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Pennsylvania Publishes State Health Assessment, Highlights Specific Challenges Residents Face

Posted on by lad3

Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Alison Beam announced the Department of Health has published the 2020 Pennsylvania State Health Assessment (SHA). The assessment, titled The State of Our Health: A Statewide Health Assessment of Pennsylvania, points to specific health challenges in Pennsylvania and indicates where the largest improvements can be made.

“The State Health Assessment is essential to the department’s mission, which is creating a healthy Pennsylvania for all,” Acting Secretary Beam said. “It identifies health disparities, opportunities for health improvement, and resources available to support and promote improved health status. The State Health Assessment further reinforces our commitment to promoting healthy behaviors, preventing injury and disease, and assuring the safe delivery of quality health care for all Pennsylvanians.”

The 2020 SHA was developed by the department’s Office of Operational Excellence and the Healthy Pennsylvania Partnership (HPP), along with Public Health Management Corporation and Bloom Planning. The HPP is made up of nearly 280 volunteers, including many from the department, who collaborate on the development and maintenance of the SHA, and the development and implementation of the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP).

In addition to an overarching framework of social determinants of health and equity, there are eight themes in the 2020 SHA:

  • Access to care;
  • Environmental Health;
  • Mental Health;
  • Maternal and Infant Health;
  • Substance Use;
  • Injury and Violence Prevention;
  • Chronic Diseases; and
  • Infectious Diseases and Immunization.

From the report, we know that Pennsylvania’s population has become increasingly diverse; in 2019, 82 percent of individuals identified as white, 12 percent identified as black, 4 percent identified as Asian, and 2 percent identified as multi-racial or another race.

It is also an aging population, with 19 percent of the population aged 65 and over. In 2018, five percent of the adult population identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, and under one percent identified as transgender. Additionally:

  • The percent of high school students who, in the past 12 months, felt sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row, so that they stopped doing some usual activities, increased from 28 percent in 2015 to 35 percent in 2019. An even higher percentage of Hispanic and lesbian, gay, and bisexual high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless.
  • In 2019, about 17 percent of adults binge drank, 10 percent used illicit drugs, and 7 percent had a substance use disorder. Lesbian, gay or bisexual adults had a higher prevalence of binge drinking.
  • Based on 2015-2017 data, approximately one in two Pennsylvania residents will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime, and one in five will die of cancer.
  • While tobacco use has declined, it remains a leading risk factor for chronic diseases. In 2019, prevalence of smoking was higher among gay, lesbian and bisexual adults, those with lower household incomes, and those with lower educational status.
  • Among adults under age 65 in 2018, about 7 percent were uninsured. In 2019, among adults, 16 percent did not have a personal health care provider, and 10 percent needed to see a doctor in the past year but were unable to due to cost.
  • In 2018 and 2019, non-Hispanic black adults were less likely to have health care insurance and more unable to see a doctor due to cost than white adults. Hispanics were less likely to have insurance, more unable to see a doctor due to cost, and more likely to not have a personal health care provider than non-Hispanic white adults.
  • Early and adequate prenatal care is important for the health of the mother and to reduce newborn risks. In 2018, 2 percent of females who gave birth did not receive prenatal care. Black females were about four times as likely not to receive prenatal care compared to whites.
  • There were 1,833 neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)-related newborn hospital stays in 2018. NAS was highest among white babies, those from rural counties, and from families with lower household incomes.
  • Between 2003 and 2018, syphilis increased by close to 400 percent, chlamydia increased by 59 percent and gonorrhea increased by 34 percent. Black and Hispanic individuals were more likely to be diagnosed with syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.
  • Air pollution is one of the greatest health challenges in Pennsylvania. In 2019, the state ranked 47 of 50 states for the general public’s exposure to acceptable levels of particulate matter.
  • Violent crime in Pennsylvania decreased from 400 per 100,000 in 2008 to 306 per 100,000 residents in 2018. Between 2013 and 2018, the homicide rate among white residents held steady at two per 100,000, while for black individuals the rate increased to 29 per 100,000.

