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Friday, April 26, 2024

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Louisiana teachers' union concerned about educators' future; Supreme Court hears arguments in Trump immunity case; court issues restraining order against fracking waste-storage facility; landmark NE agreement takes a proactive approach to CO2 pipeline risks.

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Speaker Johnson accuses demonstrating students of getting support from Hamas. TikTok says it'll challenge the ban. And the Supreme Court dives into the gray area between abortion and pregnancy healthcare, and into former President Trump's broad immunity claims.

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The urban-rural death divide is widening for working-age Americans, many home internet connections established for rural students during COVID have been broken, and a new federal rule aims to put the "public" back in public lands.

PA Health Officials Want More Funding for Personal-Care Homes

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Thursday, April 21, 2022   

Pennsylvania officials visited a personal-care home in York County on Wednesday to highlight the need for continued investment in the state's long-term care system, as outlined in Gov. Tom Wolf's proposed budget.

Personal-care homes provide housing, meals and other assistance for older adults and people with disabilities. The state funding proposal would increase the supplemental monthly payments the homes receive for providing care to Social Security recipients from $37 per day to $76 per day.

Meg Snead, acting secretary of the Department of Human Services, said the funding increase will help support Pennsylvania's caring infrastructure.

"This much-needed increase will allow nearly 500 personal-care homes to invest in staff, their facilities and infection control," Snead outlined. "Which will help residents and staff at these homes be safer and support better care, safety and quality of life, for residents and staff alike."

The proposal would mean an additional $50 million in funding. Pennsylvania has not increased supplemental payments to personal-care homes since 2006. Budget negotiations are ongoing in the General Assembly and must be finalized by June 30.

Xzavier Hunter, owner/operator of Hunter Cottage, a personal-care home in York, said the increased funding is critical to addressing a housing crisis in the city and across the state, especially for older adults and people with disabilities who have limited incomes.

"So the challenge is, how can we help our seniors, how can we help our low-income individuals?" Hunter explained. "We're on the front lines of this, the personal-care homes, and we need help. It's that simple. I don't know how much longer personal care homes in the state and the county can survive on $39 a day."

There are an estimated 1,200 licensed personal-care homes in Pennsylvania and nearly 35 licensed assisted-living residences.


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