DBHIDS STYLE GUIDE
Introduction
Government writing tends to be dry, complicated, and obscure. It doesn’t take into account who is reading it or why, and often talks at readers rather than to them.
Likewise, many websites provide an overwhelming amount of information with few cues on how to navigate it. This can cause confusion, frustration, and a feeling of powerlessness for readers.
We think, and know, we can do better.
We want to make DBHIDS’ services more accessible and understandable to everyday citizens. We want to give people the information they need, to do what they need, in a way that fosters trust. It is our goal that this guide can help you achieve those goals.
How to use this guide
We created this guide for reference on an as-needed basis. It’s here when you’re not sure whether to capitalize the word “federal,” for instance, or when you’re wondering how to create a friendly, informational tone.
The Communications Department intends this guide to be a tool for consistent style, writing and editing. Our aim is to make life easier for you to produce website content.
This guide will continue to grow and change as we learn more about how people use our content. If you would like to provide input, suggestions or corrections, please contact us at DBHIDScommunications@phila.gov.
Together we can help create a better online experience for everyone who interacts with the DBHIDS website.
Basics
Writing for the Web
The truth is, users don’t read web pages; they scan them, looking for things that they can read very quickly until they find a relevant piece of information.
Helpful Reminders
Write for all readers. Some people will read every word you write. Others will just skim. Help everyone read better by grouping related ideas together and using descriptive headers and subheaders.
Be concise. Use short words and sentences. Avoid unnecessary modifiers.
Be specific. Avoid vague language. Cut the fluff.
Be consistent. Stick to the copy patterns and style points outlined in this guide.
Focus your message. Create a hierarchy of information. Lead with the main point or the most important content, in sentences, paragraphs, sections, and pages.
Organize content in an inverted pyramid
Plain English
Write content in clear, simple terms.
The DBHIDS website is intended for all people whether they reside in Philadelphia or not. The content it contains should therefore be as straightforward as possible.
Avoid wordy descriptions and jargon.
Jargon is unnecessarily complicated, technical language used to impress, rather than to inform, your audience. Try to substitute everyday language for jargon as often as possible.
Today’s health care field has a variety of options, including: Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)…
– NOT –
HMOs, PPOs, and ACOs are all part of today’s health care field.
Do not use formal or long words when easy or short ones will do.
Use buy instead of purchase, help instead of assist, about instead of approximately, and so on.
We lose our users’ trust if we write using government buzzwords and jargon. Often, these words are too general and vague and can lead to misinterpretation or empty, meaningless text. We can do without these words:
- Agenda (unless you’re talking about a meeting)
- Advancing
- Collaborate (use working with)
- Combating (use working against)
- Commit/pledge
- Countering
- Deploy (unless you’re talking about the military or software)
- Dialogue (we speak to people)
- Disincentivize (and incentivize)
- Facilitate (instead, say something specific about how you are helping)
- Illegals/illegal aliens (use undocumented immigrants)
- Impact (as a verb)
- Initiate (use start or begin)
- Innovative (use words that describe the positive outcome of the innovation)
- Land (as a verb, unless you’re talking about aircraft)
- Leverage (unless you use it in the financial sense)
- Overarching
- Progress (what are you actually doing?)
- Robust
- Streamline
- Tackling (unless you’re referring to football or another contact sport)
- Thought leader (instead, refer to a person’s accomplishments)
- Touchpoint (instead, mention specific system components)
- User testing (unless you’re actually testing the users — otherwise, use usability testing)
- Utilize
Avoid using figurative language.
It often doesn’t say what you actually mean and can make your content more difficult to understand. For example:
- Drive (you can only drive vehicles, not schemes or people)
- Drive out (unless you’re talking about cattle, use get rid of.)
- Going forward (unless you’re giving directions)
- In order to (extra words that usually mean the same thing as “to”)
In most cases, you can avoid these figures of speech by describing what you’re actually doing. Be open and specific.
Write conversationally.
Picture your audience and write as if you were talking to them one-on-one and with the authority of someone who can actively help.
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Acronyms can confuse readers. Whenever possible, use the full name.