“Health departments, other agencies and nonprofit organizations use the State Health Assessment in their planning and program development,” Acting Secretary Beam said. “I encourage all organizations to use this document to educate and mobilize communities, set priorities, generate resources and adopt or revise policies to assure that Pennsylvania is a place where all people can achieve their full physical, mental and social well-being, free of inequities.”

More information on The State of Our Health: A Statewide Health Assessment of Pennsylvania can be found on the Department of Health’s website at health.pa.govOpens In A New Window or follow us on FacebookOpens In A New Window and TwitterOpens In A New Window.

MEDIA CONTACT:  April Hutcheson, ra-dhpressoffice@pa.gov

In Race for COVID-19 Vaccinations, Older Residents in Rural Pennsylvania Face Tough Obstacles

Posted on by lad3
by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA, Updated: February 5, 2021

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media.

Robert Keen figured his year of dodging the coronavirus was over.  At 84, the retired ambulance driver — who still works with his local fire department — is among the most at-risk from the disease, and thus was given top priority to get the vaccine. So he called up his doctor last month to schedule an appointment. He was told he would have to wait until April.

Keen lives in Forksville, a borough in Sullivan County about 60 miles west of Wilkes-Barre in the northeast. The county has a population of about 6,000 and does not have a hospital. There’s one stoplight, hundreds of acres of forests and state game lands, and one public school district. The pharmacy and medical center are too small to take on the work of administering coronavirus vaccines. Most residents get their health care at hospitals or doctor’s offices at least an hour away in neighboring counties.

Scheduling a vaccine appointment in Pennsylvania is already a competitive process exacerbated by a short supply and patchwork online scheduling systems. But older residents — who are supposed to be among the first in line — in rural areas face more obstacles. They live far away from major chain pharmacies such as CVS and RiteAid, and might not have internet or a means of transportation. Three rural counties — Forest, Fulton, and Sullivan — do not have major chain pharmacies that are participating in state and federal vaccine distribution programs, according to an analysis by Keith Mueller, director of the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis at the University of Iowa.

Rural counties also tend to have a larger share of older residents. About 17% of Pennsylvania’s 12.8 million residents are older than 65, census data show. In many rural counties, older residents make up about 20% of the population. “We’ve known that our population is very heavy on 65 and older,” Sullivan County Commissioner Brian Hoffman said. “We don’t have a large medical provider or a hospital. … Those two elements drove much of our preplanning.”

In Venango County in the northwest, Commissioner Albert Abramovic said he was worried about connecting residents who don’t have internet or cell phone service with appointments. About 21% of the county’s 50,000 residents are older than 65, according to census data, and 22% of households don’t have internet access. Abramovic said he’s heard of people waking up at 5 a.m. to log on to pharmacy scheduling websites or signing up multiple times to improve their chances of landing a spot.

In Juniata County, 19% of the population is older than 65 and a quarter of households do not have internet access. Some older residents live alone, on old family farms, said Alice Gray, one of the county’s commissioners. “Many of our older folks, they aren’t computer savvy,” Gray said. “They don’t use computers. So if the only way they have is to schedule an appointment via the internet, I don’t know if they know how to do that.”

A Weis Market and a health clinic in Mifflintown are the only sites offering vaccines in Juniata, according to state data. From the farthest reaches of the long, narrow county, getting there could be a 40-minute drive, Gray said.

‘Hodgepodge’

In a statement in late January, State Sen. Lindsey Williams (D., Allegheny) called for a system to alert residents when it’s their turn to sign up, along with stronger partnerships with local, independent pharmacies to reach residents, such as Keen, who don’t have access to corporate chains. “After more than 10 months of the uncertainty and hardships that this pandemic has brought us, Pennsylvanians are confused and anxious to receive a vaccine, and they deserve clearer communication and more concrete answers,” Williams said.

