Harrisburg – June 2, 2021 – At the request of Senators Wayne Fontana (D- Allegheny), Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D- Allegheny), Jim Brewster (D- Allegheny/Westmoreland), and Lindsey Williams (D- Allegheny), the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a virtual public hearing on how Pennsylvania can best improve care in nursing homes.
“The COVID-19 pandemic was a wakeup call for us all that certain aspects of our society are not equipped to quickly and efficiently respond to crisis, and that many sectors of our society that were already struggling suffered the greatest losses due to the pandemic,” Senator Costa said. “Our nursing homes care for some of the most vulnerable members of our society, and it is imperative that these care facilities are not only equipped to respond to crisis like pandemics, but that even in the best of times they are properly staffed and overseen.”
In her testimony today, Teresa Osborne, Manager of Advocacy & Outreach at AARP PA, said that with nearly 13,300 deaths of Pennsylvanians residing in long-long term care facilities, and with Pennsylvanians 50 and over accounting for 98% of all COVID-19 related deaths, the need for action on this issue is clear.
“Nursing homes during the pandemic struggled to maintain the health and safety of their residents, the health and safe staffing levels of their employees, and family and loved were almost completely shut out of the lives of residents in congregate care settings. We must ensure that nursing homes in the future are prepared for another health crisis, and that these facilities are operating efficiently and to the highest standards at all times,” Senator Fontana said.
Senator Lindsey Williams continued, “Our nursing home residents, their families, and their loved ones have been some of the hardest hit by COVID-19, but these problems don’t begin and end with the current pandemic. We need to do more to protect the health, safety, and emotional well-being of our seniors, and hearing directly from the people who are doing this work every day is a key part of creating legislative policy that will provide the supports needed to accomplish those goals.”
Keshia Williams, a CNA Nursing Home Worker and member of SEIU Healthcare, said today in her testimony that the residents she cares for in nursing homes almost daily become like family, and sometimes residents have no other family to support them – just her and her fellow CNAs and nurses. She said that makes it even harder to deal with the fact that the state only requires 2.7 hours of care for residents in a 24-hour period.
“For decades, we sounded the alarm on chronic and dangerous understaffing and unacceptable conditions for workers and residents. We made do with dwindling resources and demanded lifesaving reform, while the industry increasingly focused on the bottom line, and rampant, unchecked nursing home sales to irresponsible owners drove down standards,” Keshia Williams said.
Dennis Biondo, Allegheny County Executive Director of Kane Community Living Centers, said in his testimony that oversight of nursing home and community care centers is done through surveys by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. He said that this is, “not going to improve nursing home care,” because instead of creating meaningful change they are just a way to check off boxes.
“Pennsylvania Department of Health is charged with the licensure and regulation of nursing homes. The Department’s Office of Quality Assurance oversees this important regulatory oversight of monitoring compliance through surveys, commonly known to the public as facility inspections, to ensure that facilities are providing adequate resident care in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. This applies to federal law and regulation since, in addition to the department’s role as the state survey entity, it is also contracted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to serve as the federal survey entity for nursing homes,” Keara Klinepeter, PA Department of Health Executive Deputy Secretary, explained.
Klinepeter said that while survey regulation was required at the federal level in Pennsylvania, and in every state across the U.S., the PA Dept of Health saw during the COVID-19 pandemic the benefits of partnerships between hospitals and medical systems to PA nursing homes through the Regional Response Program funded by CARES Act money. Klinepeter said that efforts are already in place to continue this program through federal grant funding. This will allow nursing homes in Pennsylvania to continue training staff on appropriate public health practices related to pandemic response and beyond.
In response to inquiries about nursing home complaints and surveys that result from those, Klinepeter said that the Dept of Health saw an increase of 23% in surveys in 2020. These surveys also included surveys to inspect facilities use of infection control measures.
Georgia Goodman, Leading Age PA Director of Government Affairs, reiterated the importance of maintaining employee morale and providing adequate and well-paid staff to care for residents.
“Nursing facilities can’t simply raise their prices. Two out of three residents in nursing homes are paid for by the Medical Assistance Program- the government payor that is underfunding care by an average of $80 per resident per day for our members. We are urging support for the direct allocation of $396 million to nursing facilities using the same methodology the general assembly enacted in Act 24 of 2020 to help providers with a number of financial challenges brought on by the pandemic, but none more acute than staffing,” Goodman said.
