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$260 Million in Funding Announced to Help Pennsylvanian’s with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism During Pandemic
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that people with intellectual disabilities and autism and the providers of support services for these vulnerable Pennsylvanians will receive $260 million in CARES Act funding to help continue to provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This funding will help the more than 40,000 Pennsylvanians who receive assistance through one of the Department of Human Services’ programs or facilities. It will help to improve the quality of life for these vulnerable Pennsylvanians and those who have dedicated their lives to caring for them, and it will bring relief to families and loved ones knowing we are committed to providing the highest level of care possible, even during a pandemic.
Gov. Wolf was joined by Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller, who outlined to details of funding allocations. “These dollars are intended to supplement the budgets of an industry built on the values of service, caregiving, and inclusion – an industry hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sec. Miller said. “To all of our intellectual disability and autism service providers and direct support professionals – thank you for your tireless and selfless work over the past three months, and for your dedication to helping Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism achieve the everyday life they deserve.”
The $260 million will be allocated as follows:
- $90 million to providers of residential, respite, and shift nursing services.
- $80 million to providers of Community Participation Support services for 120 days of retainer payments, covering operations from March through June.
- $90 million to providers of in-home and community, supported and small group employment, companion, and transportation trip services for 120 days of retainer payments, covering operations from March through June.
More Information on DHS’ intellectual disability and autism services can be found online at dhs.pa.gov.
Penn State Project ECHO Unites Providers to Serve Vulnerable Communities Amid Pandemic
When Penn State Project ECHO’s (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) team of six staff members mobilized to address the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March, director Dr. Jennifer Kraschnewski could never have guessed they would offer sessions almost every day for a month.
“Information about COVID-19 changes quickly,” said Kraschnewski, a professor of medicine at Penn State College of Medicine. “There’s a lot of things to consider from proper use of personal protective equipment to how to assess and care for COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized.”
Project ECHO, a telementoring network, originated at the University of New Mexico in 2003 and came to Penn State in 2018 as a means for experts to disseminate critical information on treating opioid use disorder to primary health care providers in rural settings.
As of mid-April, more than 700 participants from 31 states and six countries had registered for the COVID-19 series. With the help of nearly 40 specialists who volunteered their expertise, topics discussed ranged from outpatient management of COVID-19 patients to methods for medical students to contribute during the pandemic and the latest information on clinical research for COVID-19 therapies. As more people joined and more research and statistics about the epidemiology of the outbreak became available, Kraschnewski said the diversity of the sessions evolved as well.
The platform typically uses case studies, or real-life anonymous patient scenarios, to teach other health care professionals best practices for diagnosing and treating certain conditions. But during the pandemic it has been used to communicate with a variety of different audiences, including community residents.
Project ECHO presented a series of sessions on caring for loved ones with COVID-19 at home. Organizers designed the sessions and presented them in Spanish and Nepali to appeal to communities in Dauphin, Lebanon and Berks counties where Hispanic and Nepali populations need critical information on prevention and management of COVID-19 symptoms in their native languages. Hispanic and Nepalese people are at disproportionately higher risk for contracting COVID-19. The Project ECHO team consulted community leaders to identify information gaps and provide the experts and resources.
As the pandemic progressed, epidemiologists and public health experts began to notice that long-term care facilities and nursing homes were vulnerable to outbreaks. Recent data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health showed more than half of COVID-19-related deaths in the state had occurred in nursing homes.
To address the disparity, Project ECHO leaders decided a separate series for staff, administrators and providers in skilled nursing facilities was essential. They covered topics including infection control, what to do when the first positive case of COVID-19 is diagnosed in a facility, how to isolate and care for COVID-19 patients before and after hospitalization, proper personal protective equipment, risk assessment and crisis planning.
A colleague invited Dr. Daniel Haimowitz, a geriatrician and internal medicine physician, to join the Project ECHO webinars. He serves as medical director for several long-term care facilities in the greater Philadelphia area. Haimowitz says he finds value in sharing experiences and building new collaborations with other health care professionals who are responding to the pandemic in nursing facilities and assisted living communities.
“Talking to colleagues to get the latest information in a crisis is essential,” Haimowitz said. He had been working on developing a plan for medication management, only to find out that experts from other states were doing the same thing. That led to the development and presentation of a Project ECHO webinar on the subject.
“The sessions connect people who are trying to answer the same questions and help us share information with each other,” Haimowitz said. “It’s validating to know that many of my peers are facing similar challenges and that we can share what has or has not worked for us.”
Kraschnewski wants to build on the success of the skilled nursing series and measure whether Project ECHO can improve infection control in nursing homes. She recently submitted a research grant proposal to determine whether the telementoring network can help with implementation of infection control guidelines in nursing homes. Sixteen different stakeholders backed the proposal, including nursing home residents and their families, nursing home staff and administrators, three state agencies, and three state professional organizations.
“Nursing homes are where our most vulnerable and impacted population in the pandemic live,” Kraschnewski said. “As guidelines continue to change, I believe that ECHO will allow us to communicate essential information to the front line staff who need it most in these vulnerable settings.”
Click here to learn more about Penn State Project ECHO and register for an upcoming session.
Pennsylvania Department of Health Reminds Pennsylvanians about Ticks, Warns Some Symptoms of Lyme Disease Similar to COVID-19
Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine today reminded Pennsylvanians to take proper steps to prevent against tick bites and recognize the symptoms of Lyme disease, as some symptoms of Lyme disease are similar to those of COVID-19. Ticks can carry Lyme disease, among other dangerous diseases, that can be severe if not treated properly.