After a January hearing featuring health-care providers distributing vaccines in rural areas and state health officials, Sen. Gene Yaw (R., Lycoming) described the state’s distribution system as a “hodgepodge” and criticized the Health Department for poor planning and communication. “The bottom line is we need more vaccine,” said Yaw, who is also chair of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a legislative agency focused on Pennsylvania’s rural communities.  “The distribution system we have out there … I think we have to live with it,” Yaw said. “It’s too far along to go back and make a wholesale change at this point.”

As of Feb. 4, more than 880,000 people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, state data show, but about four million people are eligible to be vaccinated as part of the state’s Phase 1A, necessitating about eight million doses. Residents who qualify now need more and better communication — such as ads or explainers in print media — that don’t require the internet or a computer to access, Yaw said.

Some local governments have raised questions about whether they can get help from the National Guard. Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said Wednesday that its units are currently focused on responding to outbreaks in the state’s long-term care facilities but that the state is working to launch community clinics.

One recent clinic was in Pike County, in the northeast, and another in Sullivan, where Keen lives. Both were chosen by the state because those counties lack health-care infrastructure. The clinics also created an opportunity to address other distribution challenges, such as how to get vaccines to a large population of older residents and those without transportation. In Sullivan, about 27% of residents are older than 65, and 22% don’t have internet access. Officials in other counties are also preparing to launch local mass vaccination clinics.

Throughout January, Kevin Boozel, a commissioner in Butler County in Southwest Pennsylvania, said his office fielded as many as 70 calls and emails a day from residents frustrated that they don’t have information about where to get a vaccine. “I think people believe that we as county commissioners are holding back the vaccine,” said Boozel, who is also president of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.

Many counties have worked with their local emergency service departments to put plans together for community vaccination clinics, and they’re brainstorming ways to reach people living in public housing and to use plans developed during previous emergencies, such as the H1N1 flu outbreak, Boozel said. “We stand ready to help as we continue to work through this pandemic,” he said. None of their plans can be enacted until the state tells counties how many doses they will receive, where they’ll go, and when those shipments will arrive, he said.

Warren General Hospital, an 85-bed community hospital in Warren County, has been vaccinating about 600 to 1,000 people a week, Richard Allen, hospital CEO, said during a state House health committee hearing Wednesday. It is not equipped to handle a larger volume of people while still running the hospital. As more become eligible to receive the vaccine, the hospital will need help, Allen said. “In the face of these uncharted pandemic waters,” Allen said, there is “a void in terms of coordinated direction, authority, and resources.”

Primary Health Network, which serves residents in rural counties throughout the state, recently acquired a mobile health unit that will be used for both coronavirus testing and vaccines, said George Garrow, chief medical officer for the network. But even as the system gears up to vaccinate people who aren’t able to reach a vaccination site, it has had to close offices — which are sometimes as small as three people — if staff are exposed to the coronavirus, Garrow said during a January hearing with the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. “As this situation progresses, I do see it necessary to engage with the National Guard to assist in vaccinating mass quantities of communities,” he said.

A model for the state?

Mobilizing vaccination efforts in rural areas takes more than just someone to give the shot.

After it got word from the state that a clinic could be held in Sullivan County, local officials decided it should be held at the Sullivan Elementary School in Laporte — a familiar, central location that often doubles as a space for community events. Public transportation is limited: The county got its first public bus route in October, and getting around requires “a car, or a relative who has one,” Commissioner Darlene Fenton said.  The plan was to vaccinate 500 eligible people on Jan. 29 and Jan. 30.

Information was posted on the local government website earlier that week, said Hoffman, the commissioner. By the time the local weekly newspaper, the Sullivan Review, ran a summary outlining details of the event in its Jan. 27 edition, all of the appointments had been filled. “The demand for vaccines was definitely more than our available supply,” he said. The local Area Agency on Aging, which works with the county’s older residents to connect them with personal care resources, helped them register. Other eligible people heard through their local emergency medical services and fire department, including Keen. Five older residents who received vaccines Friday relied on a special service provided by the local tri-county transit system to make it to their appointments. Four are already scheduled to use the service when they return for their second dose in late February.

