Important Updates for Health Care Provider Telephone Conference Call for COVID-19 September 2, 2020
Updated Health Care Provider Telephone Conference Call Information
Beginning Tuesday, September 15, 2020, the health care provider telephone conference will be held bi-weekly, every other Tuesday at 5:30 pm. Participants are asked to email questions in advance to Provider.COVID19@flhealth.gov no later than close of business on the Monday preceding the call. All participants will be muted during these calls to help streamline information delivery. The State Surgeon General, Dr. Scott A. Rivkees, in collaboration with Secretary Mary Mayhew from the Agency for Health Care Administration, will provide updates from the Department of Health on the COVID-19 response efforts, provide a briefing from the Agency for Health Care Administration, offer updates from other state agencies and address questions submitted from our health care providers. This call is not transcribed or recorded. If you are interested in joining this weekly telephone conference call, please see the updated call-in information below:
Date: Every Other Tuesday Time: 5:30 pm, ET Call-In Number: 888-585-9008 Conference Room ID: 208-305-233 Submit Questions in Advance: Provider.COVID19@flhealth.gov
Important Updates for Health Care Provider Telephone Conference Call for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) July 16, 2020
Updated Weekly Health Care Provider Telephone Conference Call Information
Beginning Tuesday, July 21, 2020, the weekly health care provider telephone conference call will resume with a new start time: 5:30 pm. Participants are asked to email questions in advance to Provider.COVID19@flhealth.gov no later than close of business on the Monday preceding the call. All participants will be muted during these calls to help streamline information delivery. The State Surgeon General, Dr. Scott A. Rivkees, in collaboration with Secretary Mary Mayhew from the Agency for Health Care Administration, will provide updates from the Department of Health on the COVID-19 response efforts, provide a briefing from the Agency for Health Care Administration, offer updates from other state agencies and address questions submitted from our health care providers. If you are interested in joining this weekly telephone conference call, please see the updated call-in information below:
Date: Every Tuesday Time: 5:30 pm Call-In Number: 888-585-9008 Conference Room ID: 208-305-233 Submit Questions in Advance: Provider.COVID19@flhealth.gov
Please highlight and right click on the link below:
https://www.amhca.org/blogs/joel-miller/2020/06/03/a-statement-of-the-american-mental-health-counselo
Join us online this summer for AMHCA's 2020 Annual Conference, June 24 - 26
We are still be energized, empowered and unified and ready to shape the future of the mental health profession.
Click here to register: https://www.amhca.org/conference/registration
There is no stopping us!
We hope you will join us in putting on a great virtual conference that can energize, empower, and unify our profession.
The House released its fifth COVID-19 relief package on Tuesday and counselor Medicare language was not included. While this is a setback, we still have the opportunity to pass of our legislation. At the direction of our congressional champions, AMHCA is now shifting our grassroots advocacy to the Senate. We are urging counselors to take up the charge and contact your Senator to add S. 286 into its COVID-19 package. The Senate timeline is unclear, but they appear on a slower track than the House so there remains time to influence the process.
As previously reported, AMHCA is working closely with our allied organizations from counseling, MFT, and behavioral health clinics to add our language to this upcoming COVID bill.
We will not be included in the Senate COVID legislation if U.S. Senators don’t hear from you about the importance of S. 286. We urge you to contact your two Senators and ask them to include our Medicare bill in their stimulus package.
Contact your Senators today! Use the link below to find your Senator with email and phone numbers:
https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm (top left corner)
Sample message for call or email [please fill in bracketed sections]:
I am a mental health counselor from [city/state]. I urge Senator [___] to include S. 286 in the COVID-19 relief bill currently under development. This legislation authorizes licensed mental health counselors to provide mental health and addiction services to Medicare beneficiaries. Research shows the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to create a behavioral health crisis and there are not enough mental health professionals to meet the needs of the Medicare population. I urge Senator [____] to increase the availability of behavioral health services by including S. 286 in the COVID-19 relief bill. Thank you for your consideration.
Thank you for taking action!
