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Almost nobody knows that, regardless of family income, children in states like Pennsylvania who do not yet have Medical Assistance benefits but do have a mental disability (autism, ADHD, etc) can get an expert psychological evaluation at no cost whatsoever, and that treatment (Behavior Specialist consultations and Mobile Therapy services) can often be started almost immediately following the evaluation if these services may be of help to the child. These services, provided under the supervision of a licensed professional psychologist, may be available to disabled children at no cost whatsoever, in 37 (or more) other states as well. Some people mistakenly refer to these federally mandated EPSDT services delivered under Medicaid as "wraparound" services, but there are at least two significant differences: 1) There is simply no need to wait for any insurance company to give its "permission" for a child to begin receiving these EPSDT services if he/she lives in a state like Pennsylvania where they are routinely prescribed, has a diagnosed mental illness, is under the age of 21, and does not yet have Medical Assistance benefits, and 2) in some states like Pennsylvania, these services are available via Medicaid to every child with a mental disability, regardless of family income. EPSDT services are federally mandated treatment opportunities that are available to disabled children in all 50 states; "Wraparound" is a treatment philosophy. As the Executive Director of the Institute for Behavior Change, I will be making several one-hour presentations of this material during (but not affiliated with) the Pennsylvania Psychological Association annual convention at the Hilton hotel in Harrisburg on Thursday, June 28th between 5 and 9 pm (room to be announced later). Tremendous opportunities for licensed psychologists to direct and supervise the delivery of these services exists, in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. As a licensed psychologist since 1981, I have been providing these services to Pennsylvania children very successfully, and currently direct one of the largest private practices of psychology in Pennsylvania dedicated exclusively to improving children's mental and behavioral health. The Institute for Behavior Change, where the staff who provide these services are trained, was just named a recipient of a Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award and is scheduled to be honored at the annual Pennsylvania Psychological Association convention for its Employee Career Development activities. I look forward to speaking with interested colleagues about the wonderful opportunities that EPSDT service delivery is creating for children, adolescents and the professionals who treat them. Steve Kossor
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