It took a team of at least 54 people — including local volunteers in color-coded vests to check in residents, medical workers, county employees, and state Health Department staff — to keep the clinic running, according to figures provided by Sullivan officials. Inside, however, it felt more like a gathering than a vaccination site, with laughter and neighbors catching up with each other for the first time in months. “We’re a small county,” Hoffman said. “So a lot of people already know each other and already worked together on other things.”

Maryanne Karpovich, an 85-year-old from Dushore, has a pulmonary disease and a pacemaker — “two strikes against me,”   She said. Before scheduling with the clinic, she tried to track down an appointment elsewhere but was told she’d have to wait weeks. “You won’t be as afraid,” Karpovich said after receiving her shot. “But you still have to wear the mask.”

After being told by his doctor he’d have to wait until April, Keen received his first dose of the Moderna vaccine Jan. 29. “I feel great,” he said afterward.

Pennsylvania Governor and Aging Secretary Share Community-Based Solutions Helping Pennsylvanians 65-plus Access the COVID-19 Vaccine

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As the state continues to get vaccine to Phase 1A-eligible Pennsylvanians, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Robert Torres highlighted some of the community-based solutions that are working to help Pennsylvanians 65-plus access the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We need to foster these community-based solutions,” Gov. Wolf said. “Every community in Pennsylvania has unique needs and challenges, but we can learn a lot from listening to one another and lifting up creative solutions that are making a difference in the state’s vaccination efforts.”

Acknowledging that vaccine distribution has been slower than anyone would prefer and can be frustrating for Pennsylvanians, the governor noted that making a direct comparison between states is not an accurate reporting.

“Every state is different and has different needs, just like every community in Pennsylvania has different needs,” Wolf said. “Pennsylvania has one of the largest populations of older adults in the nation, but we’ve received an allotment of just over 150,000 vaccine doses a week so far from the federal government, which provides all the vaccine the state receives. Still, we are making progress with more than 1.4 million Pennsylvanians receiving one or both of their vaccine doses to date.”

With restricted supplies, the state and communities are working to meet unique challenges and present solutions to help more people get vaccinated.

Throughout the commonwealth, adults age 65 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine now in Phase 1A. Older adults in long-term care are getting the vaccine through the facility where they live through the Federal Pharmacy Partnership, but there are thousands of other Pennsylvanians 65 and older who live on their own or in senior housing or other settings that don’t qualify them for the long-term care vaccine program.

Not every older adult has access to the Internet or, if they do, may find it challenging to go online to find providers in their area who have received vaccine, and even more challenging to navigate online appointment portals. Some need someone to help them navigate the process.

The Department of Health launched the Your Turn vaccine eligibility tool that gives anyone who signs up a reminder when it is their turn to receive the vaccine and guides them how seek an appointment from a local provider.

Older adults who have questions about vaccine availability in their community and how to make an appointment may also call the Department of Health hotline at 1-877-724-3258 to get help.

Efforts to get more eligible people vaccinated are taking place on the local level, too. Sec. of Aging Robert Torres joined the governor to outline what local Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) and his department are doing to provide unique, working solutions to Pennsylvanians 65-plus.

“Since the first case of COVID-19 was announced, Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) have helped to ensure that the needs of older adults are being met,” Sec. Torres said. “Now, AAAs and their community partners are responding to the call to help older adults navigate the COVID-19 vaccination process.”

Depending on capacity and resources, AAAs are:

  • Coordinating with their local health care providers, county government and EMS
  • Providing guidance and support
  • Assisting with scheduling
  • Arranging transportation
  • Offering senior centers to serve as vaccine clinics, and
  • Participating in county COVID-19 planning commissions

Torres detailed the successful work of the Butler County Area Agency of Aging, which has been part of the county’s COVID-19 Planning Commission since the beginning of the pandemic, and that is working now with local vaccine providers to help those 65-plus obtain vaccine appointments. The AAA also is providing information, coordinating transportation and even helping at vaccination sites to ensure those receiving the vaccine aren’t having any immediate side effects.