The first time you refer to an organization or project that uses an acronym, write out the full name and follow with the abbreviation in parentheses. For example:
The General Services Administration (GSA) oversees the business of…
The Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) supports a vision…
Some names are more recognizable when they are abbreviated, as with NASA, NAACP, HTML, IBM, and FBI. In such instances, the acronym is always acceptable.
When spelling out the full name of our organization, disability is spelled with a lowercase “d” and an uppercase “A.” The word “disability” is always singular and our name must always include “Services” (plural). Do not make the following common mistakes:
Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services
–NOT–
Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disability Services
Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disabilities
When writing for the Department’s website, avoid spelling out “Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services” since the Department’s logo will be featured prominently on each webpage page which includes the formal name of our Department. Simple refer to the Department as “DBHIDS” or simply “our Department” on most webpages.
When using the Department’s acronym “DBHIDS” all letters should be capitalized.
DBHIDS
–NOT–
DBHiDS
It’s often clearer to use a shortened name instead of an acronym when making a second reference to something with a long title. Readers can understand a shortened name without having to think about the first reference. This also helps prevent confusion between repetitive acronyms.
Use, for example:
Corrections in place of Department of Corrections, rather than DOC.
The Act instead of Fire and Police Employee Relations Act.
Academic Degrees
Abbreviations of academic degrees require a period after each element in the abbreviation but no internal spaces: Ph.D., M.A., B.A., B.S.
Do not use a courtesy title such as “Dr.” and “Mrs.” when including an individual’s academic degree.
Lawrence Real, M.D.
–NOT–
Dr. Lawrence Real, M.D.
When a person has multiple degrees, use the degree most appropriate for the section of the website.
Use a person’s full name with title or degree in the first reference; use last name only in all subsequent references.
We use an abundance of acronyms within our field. See appendix A for a list of commonly used acronyms.
Active Voice
Use active voice, not passive voice, whenever possible.
Active voice makes it immediately clear who or what is performing an action. For example:
The Commissioner recommends that City residents take shelter before the winter storm.
Dr. Evans logged into the account.
Passive voice describes a sentence that doesn’t state who or what is responsible for an action, or puts the “do-er” later in the sentence than the thing being done. For example:
It is recommended that City residents take shelter before the winter storm.
A recommendation was made by the Commissioner to take shelter before the winter storm.
The account was logged into by Dr. Evans.
While readers usually prefer active voice, there are situations where passive voice is useful. This includes times when the acting person or thing is actually unknown, or when you want to draw attention to the object being acted upon.
The snow plows were stolen late last night.
–NOT–
Someone stole the snow plows late last night.
Address readers actively
You are also using active voice when you speak directly to the reader. This style is more interesting to read. Use active voice in situations where it’s appropriate to encourage action instead of just stating a fact.
You can create a new community garden if there is a City-owned vacant lot in your neighborhood.
–NOT–
New community gardens can be created in City-owned vacant lots.
Capitalization
Unnecessary capitalization can come off as overly formal and unapproachable. We follow these capitalization guidelines:
- Do not capitalize federal or government when mentioned in a nonspecific reference. Use uppercase for full names of government departments, such as “Federal Emergency Management Agency.”
- Do not capitalize a job title unless it directly precedes or follows a name.
Block capitalization
DO NOT USE CAPITAL LETTERS FOR LONGER HEADLINES OR BLOCKS OF TEXT. IT’S HARD TO READ AND CAN SEEM LIKE “SHOUTING.”
Proper nouns
Capitalize the word “city” when referring to the City of Philadelphia as an official organization.
The City will announce pool openings on Friday.
There are several City employees at the event.
Do not capitalize “city” when it is used in an inclusive or general sense.
Philadelphia has been selected as the host city for the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
Headings and Titles
Use uppercase for all verbs. Also uppercase articles, prepositions and conjunctions that have for or more letters
Results From the 2015 Health Survey
Exceptions are:
- An article of three or fewer letters may be capitalized if it is the first or last word
“A Local Family Carries On”
- A précis title is usually lowercase, unless its title includes proper names and names of other publications, which then use initial caps
Uppercase both elements in a hyphenated compound in a headline or publication title.