Goodman also said that her organization was grateful to collaborate on Senate Bill 1268, which offered nurse aides hired temporarily during the pandemic a path to permanent registration on the Nurse Aide registry, and they are supportive of a number of current initiatives like Senate Bill 115 to allow Pennsylvania to participate in licensure reciprocity so that nurses from other states can assist with our state’s healthcare workforce shortages.
“It is despicable that the care of our senior population in Pennsylvania seems to be an afterthought to those in charge of the oversight and guidelines for care in nursing homes and community care facilities. Nursing home complaints, oversight regulations, and the need for safe staffing levels to provide adequate care were an issue before this pandemic. Now that we have seen over 10,000 nursing home residents die of COVID-19, it is clear that Pennsylvania needs immediate and forceful action to protect our seniors and those who live in community care settings,” Sen. Kate Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, said.
Below are all who participated in today’s hearing:
- Dennis Biondo, Allegheny County, Executive Director Kane Community Living Centers
- Keara Klinepeter, PA Department of Health, Executive Deputy Secretary
- Dean Owrey, Chief Financial Officer, Vincentian Collaborative System
- Georgia Goodman, Leading Age PA, Director of Government Affairs
- Keshia Williams, CNA, Nursing Home Worker, SEIU Healthcare
- Debbie Winn-Horvitz, President & CEO, Jewish Association on Aging
- Jennifer Costello, Chester County Department of Aging, Long-term Care Ombudsman
- Teresa Osborne, Manager of Advocacy & Outreach, AARP PA
Senators who also attended this hearing include Sen. Sharif Street (D- Philadelphia) and Sen. Maria Collett (D- Bucks/Montgomery).
The full recording of this roundtable, as well as the written testimony from participants, can be found at senatormuth.com/policy. A full recording of this hearing can also be found on the PA Senate Democratic Facebook page.
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Pittsburgh, Pa.− May 25, 2021 − Today Senator Jay Costa announced $327,180 in state grants for blight projects in the 43rd senatorial district.
“Our district has many promising neighborhoods and communities that merely need a little help with remediation to restore their original shine,” said Senator Costa. “I was inspired to fight for the projects that won awards today because I believe in the potential of these areas. I look forward to watching them succeed.”
- Tri-COG Land Bank will receive $190,000 for its Woodland Hills School District Blight Remediation project
- The Borough of Braddock Hills will receive $74,880 for a remediation project that will demolish three vacant structures and replace the dangerous facilities with a welcoming green space
- The Borough of Forest Hills will receive $19,800 to demolish the building at 21 Marion Avenue and restore landscaping to prepare for a new residence to be constructed
- The City of Pittsburgh will receive $17,500 for a planning project that will address blight in Homewood. It will develop a new plan for the neighborhood
- Oakland Planning and Development Corporation will receive $25,000 for a planning project on five local properties
The projects are funded by Act 20 of 2019 created within the Commonwealth Financing Authority the Blight Remediation Program for blight remediation, including hazard mitigation, for local governments and authorities.
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Harrisburg, Pa. – May 12, 2021 – Today, Pennsylvania Senate Democrats unveiled the “New Deal for PA” – a $6.15 billion investment of federal funds coming to the Commonwealth pursuant to the American Rescue Plan.
The New Deal for PA focuses on Jobs, Opportunity, and Equity with the following breakdown:
People — $2.470 billion
21st Century Child Care
Business Assistance
Education/Community Supports
Job Training/Workforce Development
Utility Assistance
Projects — $2.493 billion
Economic Development
Infrastructure
Public Health — $1.185 billion
Public Health Equity/Vaccine Confidence
Rewarding Frontline Worker Service
“These funds give us a unique opportunity to not only plug the holes created by the past year, but to also set us on a trajectory that will prevent such devastation from happening again – particularly as it relates to the disproportionate impact some communities faced,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa. “We have to move beyond calls to simply ‘reopen’ and focus instead on rebuilding and recovering. Our businesses, workers and families need programs and support systems to get to a new normal.”
By making targeted investments in people, projects, and public health, we can use this once-in-a-lifetime infusion of federal funds into PA to make positive, long-lasting improvements that will lay the foundation to create transformative change across the Commonwealth.