Preliminary data show that more than 8,500 cases of Lyme disease were reported in Pennsylvania in 2019. The department is continuing to compile complete Lyme disease data, and final numbers for 2019 should be available within the next month. Over time, if not treated, Lyme disease can lead to severe symptoms that affect the heart, nervous system and joints.
You are at risk of getting a tick any time you are outside, including in wooded and bushy areas, areas with high grass and leaf litter, and even in your own yard. This is why it is important to take steps to decrease your chances of getting bitten. To reduce your chances of a tick bite:
- Walk in the center of trails and avoid areas with high grass and leaf litter;
- Use a repellent that contains at least 20% DEET;
- Wear light-colored clothing;
- Conduct full-body tick checks on yourself and on your pets after spending time outdoors; and
- Take a bath or shower within 2 hours after coming indoors.
If you have been bitten by a tick, make sure to monitor the area for any kinds of symptoms and contact your health care provider immediately. Symptoms of Lyme disease can include:
- A red, swollen bulls-eye shape rash;
- Fever;
- Chills;
- Headache;
- Fatigue;
- Muscle and joint aches; and
- Swollen lymph nodes.
Pennsylvania Guidelines Issued for COVID-19 County Relief Block Grant Program
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) has made program guidelines for the COVID-19 County Relief Block Grant Program available on its website. The program makes $625M available to, among other purposes, offset the cost of direct county COVID-19 response, assist municipalities with COVID-19 response and planning efforts, fund nonprofit assistance programs and deploy broadband to unserved or underserved areas.
Of note, one of the eligible uses of funds listed in the guidelines is grant programs to support costs of assisting businesses during COVID-19 by CEDOS, LDDs, IRCs, SBDCs and EDCs. Grants will be administered by DCED.
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Invites Applications for $2.5 Million in Conservation Excellence Grants Created by PA Farm Bill
Funds will be administered by the Lancaster and York County Conservation Districts. Lancaster and York County farms have been prioritized for their location along the Susquehanna River that empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Measures funded in these two counties have the greatest potential impact to improve water quality in a region that is home to almost four million Pennsylvanians. Funds may be made available to farms in other counties if available.
Some examples of eligible measures — called Best Management Practices, or BMPs — include fencing to keep livestock out of streams, streambank restoration, cover crops, planted streamside buffers to filter nutrients out of streams, manure storage, and comprehensive plans to manage nutrients, control erosion and conserve soil and water. Funding will support technical assistance and the installation of these and other high-impact BMPs.
The PA Farm Bill, a historic $23 million investment in growing and sustaining the commonwealth’s agriculture industry, was modeled after the governor’s six-point plan to cultivate future generations of Pennsylvania agriculture. The bill supports business development and succession planning, creates accommodations for a growing animal agriculture sector, removes regulatory burdens, strengthens the ag workforce, protects infrastructure, and works toward making Pennsylvania the nation’s leading organic state.
BMPs funded by Conservation Excellence Grants will help Pennsylvania meet its federally mandated goals to reduce nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment into the Chesapeake Bay by 2025.
Applications will be accepted beginning July 1, and evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis, according to their potential to meet program criteria. Grant funding may be combined with other public grants, tax credits such as the Resource Enhancement and Protection Program (REAP), and private funding.
Find applications, instructions and more information about Conservation Excellence Grants on the department’s website. Applications are also available from the Lancaster County Conservation District Office and York Conservation District Office. Completed applications should be returned to the district office for the county in which the applicant’s farm is located. Complete grant program guidelines can also be found in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. Farmers with questions about applying may contact Program Administrator Eric Cromer at 223-666-2556 or ecromer@pa.gov.
Pennsylvania Governor Announces $40 Million in CARES Act Funding Available to Address Dairy Industry Relief, Food Security
Pennsylvania Governor Wolf announced the availability of $40 million in funding through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to support Pennsylvania’s dairy industry and food security programs, following months of uncertainty and loss from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, $15 million will provide an opportunity for dairy farmers to receive direct relief payments and $5 million will reimburse dairy farmers who participate in the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) program by donating excess dairy product to the commonwealth’s charitable food system.
Any dairy farm that experienced financial losses due to discarded or displaced milk during the COVID-19 emergency disaster may apply for assistance. Each farm with a documented loss will receive a minimum of $1,500 and an additional prorated share of the remaining funds, not to exceed the actual amount assessed by the handler. The deadline to apply for the Dairy Indemnity Program is September 30, 2020.
Also, $15 million will go to the State Food Purchase Program, which provides cash grants to counties for the purchase and distribution of food to low income individuals, and $5 million will go to the PASS program to reimburse the agricultural industry for the costs involved in harvesting, processing, packaging and transporting food that they donate to the charitable food system. The PASS program helps to support Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry in all 67 counties and reduce waste of agricultural surplus by making connections between production agriculture and the non-profit sector.
Throughout the COVID-19 public health crisis, the Wolf Administration has comprehensively addressed food.
2020 National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Assessment
The report from the National Association of State EMS Officials describes emergency medical services at the state and national levels and includes sources and amounts of federal funding, including the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.
RWJF: Health Equity Principles for Re-opening and Recovering from COVID-19
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released a brief for state and local leaders with considerations for health equity in the public health response to the pandemic.
SAMHSA Produces Reports on COVID-19 and Behavioral Health Disparities in Black and Latino Communities
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides data on social and economic factors that contribute to poor health outcomes in communities of color. A separate issue brief from SAMHSA presents recent data on the prevalence of opioid misuse and death in the Black/African American population.
House Members Sign Bipartisan Letter in Support of Prioritizing Disadvantaged Communities in Forthcoming Stimulus Bill
Last week, 80 members of the House of Representatives signed a