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My heart goes out to those who suffered physically – and to those who continue to experience trauma and grief from this tragedy, including family members, friends, neighbors, and community members, as well as emergency first responders.

Please know in this time when it is difficult to find that sense of safety within our city that you are not alone.

The City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) is here for you. Today, tomorrow, and whenever you may need us.

DBHIDS’ trauma support services, including the Network of Neighbors and multiple community engagement programs and collaborations, can help you understand, manage, and process your feelings and connect you with the support you need. Click for details.

DBHIDS has a comprehensive strategy with more than 30 programs that support individuals and communities experiencing trauma. For an in depth look at our work, find our comprehensive Trauma-Equity-Community (TEC) plan here.

Children and parents can access multiple supports and services, including Children’s Crisis Response Centers, the Philadelphia Alliance for Child Trauma Services (PACTS), and more that are specially designed for their needs. Click for details.

And our partner SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, has developed a number of resources to help individuals, families, neighborhoods, and communities cope with mass shootings. Click for details.

DBHIDS, along with the City of Philadelphia and our network of provider partners, have developed these supports and others to help people in need. Visit our Boost Your Mood page at DBHIDS.org/Boost for easy access to the above resources as well as additional tip sheets, phone numbers, expert advice, a free and anonymous self-assessment tool, and more.

Or you can call member services at 888-545-2600 to be connected to support and treatment 24/7. Those in need of immediate support can always find help by calling the Philadelphia Crisis Line at 988.

Thank you,

Jill Bowen, Ph.D.
DBHIDS Commissioner

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After more than 15 years’ experience working across locally and federally funded social service entities and nonprofit community-based organizations including seven years with the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, Nicole Connell, M.Ed., Sept. 24 was named the Chief of Innovation & Effectiveness for DBHIDS.

This new role will incorporate Connell’s expertise in organizational procedures and government affairs with direct oversight of the DBHIDS Division of Planning Innovation effective Oct. 1.

“DBHIDS is proud to have someone with Nicole’s talent, expertise and experience supporting our mission and serving the people of Philadelphia,” DBHIDS Commissioner Jill Bowen, Ph.D., said. “Nicole has led by example for years, and I look forward to seeing her take the Division of Planning Innovation — and help aim all of DBHIDS — in new and exciting directions.”

In her new role, Connell will be responsible for the development and integration of innovative approaches to advance behavioral health wellness and treatment. The CIE is a senior level position that serves on the Division Leadership and Executive Management teams of DBHIDS.

Prior to her new role, Connell was DBHIDS Chief of Staff and Operations, a position that directly supported the commissioner and provided strategic direction on a broad range of administrative, legislative, and financial priorities. Connell has a proven track record of success leading and developing innovative processes that enhance organizational effectiveness.

Connell, a native Philadelphian, has wide-ranging experience and in-depth knowledge of complex community challenges, social determinants of health, and effective organization operations.

Connell is a graduate of the Philadelphia High School for Girls, Temple University, and Eastern University and is currently a public administration doctoral candidate. Connell remains active in civic and service engagement and is committed to working alongside the community to advance behavioral health and wellness for all Philadelphians.

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The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced this month that “all healthcare workers in the City of Philadelphia will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have a religious or medical exemption” as of Oct. 15.

This mandate will impact some within the DBHIDS provider network but is particularly important now with the rising number of cases and the spread associated with the Delta variant.

Learn more here

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Via Phila.gov

Health Department Issues New Recommendations Against COVID Delta Variant

In response to a rise in COVID cases, and a small number of children who are ineligible to be vaccinated being hospitalized, the Health Department has developed new recommendations that Philadelphians should follow to help stop the spread of the Delta vvariant of COVID-19.

The most important recommendation continues to be that everyone who is eligible get vaccinated as soon as possible; this is the best way to stop the spread of the Delta variant.

The following recommendations will help further slow the spread while people who are eligible get fully vaccinated, and will help protect children who cannot be vaccinated.