SMHCA Legislative Chair
Call to Action: Save this date and please post a pic, story, poem, song, scripture or whatever God puts on your heart in remembrance of a veteran and/or family who lost a veteran to suicide on this page. We will read them off at our Special Memorial event. #VCVSpecialmemorial
On may 25th at 630 p.m., on Zoom and FB Live, Veterans Counseling Veterans is hosting a Virtual Special Memorial service in honor of our Military and Veterans who died by suicide.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87153234101?pwd=V0FPbHcrMGo3eWVoM3BqUVFlNG1OQT09
Password: 959868
Guests will include:
Chaplain Linda Pugsley
Pastor DJ Springman
Carol Rasor (lost Marine son Joe to suicide)
To address questions from health care providers around the state, participants are asked to email questions in advance to Provider.COVID19@flhealth.gov no later than close of business on the Monday preceding the call. All participants will be muted during these calls to help streamline information delivery. State Surgeon General, Dr. Scott Rivkees, in collaboration with Secretary Mary Mayhew from AHCA, will provide updates from DOH on the COVID-19 pandemic response efforts, provide a briefing from AHCA, offer updates from other state agencies and address questions submitted from health care providers. If you are interested in joining this weekly telephone conference call, please see the call-in information below:
Date: Every Tuesday Time: 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Call-In Number: 888-585-9008 Conference Room ID: 208-305-233 Submit Questions in Advance: Provider.COVID19@flhealth.gov
Important Health Care Provider Updates for Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19)
May 4, 2020
Governor DeSantis Issues Executive Order Number 20-112
On Wednesday, April 29, 2020, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-112 to outline Phase One: Plan for Florida’s Recovery. As you review the entire Executive Order, please note that Section 5 relates to health care practitioners. The Executive Order was effective at 12:01 a.m. on May 4, 2020.
Final Report of the Re-Open Florida Task Force
The Re-Open Florida Task Force Executive Committee Report was submitted to Governor DeSantis. Click here to view the Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step. Plan for Florida’s Recovery Report.
Renewal of Declaration of Public Health Emergency
On April 30, 2020, State Surgeon General, Dr. Scott A. Rivkees renewed the Declaration of Public Health Emergency originally issued on March 1, 2020. Click here to view the Renewal of Declaration of Public Health Emergency related to COVID-19.
Diagnostic Testing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated their clinical and diagnostic testing criteria for COVID-19. Patients with cough or shortness of breath or with two of the following symptoms: fever, chills, headache, sore throat, myalgia, and sudden loss of taste or smell should be considered for testing. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/clinical-criteria.html
Antibody Testing
The Food and Drug Administration has provided guidance on antibody testing to health care providers. These tests are still being validated and should not be used as the sole basis to diagnose COVID-19 infections. It is also not yet clear to what extent antibodies to COVID-19 protect against reinfection. https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/letters-health-care-providers/important-information-use-serological-antibody-tests-covid-19-letter-health-care-providers
Talkspace
Talkspace is providing free therapy for medical and health care workers, first responders, and state employees on a first-come, first-serve basis. The company connects individual users with a network through an easy-to-use and HIPAA-compliant web and mobile platform. In addition to therapy, Talkspace launched a series of free, therapist-led Facebook support groups to address anxiety relating to COVID-19, and a COVID-19 channel on Instagram (IG). These platforms include therapists, weekly therapist IG LIVES, mental health check-ins, and content sharing.
Updated Format for the Weekly Health Care Provider Telephone Conference Call
To address all the questions from health care providers around the state, the Department of Health has instituted a new format for the weekly health care provider telephone conference call. Participants are asked to email questions in advance to Provider.COVID19@flhealth.gov no later than close of business on the Monday preceding the call. All participants will be muted during these calls to help streamline information delivery. The State Surgeon General, Dr. Scott Rivkees, in collaboration with Secretary Mary Mayhew from the Agency for Health Care Administration, will provide updates from the Department of Health on the COVID-19 pandemic response efforts, provide a briefing from the Agency for Health Care Administration, offer updates from other state agencies and address questions submitted from our health care providers. If you are interested in joining this weekly telephone conference call, please see the call-in information below:
Updated Format for the Health Care Provider Telephone Conference Call for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) April 24, 2020
SunCoast Mental Health Counselors Association
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P.O. Box 2853 Pinellas Park, FL 33780