Long-Term Care Costs Are on the Rise
Email or Website Address
When writing out an email address or a website URL, use all lowercase.
- kimberly.rymsha@phila.gov
- dbhids.org
- networkofcare.org
Contractions
Use common contractions like it’s, can’t, shouldn’t, and you’ll. Contractions are part of everyday conversation, so readers find them easy to understand.
Too many uses of it is, cannot, and should not can seem archaic and formal. We can move away from this without compromising the reliable and professional tone of information coming from government.
Links
Links are most effective when they are specific and descriptive. When you create a link, select anchor text that will give users a clear idea of what they will see if they follow it.
To be ready for the unexpected, you and your family need to make an emergency plan.
– NOT –
To be ready for the unexpected, you can find out how to create an emergency plan here.
When selecting text to hyperlink, it is best to choose nouns to improve search engine optimization (SEO) return.
Learn more about all of the behavioral health services available in the DBHIDS network.
– NOT –
Learn more about all of the behavioral health services available in the DBHIDS network.
Click here
Do not use this phrase as the label for any link. Since “click here” is not descriptive, it makes it harder for people to find the linked content through a search engine. It’s also becoming an outdated term, as mobile devices involve “tapping,” not “clicking.”
Learn more
You can use this phrase as link text when it follows a preview or brief description of a content item. You should use it in combination with a linked headline, not as a replacement for a linked headline. Useful when pointing to content that is a mixture of text, images, and interactive tools, since it is not as specific as “read more.”
Read more
This is a more specific version of “Learn more.” Use it as link text after a preview or brief description of a content item, when the content item is primarily text.
Link Destinations
When you create a link, think about where you are sending the user and why. Check to make sure that you have picked the most relevant and authoritative destination so users will get the best information available as quickly as possible. For example, if DBHIDS issues a statement that you are citing, link to the statement, rather than to an outside news story that quotes the statement.
You should also be consistent when determining what will happen when someone follows a link. Phila.gov follows these guidelines for opening new tabs or windows in a user’s browser:
- Do automatically open new tabs or windows
Do set a link to open a new browser tab or window. This applies to any web page link, whether the link goes to another phila.gov page or to an external website.* - Indicate format when linking to an online document
For document formats like PDFs, Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets, you should also include the file type in parentheses after the name of the document. This helps readers know that the link will be opening something other than a web page.
Please review Tier II Reporting Requirements (PDF) before submitting a report.
* Opinions do vary on the subject, but there is not much evidence to suggest whether or not people want a new tab or window to open automatically when they click a link to an external site.
Numbers
Spell out a number when it:
- Occurs at the start of a sentence. (Twenty minutes later, the last cyclist crossed the finish line.)
- Is a fraction used as an estimate. (one-half, two-thirds, three-quarters)
Use digits instead of spelling out a number when it:
- Includes a decimal point. (At that time, the average age for marriage was just 18.7 years old.)
- Is part of a percentage. (19 percent of registered voters; 110 percent effort)
- Is part of a range of numbers. (the coveted 18–34 demographic; working 9 to 5)
- For 10 and above (for 1-9 spell out the number)
Money
Use the dollar sign ($) for amounts given in United States Dollars (USD).
Project estimates are expected to exceed $289.5 million after the storm damage is assessed.
Previous processing fee: $0.72
New processing fee: $0.83
For fractional amounts under $1 that do not occur in a chart or list, use digits for the number and spell out the word “cents.”
In 2014, the cost of producing a penny dropped to 1.7 cents, down from 2.4 cents in 2011.
When referencing a round dollar amount, there is no need to add the .00 following the dollar value.
$1
– NOT –
$1.00
Percentages
Spell out the word “percent” (one word) when including percentages in text copy and headlines.
The study showed a 5 percent decrease in obesity rates among students aged 5 to 18.
Use the percentage sign (%) when including percentages in charts, tables, figures, lists, and brief summaries.
Late fee: 5% of the total due, plus an additional 0.5% for every month the bill is not paid.
