As Pennsylvanians continue to fight the health risks of COVID-19, Gov. Tom Wolf called on the General Assembly to pass legislation for paid sick and family leave for workers who need to miss work for an illness or to take care of a loved one. According to the governor’s office, enacting a paid sick leave law would help an estimated 400,000 Pennsylvanians, particularly low-wage workers who are forced to work when ill, risking their health and that of the employees and customers around them. Providing paid sick leave would improve public health and help to prevent more people from getting sick.

The Mental Health Technology Transfer Center has a series of webinars and other resources useful for helping students and staff cope with changes in schooling.  Find more information here.

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a summary of all current COVID-19-related waivers and flexibilities that affect Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Critical Access Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and rural hospitals generally. It also describes the significance of each provision for these rural providers and facilities.  Read more here.

On August 26, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services updated their COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Medicare Billing to include guidance on how hospitals should treat CARES Act Provider Relief Funds (PRF) in upcoming cost reports.  Beginning in April, funds were distributed to providers, including targeted disbursements to rural providers, to support COVID-19 relief efforts.  The new guidance on pages 99-101 of the FAQs informs hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, and other providers on how to report the PRF payments on the Medicare Cost Report and whether those payments should offset expenses.  Read more here.

On September 2,  the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published an Interim Final Rule with Comment Period that includes new requirements in the hospital and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for daily reporting of COVID-19 data. These regulations are effective on September 2, 2020 and are applicable for the duration of the Public Health Emergency for COVID–19.  While many hospitals are voluntarily reporting this information now, not all are. Hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals, will face possible termination of Medicare and Medicaid payment if unable to correct reporting deficiencies. The rule also includes updates to Extraordinary Circumstances Exceptions (ECE) for several quality reporting programs and a revised policy on repeated COVID-19 testing.  Read more here.

President Trump and 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.

“This action builds upon our Administration’s progress toward delivering a safe, effective, and widely available vaccine by 2021,” said Assistant Secretary for Health ADM Brett P. Giroir, M.D. “Allowing pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 vaccines will greatly expand convenient access for the American people.”

The authorization preempts any state and local laws that prohibit or effectively prohibits 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

Clinical resources on vaccines, including continuing education training on best practices

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that restaurants may increase indoor occupancy to 50 percent starting September 21. To ensure that these businesses operate safely as Pennsylvania continues to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and to instill customers and employees with confidence knowing that they can dine safely, restaurants will ​commit to strictly complying to all public health safety guidelines and orders through a self-certification process.

“While our aggressive and appropriate mitigation efforts have kept case counts low, we must continue to take important steps to protect public health and safety as we head into the fall. At the same time, we must also support the retail food services industry that has struggled throughout this pandemic,” Gov. Wolf said. “The self-certification ensures that ​restaurants can expand indoor operations and commit to all appropriate orders so that employees and customers alike can be confident they are properly protected.”

Restaurants that self-certify will appear in the Open & Certified Pennsylvania searchable online database of certified restaurants across the commonwealth. Consumers will be able to access this database and find certified businesses in their area, ensuring that consumers can make more informed choices about the food establishments they are looking to patronize.

The self-certification documents and information about the Open & Certified Pennsylvania program can be found online starting September 21 and will contain the following:

• A list of requirements contained in the current restaurant industry guidance and enforcement efforts;
• A statement that the owner has reviewed and agrees to follow these requirements;
• The business’ maximum indoor occupancy number based on the fire code; and
• A statement that the owner understands that the certification is subject to penalties for unsworn falsification to authorities.

Any restaurant that wishes to ​increase to 50 percent indoor capacity on September 21 must complete the online self-certification process by October 5. Business owners should keep a copy of the self-certification confirmation they will receive by e-mail. Social distancing, masking and other mitigation measures must be employed to protect workers and patrons. Further, starting September 21 restaurants that have alcohol sales will close alcohol sales at 10:00 PM.

Additionally, restaurants that self-certify will be mailed Open & Certified Pennsylvania branded materials, such as window clings and other signage designating their certification, which they can display for customers and employees.

The self-certification will be used as part of ongoing enforcement efforts conducted by Department of Agriculture and Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, and will be shared with the departments of State, Labor & Industry and Health, and other enforcement agencies. Restaurants operating at 50 percent capacity will have their self-certification status checked as part of ongoing enforcement by these agencies starting on October 5, and will focus on educating businesses. The commonwealth will continue its measured approach to easing restrictions, keeping the rest of the targeted mitigation tactics specific to the food retail industry in place as restaurants increase capacity to 50 percent.

Further, a restaurant’s listing in the Open & Certified Pennsylvania restaurant database shows it cares about its customers, employees, community and the economic future of the state.

The self-certification process is modeled after a similar mitigation effort in Connecticut, and the alcohol sales limitation is modelled after a similar mitigation effort in Ohio.

Boosting consumer confidence is critical for restaurants, as according to the most recent Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, only 40 percent of Americans are comfortable dining in local restaurants.

“We recognize the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Pennsylvania’s small businesses, especially on our restaurants,” added Gov. Wolf. “Through this self-certification process, our commonwealth’s restaurant industry will ensure the safety and well-being of both employees and patrons alike, and will be able to begin a return to normal operations and financial recovery.”

Restaurant owners with additional questions about the self-certification program can contact covidselfcert@pa.gov.

In July, following the recommendations of the federal government and in response to a rise in COVID-19 cases, Governor Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine signed orders for targeted mitigation efforts for all Pennsylvania businesses in the food services industry, including restaurants, wineries, breweries, private clubs and bars. Commonwealth and local agencies continued and even increased appropriate enforcement measures.

The governor has urged the General Assembly to support his plan to provide additional recovery for small businesses, including proposing $100 million in forgivable loans and grants for the hospitality, leisure and service industries.

The governor has also urged Congress to quickly provide financial relief to the nation’s restaurants by passing the Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed to Survive (RESTAURANTS) Act. The bipartisan bill in Congress provides $120 billion to help independent restaurants with the economic challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The administration of Pennsylvania Governor Wolf released frequently asked questions for restaurant owners to reference following the newly announced self-certification process.

This new process, Open & Certified Pennsylvania, ensures that customers and employees know that they can dine safely at restaurants ​committed to strictly complying with all public health safety guidelines and orders as we work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the commonwealth.

“The novel coronavirus has created new challenges for Pennsylvania businesses, and it is critical that we provide avenues of support for our restaurants, which have been disproportionately impacted,” Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin.

“Open & Certified Pennsylvania will instill consumer faith and allow our small businesses to recover more quickly, and we want to make the process as simple and easy as possible. The list of frequently asked questions we are releasing today will help ensure that this transition goes as smoothly as possible for Pennsylvania businesses.”

Any restaurant that wishes to ​increase to 50 percent indoor capacity on September 21 must complete the online self-certification process by October 5.

Restaurant owners with additional questions about the self-certification program can contact covidselfcert@pa.gov.

On August 25, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced over $117 million in quality improvement awards to 1,318 health centers across all U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia. HRSA-funded health centers will use these funds to further strengthen quality improvement activities and expand quality primary health care service delivery.

“These quality improvement awards support health centers across the country in delivering care to nearly 30 million people, providing a convenient source of quality care that has grown even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “These awards help ensure that all patients who visit a HRSA-funded health center continue to receive the highest quality of care, including access to COVID-19 testing and treatment.”

Read more here.