“This plan which creates jobs and opportunity, and prioritizes equity, is the result of a long, difficult year of listening and learning,” Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Hughes said. “Thousands of Pennsylvanians have taken time during the pandemic to tell us their stories, their challenges and their tragedies. We now have a historic opportunity to apply the lessons learned not just from the virus, but also from the decades of regressive public policy that left so many so vulnerable to it. In short, this plan puts PA’s people first.”
The New Deal for PA uses a data-driven approach to respond to what we learned during the pandemic.
The caucus looked at the current situation to determine where financial assistance is still necessary to help individuals, families, and small business recover from the devastating impacts of the pandemic. Then, the caucus looked ahead and assessed how to best invest ARP funds to ensure that we come out of the pandemic better than we went in and build resiliency across the commonwealth in preparation for the next crisis.
Finally, the caucus compared its proposal with the U.S. Treasury guidance released on May 10, 2021, to ensure we are on solid footing in using the funds as we propose.
Federal guidance on allowable uses of the funds coming to Pennsylvania from the American Rescue Plan’s (“ARP”) State Fiscal Relief Fund was released on May 10, 2021. Pennsylvania will receive approximately $7.3 billion in flexible funding from the State Fiscal Relief Fund. Senate Democrats believe it is time to begin the conversation on investing these funds so we can allocate the monies with the FY 2021-2022 budget
The Senate Democrats’ proposal distributes $6.05 billion from the following sources:
State Fiscal Relief Fund — $4,797,500,000
Capital Projects Fund — $280,000,000
ESSER Fund — $505,000,000
Emergency Assistance for Nonpublic Schools — $150,000,000
Pandemic Response Fund — $25,000,000
Other Funds — $55,000,000
Local Matching Funds — $335,000,000
Counties and municipalities will receive approximately $6.1 billion from the American Rescue Plan’s Local Fiscal Relief Fund and school districts will receive approximately $4.5 billion from the ESSER Fund. If these local government units take advantage of these programs, state matching funds will average approximately $4 for every $1 of local funding.
The Senate Democratic Caucus plan targets investments to craft a just recovery so Pennsylvania can Build Back Better.
More information on the plan can be found at PASenate.com/NewDeal
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Harrisburg – April 22, 2021 – At the request of Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D- Allegheny), the Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a virtual round table discussion on the future of clean energy development and clean energy jobs in Pennsylvania. This hearing was held on Earth Day to honor the history of environmental stewardship this day represents, and to acknowledge the importance of preserving our environment.
“There was a reason president Joe Biden unveiled his historic infrastructure plan here in Pittsburgh,” Costa said. “Our city got its start in the industrial revolution, but as our world has evolved so must the infrastructure that keeps us going. We need clean energy sources that lead us into the future, powered by men and women in family sustaining jobs. Our earth does not have infinite resources, and it is our duty to protect and preserve the health and resources of our planet for future generations.”
As Dr. Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D. and Vice President of the Forest Hills Borough Council, noted, the first Earth Day 51 years ago was strongly driven by the AFL-CIO and the labor movement.
“Our members live and play here, too,” said Kris Anderson, International Representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). He noted that this is one of the major reasons that his union and its members are invested in a clean environment. They know that they and their families will benefit from the clean air, clean water, and sustainable ecosystem it will create.
Joshua McNeil, Executive Director at Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania and Vice-President for Civic Engagement at PennFuture, said that he and his organizations believe that President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Act is, “a historic opportunity to invest in infrastructure.”
Darrin Kelly, Allegheny-Fayette County Labor Council President also said that he is very optimistic about President Biden’s plan, and that getting that funding out of D.C. and into our local communities will be a huge part in implementing positive change and developing opportunities for local workers.
Dr. DeMarco spoke about her work with Reimagine Appalachia and their mission to create a 21stcentury sustainable economy. She said that Pennsylvania could implement a similar mission, and use the process that Reimagine Appalachia did in engaging stakeholders and community members in discussions on all of their priorities to make sure the changes they want to implement are truly benefitting community members and the regions they live in.
McNeil noted that Pennsylvania should recommit to a Blue Green Alliance to make sure that all bills in the Pennsylvania legislature have equal input from both environmental and labor stakeholders. He said it is crucial that these movements are working in conjunction with each other at every step as we transition Pennsylvania from a extraction economy to a regenerative economy.