Telephone Numbers
All phone numbers should be written in hyphens and not periods:
215-685-5475
– NOT –
215.685.5475
(215) 685-5475
The form for toll-free numbers: 800-111-1000. Do not use a 1 to indicate long distance.
If extension numbers are needed, use a comma to separate the main number from the extension
212-621-1500, ext. 123
Times
Use figures except for noon and midnight. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 9-11 a.m., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Avoid such redundancies as 10 a.m. this morning, 10 p.m. tonight.
Time elements, like a.m. and p.m., should be lowercase with periods.
a.m. or p.m.
– NOT –
am or pm
Punctuation
Bulleted Lists
Capitalize the first word of every bullet.
When you go to the store, please buy:
- Bread
- Milk
- Apples
Include a period only if the bullet point makes a complete sentence following the introductory phrase.
When you go to the store, please:
- Buy bread, milk, and apples.
- Fill the car with gas.
Colons
Capitalize the first word after a colon only if what follows is a complete sentence.
I have several favorite foods: apples, bananas, and pita chips.
I have several favorite foods: Apples were my first favorite snack, but pita chips are a rising star in my life.
Use a colon (rather than an ellipses, em dash, or comma) to offset a list.
The team ordered three kinds of donuts: glazed, chocolate, and pumpkin.
Commas
We prefer the serial comma (sometimes called the Oxford comma). In a list of three or more, include a comma before the conjunction.
Please buy bread, milk, and apples.
Dashes
Em dash: When offsetting a phrase with dashes, you should use the longer “em dash,” with no space on either side of the dash.
WordPress automatically converts three consecutive hyphens into an em dash.
We emphasize open, digital record keeping, and—whenever possible—we illuminate our processes.
Do not use a single hyphen in place of an em dash.
En dash: Although we advocate using words rather than symbols, in some contexts you may use an “en dash” to convey a range. For example, both 10–20 students and 10 to 20 students are acceptable options.
The en dash is also used in to show relationships and connections, as in the Sarbanes–Oxley Act, a JFK–LAX flight, or the Jones–Martin wedding.
WordPress automatically converts two consecutive hyphens into an en dash.
Dates
Month and year in running text take no comma in between (e.g. The program began in January 2016). If the day is included, use a comma before and after the year: On January 2, 2016, a meeting was held to consider the proposal.
When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. Spell out when using alone, or with a year alone.
Sept. 23, 2016
– NOT –
September 23, 2016
Sept. 2016
Quotation Marks
Below are examples of correctly punctuated quotations.
“Would you like a banana?” he asked.
“I hate bananas,” she said. “You know I hate bananas.”
He paused before saying, “Bananas are not something people should hate.”
Text Formatting
Italics
Use italics to indicate the title of a long work (like a book, movie, or album) or to emphasize a word.
Use italics, not quotation marks for journal names and titles of books and reports: Health Affairs; New England Journal of Medicine; etc.
Underline
Do not use underline formatting, and don’t use any combination of italic, bold, caps, and underline.
Only words that should be underlined are those that are hyperlinked.
Spacing
Leave one space between sentences, never two.
Leave two returns after each paragraph.
Terminology
Person-First Language
The fields of alcohol and other drug treatment and mental health services collectively referred to as behavioral health have long used words to “diagnose” and “label” individuals and families by their (respective) challenges.
Use person-first language.
“a person with schizophrenia”
– NOT –
“a schizophrenic”
“a person with an addiction”
– NOT –
“an addict”
Labeling people and families by their challenges (e.g. homeless, alcoholic, addict, schizophrenic, diabetic, etc.) also tends to dehumanize, disenfranchise, and reduce the person or family to being that challenge, instead of someone living with, in recovery from, or experiencing symptoms of it.
For a more complete list of some words associated with the behavioral health system, take a look below. Please note: This list is not intended to be all-inclusive.