• The Health Department strongly recommends that everyone, including fully vaccinated people, wear masks in all public indoor places,  
• Choose outdoor rather than indoor spaces,
• Avoid crowded indoor spaces,
• Mask while indoors around people you don’t know are vaccinated,
• For unvaccinated people, consider double masking while in indoor public spaces.

For more information on the recommendations, see the Health Department’s blog post.

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City & State PA, a news firm that dedicates its coverage to Pennsylvania’s state and local government, named DBHIDS Commissioner Jill Bowen in its list recognizing public officials, health care executives, innovators, academics, advocates, and activists who played a role in both the state’s response to COVID-19 and its plan for the future.

“The Commonwealth’s lawmakers, health systems, medical professionals, and frontline workers stepped up to deal with the unprecedented circumstances put before them,” the report notes. “They steered the Keystone State through the crisis and are working to find solutions to the countless challenges it presented.”

For her efforts to enhance collaboration between agencies and address behavioral health issues, as well as her work overseeing all seven DBHIDS divisions, Dr. Bowen earned the No. 47 spot on the list.

Read full article

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An innovative program is helping individuals in Philadelphia experiencing economic insecurity get back on their feet—through the power of art. As part of the “CBS This Morning” series, A More Perfect Union, Errol Barnett shows us how the program is changing people’s lives and creating some beautiful public are in the process.

Learn more about the Philadelphia Mural Arts program

Watch the TV segment on CBS News

The post Philly’s ‘Color Me Back’ program is helping city residents get back on their feet appeared first on DBHIDS.

Posted 6/1/20
Updated 6/15/20
Updated 6/24/20
Updated 8/14/20
Updated 10/5/20
Updated 12/7/20
Updated 1/4/21
Updated 5/27/21

CLICK TO READ ENTIRE RELEASE AT PHILA.GOV

Email Phishing Campaign Causes Potential Data Breach at the City of Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — The City of Philadelphia (the “City”) announced today an update on its investigation into a security incident that may have permitted multiple employee email accounts to be accessed by unauthorized individuals. This update relates to the incident initially reported on June 1, 2020, which impacted individuals served by the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (“DBHIDS”) and its business associate, Community Behavioral Health (“CBH”) (posted online here). CBH assists DBHIDS in administering the behavioral health Medicaid program (HealthChoices) for the Philadelphia region. The City’s investigation since the initial report revealed that the incident impacted email accounts utilized by additional City departments.

On March 31, 2020, DBHIDS learned that an employee’s email account had been compromised as a result of a phishing attack. The Office of Innovation and Technology’s Information Security Group (“OIT”) immediately secured the account and began an investigation. Following this initial discovery, OIT discovered multiple additional DBHIDS and CBH accounts that were compromised as part of the attack. The password for each account was changed promptly upon discovery. The City’s investigation efforts have confirmed that the DBHIDS and CBH accounts were subject to unauthorized access intermittently between March 11 and November 15, 2020. The investigation further confirmed that additional City departments’ accounts were intermittently subject to unauthorized access between the start of this incident and January 2021. This attack is believed to be connected to a series of malicious attacks that targeted health care and social services agencies during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

To date, the investigation has been unable to confirm whether any unauthorized persons have viewed any emails or attachments in the compromised accounts.

If you receive services or support through DBHIDS and have questions or concerns, you can call 1-888-858-1748 for more information. CBH members can call 1-888-545-2600 for more information.

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CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE on Inquirer.com

For years, Philadelphia officials made adjustments in how authorities respond to 911 calls for people in crisis. More police were trained to intervene. Outreach workers were paired with cops in Kensington. And a behavioral health specialist was embedded in the dispatch center.

Then in October, Philadelphia police fatally shot Walter Wallace Jr., firing 14 times at the 27-year-old Black man who approached them while wielding a knife and ignoring calls to drop it. Police were responding to 911 calls with screaming in the background from family and neighbors who said Wallace was hitting his parents.

When police arrived, Wallace’s wife shouted that her husband was “mental,” and family later said he was in crisis that day. But Wallace’s mental health status wasn’t discussed during the frantic 911 calls, and the police’s new behavioral health specialist wasn’t in the radio room when the calls came in.

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