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February 5, 2008

Promising New Reforms for Children’s Partial Hospital Programs in PA

The state has issued several documents which mark significant changes in the way children’s partial hospitalization programs will operate in PA. These reforms reflect the partnership of disability rights groups, including the Mental Health Association in PA, the Disability Rights Network of PA (drnpa.org), and the Education Law Center (elc-pa.org) and both the Departments of Public Welfare and Education, who have responsibilities in the administration of these programs.

The documents are:

1. A "Report" that describes the problem: Download PDF file here.
2. The "next steps" that the Departments of Education and Public Welfare intend to take: Download PDF file here.
3. A Bulletin just issued by the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) that describes new admission, program development, and discharge planning requirements; and a letter from the Deputy Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education to PA’s School District Superintendents outlining their responsibilities. Download PDF file here.

These documents commit to improving the PA’s partial hospital programs for children so that:

1. Children with significant mental health needs are educated in their home schools, and that school districts, in collaboration with the mental health system, develop and maintain programs in regular schools and classrooms that meet the educational and therapeutic needs of these children, including onsite partial hospital programs. Many PA schools already successfully host onsite partial programs which provide quality treatment care without disrupting student’s access to and participation in their home school.  These programs operate without imposing the stigma of segregating students from their peers and community because of a health need.
2. Children attend offsite partial hospitalization programs only when there are no appropriate options in their home school districts and none can be created, and then only for the period necessitated by the students’ mental health needs.
3. While a child is attending a partial program, the school district in which she lives educates her and provides special education services when appropriate (which also means that eligible students not previously identified must be evaluated and served).
4. The responsible school district, the partial program, and the family participate in educational and treatment planning, including discharge planning so that without delay, the child can move into an appropriate education program when discharged.