Traditional Phrases |
Suggested Replacement Terms |
Addict/drug addict/alcoholic |
Person experiencing challenges with usage of alcohol and/or |
Clients/members/consumers/
|
Individuals/people/families or individuals/people/families
|
Comorbidity |
Dual diagnosis, the need for integrated care to address dual |
Crazy |
Living with a mental health challenge, experiencing mental |
Cultural competency |
Person- First, culturally affirming |
Decompensating |
Having a difficult time with____/ is experiencing____ or having |
Difficult/difficulty |
Challenging/challenge |
Disabled/handicapped |
Living with a disAbility Living with {name of the challenge}; Ask the person how they See Handicap |
Discharge Plans |
Continuing Support Plans, Community Living Plans |
Drugs and alcohol |
Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs |
Experiencing adversity |
Developing resilience, has different worldview |
Forensics |
Criminal justice |
Graduation |
Transition, reached transition goals |
Handicap |
Disability, disAbility, physical/emotional challenges |
Hermaphrodite |
Intersex |
High functioning |
Excels at _____, exhibits strengths, highly capable |
Homeless |
Experiencing homelessness/housing insecure, has no shelter |
In denial |
Experiencing the challenge differently, different worldview |
Low functioning |
Has challenges in certain areas, is in early learning stages |
Mental health/substance abuse disorder |
Behavioral health challenge(s) |
Mental illness
|
Mental health challenge |
Mentally ill |
Living with, experiencing challenges, or in recovery from a |
Mentally retarded/mental retardation |
Intellectual disability, intellectually disabled/intellectual |
Non-compliant |
Choosing not to; making other choices, has a different opinion |
Problem |
Challenge |
Recovering addict/alcoholic/schizophrenic, |
Person with lived experience |
Relapse |
Resumed use, working through the cycles or stages of recovery |
Relapse prevention |
Recovery management, proactive wellness
|
Resistant to treatment/treatment resistant |
Not ready to engage, chooses not to have or has opted out of |
Treatment plans (adult) |
Goals Plans/Service Plans,/Resilience Plans/Plan of Care |
Treatment Plans (children) |
Goal plans/service plans/resilience plans/plans of care |
Treatment Team |
Recovery/Resilience support team |
Unmotivated |
Uninspired |
User of the system/high utilizer |
Resourceful/self-advocate; finds refuge and safety in the system |
Victim |
Survivor, thriver |
Wheelchair-bound |
Uses a wheelchair for mobility, gets around on wheels |
Weakness |
Challenge, opportunity for growth, area for improvement |
Strength-Based Language
Strength-based language promotes hope. Below is a non-inclusive list of some concepts that promote resilience and the development of protective factors in children and families.
Deficit-based Statement |
Strength-based Alternative |
Child is “bad” |
Child’s behavior needs improvement |
Child is “noncompliant” with following directions |
Child is not following directions. (Focus on actual behavior) |
Child is “slow/dumb” |
Child learns differently |
Child hangs out with negative peers |
Child needs help identifying positive peers and activities |
Child “never sits still” |
Child needs help to focus or creative ways to engage |
Family is in perpetual crisis |
Family has continued to exist under stress, and has strengths |
Family is dysfunctional |
Family is in need of support/ Family could benefit from _____ |
Family resists agency intervention |
Family believes in taking care of their own |
Child lies |
Child needs enhanced coping skills |
Appendix
List of Common Acronyms
AA | Alcoholics Anonymous |
AAC | Augmentative and Assistive Communication |
AAS | Access to Alternative Services (see CSN – Community Support Network) |
ACSW | Academy of Certified Social Workers |
ACT NOW | Advocacy & Training for New Opportunities to Work |
ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act |
ADAPT | Admission, Discharge and Planning Team |
ADHD | Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder |
ADL | Adult Daily Living Skills |
ADT | Adult Developmental Training |
AIC | Achieving Independence Center |
AOD | Alcohol and Other Drugs |
AS | Adult Services |