“Butler County AAA has helped more than 1,200 older adults obtain vaccine appointments and is ensuring that forms are completed in the system for the older adult,” Torres said. “The vaccine appointment no-show rate for these older adults is zero percent.”

AAAs also enlisted community senior center workers to help with appointment reminders and coordinating transportation, or just to check how someone is feeling post-vaccination.

Torres also outlined how PACE, Pennsylvania’s low-cost prescription program for older adults, has launched a comprehensive assistance and outreach effort to help its 275,000 PACE/PACENET enrollees obtain vaccines.

PACE designated a team of phone operators in its Harrisburg Call Center to serve as the COVID-19 Special Scheduling Unit — a dedicated unit for arranging vaccinations for PACE cardholders.

These operators will also be working with cardholders to arrange for transportation to the vaccination site or working with PACE’s pharmacy network members to vaccinate at a cardholder’s residence, if necessary.

For older adults who don’t have access to a computer, PA Link to Aging and Disability Resources, which connects older adults and adults with disabilities to services and technical supports, is also stepping up to take calls and offer assistance.

When people call the PA Link for help with getting a vaccine, PA Link counselors will assess the caller’s situation, offer guidance and transfer to a scheduling team. For those callers with transportation needs, the Link counselors will also be able to contact PA Link partners and AAAs at the local level to assist with coordinating local transportation. The PA Link number is 1-800-753-8827.

“Community-based solutions like these are being developed every day, and my administration is working to support them,” Gov. Wolf said. “We’ll continue to lift up successes so that communities across the commonwealth can learn from one another, but we can’t expect a cookie cutter approach. Every community is different, and the solutions that work in Butler County may not be the ones that are most needed in Luzerne County or any other county in the state.

“We can overcome the challenges before us by improving collaboration and coordination, and we should leverage the knowledge and experience of the people who know their communities best. Thank you to all of these dedicated, hardworking people at the Area Agencies on Aging and the Department of Aging. Your work is saving lives.”

Highlighting Health Disparities During American Heart Month and Black History Month

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Join the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) this February as it recognizes American Heart Month and Black History Month by helping those affected by heart disease take steps toward better health.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., including Black Americans (23.5%). This group is also more likely to be susceptible to chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes that increase their risk for heart disease. In addition, among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, Black Americans have a higher prevalence of heart failure when compared to other minority populations.

Highlighting these conditions is of increased priority during the COVID-19 pandemic as heart conditions, including heart failure and coronary artery disease, put adults that are affected by them at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

These observances offer CMS OMH an opportunity to bring awareness about heart disease, its risk factors, and how heart disease disproportionately affects Black communities. CMS offers a variety of resources that can be used to improve access to health care services and health equity within these vulnerable communities as well as eliminate existing health disparities:

Resources

  • Visit cms.gov/omhcovid19 to find Federal resources to assist those who work with the populations most vulnerable to COVID-19. Partners and organizations are also encouraged to download and share From Coverage to Care (C2C) COVID-19 resources to help everyone remain healthy during this public health emergency. Access these resources and shareable graphics at go.cms.gov/c2ccovid19.
  • Review the C2C Roadmap to Better Care and a Healthier You to help patients better understand their health coverage and how to use it to access primary care and preventive services.
  • Download and share C2C Prevention Resources to provide information about the preventive services that are available to adults, teens, children, and infants, with many available at no cost under most health coverage.
  • Visit the C2C 5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Coverage webpage to learn how to help patients prioritize their health and live a long and healthy life.
  • Read CMS OMH’s heart-related data snapshots to learn more about health disparities that exist within the Medicare population: Heart Failure, Ischemic Heart Disease, and Hypertension.
  • Visit the webpage for the Connected Care campaign, which helps raise awareness of the benefits of chronic care management (CCM) for patients with multiple chronic conditions and provides health care professionals with resources to implement CCM. This program for Medicare beneficiaries helps connect patients to the services they need to manage chronic conditions.
  • Download the CCM Connected Care Toolkit to learn more about how CCM can benefit your patients and practice.
  • Watch and share the “Connecting the Dots” animated video for patients about CCM services for Medicare beneficiaries living with multiple chronic conditions; the video is also available in Spanish.
  • Read CMS OMH’s Building an Organizational Response to Disparities (Executive Summary) to find evidence-based interventions that can contribute to reducing health disparities.

