Positive Practices Resource Team (PPRT)

The Positive Practice Resource Team is a joint initiative between the department's Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Office of Developmental Programs. The team is in place to serve individuals with a developmental disability who demonstrate at-risk behavioral challenges and who are determined to need enhanced levels of support not readily known, or available to them. The goals of this initiative are two-fold:

To build capacity within the provider network in Pennsylvania to serve individuals with a dual diagnosis of mental health and a developmental disability.
Provide consultation to the provider to help them serve the consumer in their home rather than in institutional care.

For more specific information and frequently asked questions, please refer to the PPRT brochure.

Referrals:

Referrals for Positive Practice Resource Team services are completed by the consumer's local county MH/MR Office; both offices are to be involved in the referral process. For an individual to be considered for resource team services they must meet the following criteria:

Have a mental health diagnosis
Have a developmental disability

All referrals are then sent to the Regional Office of Developmental Programs Field Office and collaboration will begin with the Regional Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Field Office in determining whether services will be offered.

Referral Form

Work Plans:

The Positive Practice Resource Team services work plan is a joint collaboration between the team, the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and Office of Developmental Programs regional field office staff, county staff, the provider, family members, and the consumer. The resource team is responsible for collecting and compiling information from this meeting into a work plan, which must be developed within two weeks of each meeting. The team leader will then submit the plan to the resource team statewide co-leaders. After the work plan is approved the team leader distributes to all involved parties. The Positive Practice Resource Team exit services when the criteria established in the work plan is achieved.

Referral Form

Work Plan Form

Meeting Attendance Form

Exit Form

Leader Guidelines

Leader Checklist

Positive Practice Resource Team Post Process:

The post process is designed to reinforce that support strategies are incorporated into the person’s individualized plans and to provide monitoring of the person’s stability and progress by the Office of Developmental Programs and Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services regional offices and the county administrative entities.

Post Services Guidelines

Pharmacological Reviews:

Pharmacological reviews of a consumer's medications will be conducted if the resource team concludes that a review would be beneficial for the consumer. Reviews are conducted by registered pharmacist volunteers currently working for Office of Developmental Programs or Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. When requesting a review all paperwork must be completed and include a current list of medications.

Pharmacy Review Tool

The resource team lead sends the pharmacological review requests and all correspondence to the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services statewide coordinator. Reviews typically take six to eight weeks. For questions regarding the Pharmacological Reviews, please contact the OMSAHA statewide coordinator; Gretchen Hathaway at (717)-772-7526 or the regional field office representative.

PPRT Team Members:

Once services are approved a Positive Practice Resource Team is organized. Team members are state employees of either a Pennsylvania state hospital or Office of Developmental Programs who have volunteered to provide services in their respective areas of skill and expertise.

PPRT Newsletters can be found in the PPRT section on PaRecovery.org

Other Topics