ASAM | American Society of Addiction Medicine |
ASD | Autism Spectrum Disorder |
AT | Assertive Technology |
ATR | Access to Recovery |
BAC | Behavioral Assessment Center |
BH | Behavioral Health |
BHO | Behavioral Healthcare Organization |
BHS | Behavioral Health System |
BHRS | Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Services |
BHSI | Behavioral Health Special Initiatives |
BHTEN | Behavioral Health Training & Education Network |
BCM | Blended Case Management |
BSC | Behavioral Specialist Consultant |
BSR | Behavioral Shaping Residence |
CA | Cocaine Anonymous |
CAC | Certified Addictions Counselor |
CAO | County Assistance Office |
CIE | Community Integrated Employment |
COC | Continuity of Care |
COD | Co-occurring Disorders |
CANS | Child Adolescent Needs and Strengths |
CANS-JJ | Child Adolescent Needs and Strengths – Juvenile Justice |
CASSP | Children & Adolescent Services Systems Program |
CBH | Community Behavioral Health |
CBI | Community Based Instruction |
CCM | Clinical Care Management |
CDBG | Community Development Block Grant |
CFST | Consumer Family Satisfaction Team |
CIE | Community Integrated Employment |
CIL | Center for Integrated Employment |
CIRC | Community Integrated Recovery Center |
CLA | Community Living Arrangement |
CLS | Community Life Skills or Community Legal Services |
CMS | Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services |
CMRR | Case Management Resource Report |
COLA | Cost of Living Adjustment |
CPS | Certified Peer Specialist |
CQI | Continuous Quality Improvement |
CRC | Crisis Response Center |
CRR | Community Residential Rehabilitation |
CSN | Community Support Network (formerly AAS) |
CST | Consumer Satisfaction Team, Inc. |
CY | Calendar Year (1/1/XX – 12/31/XX) |
CYS | Children and Youth Services |
D&A | Drug and Alcohol or Developmental Disabilities |
DBHIDS | Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services |
DBHHI | Department of Behavioral Health Housing Initiative |
DD | Dual Diagnosis |
DDAP | Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs |
DHS | Department of Human Services |
DOC | Department of Corrections |
DPA | Department of Public Assistance |
DPH | Department of Public Health |
DPW | Department of Public Welfare |
DSM-IV-TR | Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision |
DSP | Direct Support Professional |
DX | Diagnosis |
EAC | Extended Acute Care |
EBP | Evidence Based Practice |
EEC | Emergency Evaluation Center |
EIP | Early Intervention Program |
ELP | Essential Lifestyle Plan |
EMR | Electronic Medical Record |
EMS | Emergency Medical Services |
EPIC | DBHIDS Evidence-Based Practice and Innovation Center |
EPSDT | Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis Treatment |
EZ | Empowerment Zone |
FAS | Fetal Alcohol Syndrome |
FDSS | Family Driven Support Services |
FQHC | Federally Qualified Health Center |
FSAU | Faith Spiritual Affairs Unit |
FBS | Family Based Services |
FF | Family Focused |
FFS | Fee for Service |
FLP | Family Living Program/Lifesharing |
FIR | Forensic Intensive Recovery |
FY | Fiscal Year |
HC | HealthChoices |
HCBS | Home and Community Based Services |
HCSIS | Home and Community Services Information System |
HCQU | Health Care Quality Unit |
HFW | High Fidelity Warp |
HIE | Health Information Exchange |
HIPAA | Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act |
HIV/AIDS | Human Immune Deficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome |
HMO | Health Maintenance Organization |
HRP | Heath Risk Profile |
ICM | Intensive Case Management |
ICF | Intermediate Care Facility |
ICRR | Intensive Community Residential Rehab |
IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act |
IDDT | Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment |
IDS | Intellectual disAbility Services (formerly MRS) |
IEP | Individualized Education Plan |
IFSP | Individualized Family Support Plan |
IHCW | In-Home Consolidated Waiver |
IM | Incident Management |
IM4Q | Independent Monitoring for Quality |
IOP | Intensive Outpatient Program |
ISO | Intermediary Service Organization |
ISP | Individual Support Plan |
LCP | Licensed Clinical Psychologist |
LD | Learning Disability |