Review A Practical Guide to Implementing the National CLAS Standards: For Racial, Ethnic, and Linguistic Minorities, People with Disabilities and Sexual and Gender Minorities to help enable your organization to implement the national culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) Standards and improve health equity.

MACPAC Makes Recommendations to Congress on Maternal Health Policies 

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The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) made important recommendations to Congress on policies that will have a positive impact on maternal health for all states, and policies that are supported by many advocates in Pennsylvania. The first major recommendation is to guarantee 12-month postpartum health care coverage for pregnant women in Medicaid. Research has shown how critical it is for maternal health to ensure moms have access to health care for at least 12 months after birth. Additionally, MACPAC recommends aligning the extended coverage policy for pregnant women with expanded coverage for pregnant women in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in states. Finally, the Commission recommends that Congress provide a 100% federal matching rate (FMAP) for the extended postpartum coverage in Medicaid.

MACPAC’s recommendations to Congress on these maternal health policies are supported by many advocates across the country, and many states submitted comments to the Commission for its consideration, including Pennsylvania’s prenatal-to-age-three collaborative. Additionally, the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families wrote a blog about the recommendations.

Although these are only recommendations, it is a huge win for maternal health advocates and pregnant women across the country! We are hopeful Congress will take these recommendations seriously and act on improving policies to ensure greater maternal health.

Pennsylvania’s prenatal-to-age-three collaborative is advocating for important policies that increase access to coverage and services for pregnant women and women.

Medicaid & CHIP Connect Kids to Health Care in Every PA Community 

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Across Pennsylvania, from our rural communities to our urban centers, kids rely on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for their comprehensive health insurance, including the nearly 1.2 million children enrolled in Medicaid and more than 179,000 children enrolled in CHIP.

See below for updated fact sheets showing enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP by Congressional District, State House District and State Senate District:

Enrollment by State Senate District

Community Water Fluoridation Equipment Grant Applications Being Accepted

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PCOH is requesting proposals for community water fluoridation equipment grants. This grant seeks to issue funds to those public water systems wishing to initiate, update, or expand the practice of community water fluoridation. Priority will be given to initiation projects. A total of $20,000 will be awarded in the first half of 2021. Additional grants may be awarded in 2021 as funding becomes available. All grant applicants must complete the State Fluoridation Equipment Survey prior to submitting applications. Applications are due March 1, 2021.

Click here to take the survey.
Click here for the guidelines.

Medicare and Coronavirus (COVID-19)

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Medicare wants to help protect you from COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older adults and people who have severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung, or kidney disease seem to be at higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness. This means that people with Medicare may be at higher risk. Medicare covers:

For the latest information about:

What the U.S. Government is doing in response to COVID-19, go to USA.gov.

New / Updated Training Materials

2021 Medicare Amounts job aid (in multiple languages)

2021 Medicare Appeals Processes job aid

The CMS National Training Program has training materials for many Medicare topics, including PowerPoint modules that can be customized for your audience. Check them out at CMSnationaltrainingprogram.cms.gov.

NTP Webinar Recordings

January NTP Medicare Update & Education Webinar (Recorded January 14, 2021): We shared Medicare updates, tips for training preparation, and demonstrated how to use our NTP website to maximize your Medicare training experience.

January 2021 Understanding Medicare Webinar Day 1

January 2021 Understanding Medicare Webinar Day 2

To view all of our webinar recordings, please visit the NTP website.

