HARRISBURG – The Senate approved new funding May 12th  to provide critical support for nursing homes, programs for seniors and first responders that are struggling due to COVID-19, according to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Browne.

“The financial impact this pandemic has had on nursing homes and senior facilities along with Pennsylvania’s fire and EMS companies has been nothing short extraordinary,” Senator Browne said. “It is the responsibility of state government to ensure that those on the frontlines of this crisis have the resources they need to keep themselves and those they are helping safe while courageously serving the public.”

Senate Bill 1122 would distribute $507 million in federal CARES Act funding to long-term living and community-based programs to ease the considerable strain placed on these organizations by COVID-19.

Long-term living facilities have been a hotbed for COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania, accounting for nearly a quarter of all cases and more than two-thirds of all deaths associated with the virus. A Senate Aging and Youth and Health and Human Services Committees hearing last week detailed the financial challenges facing these facilities.

A major national accounting firm found that 70 percent of nursing homes in the country will be in a negative cash position by mid-May.

In an effort to help ease financial stress on our first responders during the COVID-19 outbreak, this legislation would also establish a special one-time grant program for Pennsylvania’s volunteer fire companies and EMS squads. The COVID-19 Crisis Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program would provide a total of $31 million in grants from the federal CARES Act to organizations that were approved for annual funding by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the office of the State Fire Commissioner (OSFC).

Companies that did not receive a grant from PEMA and OSFC would also have a new window to apply for this grant funding.

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Matt Szuchyt
Deputy Director of Policy & Communications
Senator Pat Browne
Majority Appropriations Chairman
PA 16th Senatorial District
www.senatorbrowne.com

 

---