Anderson, of IBEW, said that as we work to a more sustainable future and cleaner energy sources to power our nation, it is important to also keep things focused on Pennsylvania and its workers’ safety. He said that while larger industries are focused on profit, keeping the workforce and our industries local is better for our economy and allows the state to implement regulations in the clean energy industry that will be transparent and prioritize the workers and communities themselves.
“People who are going to get funding from the federal government are going to be the people with a plan,” Dr. DeMarco said. She said that as focus at the national level shifts to a sustainable economy, Pennsylvania needs to be proactive in making plans for a clean energy future or they will have plans from larger institutions forced upon them and those plans may not be focused on what is best for our local communities.
Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D- Chester), Democratic Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee, said that we need to be looking at the who is represented when we have these conversations, particularly minority communities and communities of color who are disproportionally effected by industrial pollution and other environmental hazards.
Sen. Costa and Sen. Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery) said that they were very pleased to have the commitment of the labor community and the environmental community to work closely together in the future, and they will be looking to have more conversations similar to today’s going forward.
“It is both timely and necessary that we are having this discussion today on Earth Day. The information and dialogue heard today further emphasizes the need to take urgent action to combat the climate crisis, and simultaneously work to transition from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy; where production and industry cycles are waste-free, not harmful to workers, communities, or the planet,” Muth said. “Impacted entities need to be at the table to ensure a just transition to a cleaner, greener, economically sustainable Pennsylvania.”
Below are all who participated in today’s discussion:
- Dr. Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D., Borough of Forest Hills, Vice President, Borough Council
- Darrin Kelly, Allegheny-Fayette County Labor Council, President
- Joshua McNeil, Executive Director, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania and Vice-President for Civic Engagement, PennFuture
- Kris Anderson, International Representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
The full recording of this roundtable can be found at senatormuth.com/policy. A full recording of this hearing can also be found on the PA Senate Democratic Facebook page.
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Pittsburgh − April 21, 2021 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) today announced the award of more than $1 million for local development projects in the 43rd senatorial district.
“Across the state, we are in the mend in many ways and the projects that are funded today are going to inspire the economic development our communities need right now,” said Senator Costa. “I look forward to these projects coming to fruition for the betterment of our infrastructure systems and recreational opportunities.”
The grants for local organizations and municipalities are provided through the Multi Modal Fund and Act 13. Multimodal fund projects can include work on the development, rehabilitation, and enhancement of transportation assets to existing communities, streetscape, lighting, sidewalk enhancement, pedestrian safety, connectivity of transportation assets and transit-oriented development.
Entities in the 43rd district receiving Multimodal funds include:
- $200,000 for the City of Pittsburgh to make improvements to the Irvine Street sidewalks
- $250,000 to the Allegheny Land Trust for the Churchill Valley Greenway
- $100,149 to Gregg Developmental Services for the 2400 East Carson Street Transportation Improvement Project
Act 13 grants come from the Marcellus Legacy Fund and can be used on initiatives that will include abandoned mine drainage abatement; abandoned well plugging; sewage treatment; greenways, trails and recreation; baseline water quality data; watershed restoration; and flood control.
Entities in the 43rd district receiving Act 13 funds include:
- $115,000 to the Allegheny Land Trust for the Churchill Valley Greenway acquisition
- $109,808 for the Blackridge Civic Association for stormwater remediation and reconstruction
- $129,392 for South Side Community Council to renovate Esser’s Plaza
- $94,478 for CC Mellor Memorial Library and Edgewood Community House
- $78,246 for Homestead Borough for Frick Park swings and safety surface
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Pittsburgh, PA − April 20, 2021 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa issued the following statement on the Chauvin verdict:
“Justice today for George Floyd is a relief to so many who had lost faith in our system. The video footage from Mr. Floyd’s death that so many of us saw was deeply traumatizing and this verdict can help us begin to heal those wounds. We continue to mourn the premature loss of Mr. Floyd and must stay committed to preventing the next tragedy. We have to work on anti-racism and on improving our criminal justice system in this country and in this state.
If the trial brought up triggering or unsettling feelings for you, you are not alone. Reach out for help. Pennsylvania has a 24/7 mental health support line: 1-855-284-2494″