Did You Know?

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services 2021-2022 Budget Update

Posted on by lad3

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) serves more than 3 million people across Pennsylvania through both direct services and the programs and providers DHS licenses and oversees. DHS is an agency that is a resource and lifeline for all Pennsylvanians. The services provided are here for those who need them currently and for those who may fall on hard times or experience a significant life change and unexpected event – the times we cannot fully plan for. The last year has brought new meaning to that. A global pandemic, historic levels of unemployment, and a complete change to our daily way of life has upended normalcy for all of us. It has also reinforced how critical a robust social support network is in weathering a crisis like we now experience every day.

The investments in the 2021-2022 budget will help as DHS navigate this crisis and look towards a collective recovery. They will support the work to help the Pennsylvanians served live healthier lives, reach self-sufficiency, and achieve a better life.

Governor Wolf’s 2021-22 Budget seeks to answer the urgent need of the crises we face and set a foundation for an effective, lasting recovery. Budget initiatives center on the following themes, and we’ve detailed more information about DHS initiatives that fall into these themes:

  • Advancing Pennsylvania’s Economic Recovery
  • Prioritizing Education
  • Investing in Our Kids
  • Advancing Fairness, Equity, and Quality in Our Public Education System
  • Making College More Affordable
  • Back to Work PA
  • Keeping Pennsylvanians Safe Through Criminal Justice Reforms
  • Protecting the Most Vulnerable
  • Increasing Local Capacity to Fight COVID-19
  • Protecting our Environment by Investing in Workers, Communities, and a Clean Future
  • Repairing and Improving Our Infrastructure

Read the full DHS 2021-22 Budget Overview and the Governor’s Budget Proposal.

Pennsylvania Announces Submissions Now Being Accepted for Statewide Virtual Photo Exhibit Documenting COVID-19 in Pennsylvania

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Pennsylvania First Lady Frances Wolf announced that the submission period for One Lens: Sharing Our Common Views is open and Pennsylvanians can begin sharing their photos documenting their COVID-19 experience. The first lady announced the statewide virtual photo exhibit in January and its mission to celebrate the hard work and commitment of all Pennsylvanians as we continue our fight against COVID-19, as well as create a visual record of this historical moment.

More information about the exhibit and how to participate can be found here.

“It is very exciting to begin collecting photos,” said First Lady Wolf. “Since we launched the One Lens initiative, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from individuals across the state who want to share these pieces of their lives. And not every story is going to be about picking up new hobbies and finding bright spots during this time, but that’s what we want to convey. Every story, no matter how sad and no matter how frustrating, matters. These are our stories as Pennsylvanians, and they need to be remembered and honored.”

One Lens highlights the importance of preserving history by encouraging Pennsylvanians to share their experiences during COVID-19 through photography. The submitted images will be displayed for public viewing and archived as visual documentation of the pandemic. By using photography as the medium to tell these stories, One Lens also emphasizes using art as a tool for Pennsylvanians to cope, heal and inspire one another. The exhibit covers three themes:

  •   Our Heroes, paying homage to the pandemic heroes who cannot stay home;
  •   Our Lives, looking at how we spend our time when no one is watching; and
  •   Our Communities, showcasing Pennsylvanians uniting in the face of a global
    health crisis.

The photo submission period will remain open until Monday, March 8, 2021. The full exhibit will be released on Friday, March 19, 2021.

In preparation of the exhibit, five ambassadors were selected to represent the central, northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest regions of the state. These regional ambassadors will use their strong connection to their regions to ensure that the One Lens exhibit will truly reflect the experiences of Pennsylvania’s diverse, vibrant, and resilient communities.

One Lens is presented in partnership with the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Photography experience is not required to contribute to the statewide exhibit. For more information on the regional ambassadors, the overall project, and rules for participation, visit  https://www.pa.gov/one-lens/. For exhibit updates, highlights, and inspiration, follow One Lens on Facebook and Instagram.