LGBTQI | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex |
LOC | Level of Care |
LPN | Licensed Practical Nurse |
LRE | Least Restrictive Environment |
LTSR | Long Term Structured Residence |
LSW | Licensed Social Worker |
MA | Medical Assistance |
MA-EPD | Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disability |
MAP | Mural Arts of Philadelphia |
MAT | Medication Assisted Treatment |
MATP | Medication Assisted Treatment Programs |
Max CRR | Maximum Community Residential Rehab |
MCO | Managed Care Organization |
MDE | Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation |
MET | Mobile Emergency Team |
MH | Mental Health |
MHFA | Mental Health First Aid |
MHOP | Mental Health Outpatient |
MHP | Mental Health Professional |
MHW | Mental Health Worker |
MT | Mobile Therapist |
NA | Narcotics Anonymous |
NAMI | National Alliance for the Mentally Ill |
NIAC | Network Improvement and Accountability Collaborative |
NIATx | Network for Improvement of Addiction Treatment |
NIH | National Institute of Health |
OAS | Office of Addiction Services |
OBRA | Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act |
OESS | Office of Emergency Shelter Services (see OSH) |
OMH | Office of Mental Health |
OP | Outpatient |
OSH | Office of Supportive Housing (replaces OESS) |
OT | Occupational Therapy |
OTC | Over the Counter Medication |
OVR | Office of Vocational Rehabilitation |
PCBH | Personal Care Boarding Home |
PCH | Personal Care Home |
PCP | Primary Care Physician or Person Centered Planning |
PCPC | Pennsylvania Client Placement Criteria |
PDR | Progressive Demand Residence |
PEP | Psycho Educational Program |
P/FDSW | Person/Family Directed Support Waiver |
PILCOP | Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia |
PLF | Private Licensed Facility |
PIP | Performance Improvement Plan |
PHA | Philadelphia Housing Authority |
PHCH | Philadelphia Coordinated Health Care |
PHI | Protected Health Information |
PHP | Partial Hospitalization Program |
PIN | Parents Involved Network |
PMHCC | Philadelphia Management Health Care Corporation |
PPA | Pennsylvania Protection & Advocacy Agency |
PPLA | Philadelphia Peer Leadership Academy |
PPD | Philadelphia Police Dept. |
PPO | Preferred Provider Organization |
PR | Provider Relations; Public Relations |
PRN | Pro re nata (“In the Circumstances”, or commonly “As Needed”) |
PT | Physical Therapy |
PTSD | Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder |
PUNS | Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services |
PVPT | Philadelphia Vocational Profile Tool |
QA | Quality Assurance |
QEST | Quality Enhancement Survey Team |
QI | Quality Improvement |
QIP | Quality Improvement Plan |
QM | Quality Management |
QMRP | Qualified ID Professional |
RC | Resource Coordinator |
RN | Registered Nurse |
RINT | Residential Inpatient Non-Hospital Treatment |
RITA | Residential Intensive Treatment Alternatives |
RT | Residential Transformation |
RTF | Residential Treatment Facility |
SA | Substance Abuse |
SC | Supports Coordinator/Supports Coordination |
SAMHSA | Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration |
SAP | Student Assistance Program |
SBCM | School Based Case Management |
SCOH | Services to Children in their Own Home |
SEP | Supported Employment Program |
SIL | Supported Independent Living |
SIS | Supports Intensity Scale |
SLA | Supported Living Arrangement |
SP | Special Project |
Spec Ops/CJU | Special Operations and Criminal Justice Unit |
SRO | Single Room Occupancies |
SS | Social Security |
SSA | Social Security Administration |
SSD | Services & Supports Directory |
SSDI | Social Security Disability Income |
SSI | Supplemental Security Income |
SSLA | Specialized Supported Living Arrangement |
STS | School Therapeutic Services |
TANF | Temporary Assistance to Needy Families |
TC | Treatment Court |
TCM | Targeted Case Management |
TEP | Transitional Employment Program |
TRIP | Telephonic Recovery Initiative Project |
TSM | Targeted Services Management |
TSS | Therapeutic Staff Support |
TSSA | Therapeutic Staff Support Aide |
TX | Treatment |
VHP | Vocational Habilitation Program |
VR | Vocational Rehabilitation |
WRAP | Wellness Recovery Action Plan |
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