Continuing to help students learn during the pandemic, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is dedicating $15 million for schools to secure broadband, mobile hot spots, and other platforms that increase equitable access to remote learning.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced our schools to rethink and rework how to provide instruction to students who are learning completely at home or in a hybrid model,” said Gov. Wolf. “As schools reopen this fall, students need Internet connectivity, computers and other technology, and access to remote-learning platforms. This funding will help our students as we enter the new school year.”

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorizes governors to determine the educational use of Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funds.

The initiative will employ a multi-pronged approach that includes the use of state library networks and other partnerships, including the Pennsylvania Technical Training and Assistance Network (PaTTAN).

Specifically, the funding will be used to:

• Enable public libraries to coordinate work with the Internet Disaster Recovery Center to expand Internet connectivity in targeted county-wide geographic service areas identified as most in need. Expand the inventory of Wi-Fi hot spots and lendable technology through public libraries and addressing the technology deficit among libraries (estimated $1.4 million).
• Strengthen and expand the existing 24/7 online homework help through the POWER Library Chat with a Librarian service and additional electronic resources (estimated $100,000).
• Create and deploy Open Educational Resources (OER) for students and educators (estimated $500,000). OERs give students access to a wider range of instructional materials, including textbooks, videos and research, free of charge.
• Establish a statewide datacasting initiative with Pennsylvania PBS to connect students to learning content who don’t have access to the Internet (estimated $8 million). Datacasting uses over-the-air TV signals to deliver educational content that can be used on computers without having to access the Internet. Using a datacasting antenna, students can download lesson plans, videos, and worksheets from their schools.
• Distribute devices to be used in conjunction with datacasting technology for households without a connection to the Internet (e.g. datacasting antenna, laptops), and provide the technical supports and professional development to connect students to learning (estimated $3 million).
• Distribute accessible/assistive technology, including but not limited to software, tablets, tablet mounts, screens, smart pens, hotspots, devices, for K-12 students with exceptionalities in collaboration with the PaTTAN system (estimated $2 million).

“In response to the pandemic, PDE and others have created new partnerships and strengthened existing ones to ensure Pennsylvania’s students continue to be served, whether that is academically, nutritionally, or socially and emotionally,” said Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera. “This new initiative is another way in which communities are working together to benefit our students.”

This initiative builds on the Department of Education’s efforts to support schools’ efforts to implement continuity of education plans during the 2019-20 academic year when schools closed unexpectantly as a result of COVID-19, which included Equity Grants and a partnership with Pennsylvania’s PBS stations to air standards-aligned programming across the state.

To date, the Wolf Administration has awarded $102.5 million in GEER funding to help keep students and educators safe and meet the unique challenges of COVID-19. In addition to the $15 million for connectivity, the Wolf Administration has directed $17 million for schools designated for Additional Targeted Support and Improvement under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act; $15 million for special education; $28 million to postsecondary institutions and adult basic education providers; $14 million to K-12 schools to support equity in continuity of education; $10.5 million to Career and Technical Education Centers; and $3 million for Preschool Early Intervention Programs.

Last week, Pennsylvania’s new mobile COVID-19 response unit–Community-Accessible Testing and Education or “CATE”–visited Wilkes-Barre through a partnership of several agencies and companies: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Independence Blue Cross, Latino Connection and the Wright Center for Community Health . CATE offers free information, testing and a bag of useful items for any takers, all free. The Latino Connection specializes in helping companies reach the Latino demographic, but CATE is open to all. CATE is visiting sites across the commonwealth, partnering with FQHCs and other local providers who do the testing at each location. More information is available online at www.CATEmobileunit.com

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At the very moment the United States needed its public health infrastructure the most, many local health departments had all but crumbled, proving ill-equipped to carry out basic functions let alone serve as the last line of defense against COVID-19. Epidemiologists, academics and local health officials across the country say the nation’s public health system is one of many weaknesses that continue to leave the U.S. poorly prepared to handle the pandemic. Read more.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Assistant Secretary for Health, issued guidance under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) to expand access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines when they are made available. This guidance authorizes state-licensed pharmacists to order and administer, and state-licensed or registered pharmacy interns acting under the supervision of the qualified pharmacist to administer, COVID-19 vaccinations to persons ages 3 or older, subject to certain requirements. The authorization preempts any state and local laws that prohibit or effectively prohibit those who satisfy these requirements from ordering or administering COVID-19 vaccines as set forth above. The authorization does not preempt state and local laws that permit additional individuals to administer COVID-19 vaccines to additional persons. Access a copy of the guidance – PDF, information on Operation Warp Speed and clinical resources on vaccines, including continuing education training on best practices.

As many as 12 million people have lost access to employer-sponsored coverage because of COVID-19, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Analysts estimate that 6.4 million workers have lost access to insurance through their employer amid job losses during the pandemic. The 12 million comes from including spouses and dependents in those plans. It takes into consideration that not every worker who loses employer coverage will become uninsured. Read more.

When the COVID-19 emergency declaration eventually ends, many regulatory waivers and administrative flexibilities that consumers and health care providers have come to rely upon during this pandemic will abruptly end. This raises two significant concerns: the ability of the health care community to respond effectively to new threats will be diminished and consumers will have become accustomed to and expect these flexibilities–especially relating to telehealth–to continue. Rep. Christopher Quinn (R-Delaware) introduced HB 2779 to a set a clear timeline for the termination of waivers and administrative flexibilities afforded to health care providers and practitioners for one year after the end of the COVID-19 emergency declaration.