2023-09-13 09:00 - 2023-12-13 11:00
Wednesdays 9:00 – 11:00, Sept 13 to Dec 13
at WPSD
300 E Swissvale Ave,
Pittsburgh, PA 15218

Make new friends in a playgroup specially designed for the unique language, listening, and learning needs of deaf and hard of hearing toddlers. One and two-year-olds, their siblings, and a grown up are invited to attend.
Join us for music, art, circle time, language activities, ASL time, large group play, and a snack… and meet other families who have deaf and hard or hearing children!

Pennsylvania Ear Community Picnic
2022-08-20 11:00 - 15:00
Ear Community hosts picnics every year around the world helping bring Microtia and Atresia families together. This year they are coming to Western PA!
RSVP to Melissa at: EarCommunity@gmail.com

Working Toward an Adult Life
2022-03-03 19:00 - 20:00
The Programs of the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf are excited to host a four part speaker series by Dr. Tim Hartshorne about raising and working with children who are deafblind. All events are free, open to the public, and will be hosted through Zoom.
Parents, educators, and administrators caring for and supporting children who are deafblind are invited to join for an evening with Dr. Hartshorne, who is a professor of psychology, specialized in school psychology, at Central Michigan University. Dr. Hartshorne is the grant holder for Deafblind Central, Michigan’s training and resource project that provides support to children who are deafblind in Michigan. Dr. Hartshorne has researched and presented on topics associated with CHARGE Syndrome since 1993. Dr. Hartshorne was awarded the Star in CHARGE by the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation and is the first editor of the book CHARGE Syndrome. Dr. Hartshorne is driven and motivated by his son with CHARGE born in 1989.
This first event in the series will be “Who’s in Charge of CHARGE”. A brief overview of CHARGE syndrome and its challenges will be presented. Parents are faced with incredibly challenging decisions for their child, with lifelong ramifications. We will consider some of the major decisions parents must make and the factors that influence how they make them.
Please complete the form below to register for the event. Zoom link information will be emailed to all registrants following submission of this form. The link will permit guests entry to the zoom room at 6:40pm so the presentation can begin promptly at 7:00pm. Please contact Mr. Donald Mazreku at dmazreku@wpsd.org for any questions.
Registration Form Link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNN4Z3vC_12tcUKFNvc1qc-5hXlssSU_Yk-sBaxfupxRs5rw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Gaining an Understanding of Behavior as Communication
2022-02-02 19:00 - 20:00

Open Hands Open Access Deaf-Blind Intervener Learning Module Training Kick Off
2022-01-06 09:00 - 15:00
The Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education is pleased to announce the following training opportunity:
Open Hands Open Access Deaf-Blind Intervener Learning Module Training Kick Off

Dates and Locations:
January 6, 2022 – Webinar
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
The Open Hands Open Access (OHOA) Deaf-Blind Intervener Learning Modules are a national resource designed to increase awareness, knowledge, and skills related to intervention for students who are deaf-blind and are being served in educational settings. This program will be hosted throughout the school year by the PA Deaf-Blind Project for both educational teams and interested individual participants with the desire to understand the unique educational needs of students who experience deaf-blindness. Participants must commit to the entire training program. This session will introduce the individual modules and describe timelines, organization, and training guidelines.
Presenters: Tina Hertzog and Patti McGowan

Audience: Teams and Individuals working and/or interested in professional development for students who are deaf-blind, including parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, and other service providers, including those who may or may not be seeking to become interveners.
Credits: Act 48 Clockhours; RID

Registration Information:
You may register online by clicking on the name of the event on the Training Events Calendar at: https://www.pattan.net/events/
For content related information and questions, please contact Patti McGowan, Educational Consultant at pmcgowan@pattan.net or 724-864-2553.
For general registration information and questions, please contact Lorraine Byer, Support Staff, PaTTAN East at lbyer@pattan.net

Developing Partnerships Between Families and Professionals
2021-12-15 19:00 - 20:00

Pandemic Lessons Learned: Improving Care Provisions and Service Delivery for Individuals with Disabilities
2021-12-10 08:30 - 16:00
Live-streaming Program on ZOOM
Instructions and Zoom links will be sent out to registered participants the day prior to the event.
ZOOM with check in from 8:00 to 8:30 PM
Program from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Course Director: Kimberly Mathos, DO, MPH

Recovery and Wellness: The Journey Starts Here
A Joint Effort Sponsored by Community Care Behavioral Health Organization and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital

Introduction
This event is free for students, interns, residents, patients, and family members. American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters will be available on Zoom during the conference.
This conference will focus on changes in the health care system precipitated by the COVID pandemic.
We will review systems of care for wellness and rehabilitation for people with disabilities and the way in which care providers strategized to meet the needs of individuals they served this past year.
Clinical and classroom teaching was dramatically impacted by social distancing mandates and health and safety concerns. Presentations will review how educators perceived the new strategies for teaching over the pandemic and what aspects of clinical teaching will be changed forever.
In addition, the influence of telehealth had a major impact on traditional service delivery models. For some fields of health care, the innovative clinical strategies which evolved will facilitate patients improved access to physical, behavioral health care and specialist consultant services. For other disciplines in medicine, the pandemic had major negative health status outcomes. Consumers were differently impacted by economic, social, geographic and disability related variables.
The keynote speaker is Lisa Iezzoni, MD. Dr. Iezzoni is a professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital. She has spent over three decades conducting research examining health care quality, delivery systems and policy issues relating to persons with disabilities. Dr. Iezzoni is also the first woman to be appointed as a professor in the department of medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, MA and is a member of the Institute of Medicine in the National Academy of Sciences.

Program Overall Educational Objectives
At the conclusion of this conference, participants should be able to:

Review best practice models that arose to circumvent unique clinical issues during the pandemic
Recognize new modalities for teaching and professional development using virtual platforms and distance learning in combination with new triage strategies to meet clinical needs
Identify changes in clinical care that evolved and discuss the role that practitioners, program planners and payors will have to move new innovations and visions of more efficient practice forward
Discuss the potential role of telehealth and the “hybrid” model of care to meet the complex needs of people with disabilities, with close attention to existing racial and ethnic disparities across sub-populations.

Who Should Attend:
Mental Health Consumers; Mental Health Providers; Medical Physicians; Advanced Practice Providers; Nurses, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Medical Students, Dental professionals, Community Members, Social Workers, Case Managers, Behavioral Health Providers

Supporting Organizations:
Community Care Behavioral Health Organization
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
FISA Foundation

Download Brochure

5th annual HELIX Conference!
2021-11-08 13:00 - 2021-11-10 12:30
Join us to celebrate high expectations for students with low incidence disabilities and to support school staff and families who are working hard to make those expectations a reality in our current school environments. This annual statewide conference offers an opportunity to learn and engage with presenters who are recognized in the field, as well as colleagues from across the state, highlighting effective instructional strategies and interventions designed specifically for students with low incidence disabilities.
We will have a combination of speakers presenting in person in State College, and virtually via ZOOM. When registering, you will have the option to choose either in person attendance or virtual attendance. Before registering, decide which option meets your needs. Our registration system will ask you to choose one type of registration, in-person only or virtual only. Once you choose your format, you will see the sessions that are available under that option.
Please visit our webpage for more information: https://www.pattan.net/Training/Conferences/HELIX-Conference

Presenters will include:
Kirk Behnke, Christopher Bugaj, Caterina Campbell and Nikki Huggan, Carole Clancy, Francine Dutrisac, Laura Hayes, Paul Jantz, Karen Kangas with Nora Connell, Vicki Knight, Rachael Langely and Marlene Cummings, Kelly and Jason Luhn, Jane Madell, Michella Maiorana-Basas, Kimberly Mathos, Juliana Pare-Blagov with Melanie Kabia, PEAL and HUNE (Lorie Brew, Tammi Morton, William Del Toro Vargas, Jill Houseal), Chris Tabb and Kaycee Bennett, Matthew Tietjen, Nancy Steele, TIES Center (Terri Vandercook, Gail Ghere, Jessica Bowman, Jennifer Sommerr), Catherine Wiseman-Hakes
Credits:
Act 48 clock hours
ACVREP credits
ASHA credits
Psych PA Board credits
NASP CPD credits
Instructional hours
Registration Information:
You may register online by clicking on the name of the event on the Training Events Calendar at: https://www.pattan.net/events/
You may register directly online by viewing the Training Events Calendar at: https://www.pattan.net/
For content related information and questions, please contact Kristin Starosta at kstarosta@pattan.net or 610-878-7237 or 1-800-441-3215 ext. 7237.
For general registration information and questions, please contact Annette Bauerlein, abauerlein@pattan.net or 800-441-3215 ext. 7211
