The announcement comes days after the state s GOP leadership called for an investigation into how the Wolf administration handled COVID outbreaks in long-term care.
But the couple will not be celebrating a belated Thanksgiving.
A fall in their Ephrata home last year sent Eshelmanâs wife to the Denver Borough facility to recover from ankle surgery. Diagnosed with COVID-19 five weeks after her transfer, Sue Eshelman died on Dec. 2.
She was 69.
âI promised her Iâd have Thanksgiving with her when she got out,â said Eshelman, 55. Sue had diabetes and kidney cancer, but she was sent to the nursing home to recover from her ankle surgery and was expected to recover and come home, Don said, asking, âHow do you go from falling down and breaking your ankle to passing away?â
Pennsylvania officials will offer a scaled-down version of its successful program providing immediate support to long-term care facilities battling COVID-19 for at least six more weeks.
The Regional Congregate Care Assistance Teams (RCAT), part of the state s Long-Term Care Task Force, will replace the Regional Response Health Collaborative (RRHC). That program ended Dec. 30, when the state’s CARES Act funding expired.
The new program will continue 24-hour access to assistance started under the previous federally funded program, including COVID-19 testing, personal protective equipment orders, assessments and short-term staffing for licensed facilities serving more than 127,000
Pennsylvanians.
“Quick response is imperative. The need for the support has not disappeared,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Teresa Miller said during a press conference Wednesday.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health on Thursday reported 313 additional covid deaths and 7,175 cases. With the day’s report, there have been 2,764 deaths counted this month, though not all the deaths occurred this month. Of the deaths counted this month 1,201 are from January, 1,547 from December, 12 are from
Pa. leaders call on the federal government for additional support for long term care facilities
The call to action comes after a federally funded program which supported the state s nursing homes with COVID-19 testing, PPE, and staffing has expired. Author: Grace Griffaton (FOX43) Updated: 4:25 PM EST January 13, 2021
PENNSYLVANIA, USA State leaders are calling on the federal government for additional support. At this point, we just need the federal government to help state governments out, said Teresa Miller, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
That s because the Regional Response Health Collaborative Program or RRHCP has expired. The partnership between state agencies and 11 health systems across the state supported more than 2,000 long term care facilities over the course of the pandemic. It provides facilities with COVID-19 testing, PPE, staffing, and more.