SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) welcomed new staff in November.

Frankie Hockenbrocht joined SEDA-COG Nov. 24 as a program analyst for the Economic Development department.

Hockenbrocht has over five years of experience in project management, organization, and administrative support. He was the program manager for the Downspout Disconnection Program at the Rock Creek Conservancy in Bethesda, Md. He also was the director of programs and development at the Policy Studies Organization in Washington, D.C., among numerous other positions.

He earned his master’s degree in Public Administration from American University in D.C. and his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Juniata College with a minor in Anthropology. He also has an International Teaching English as Foreign Language Training Certificate.

As a community and economic development agency, SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG also is an advocate for the interests of its communities at the state and federal levels. For more information, visit www.seda-cog.org.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Departments of State and Education today announced that they are launching a pilot program to provide additional opportunities for students in cosmetology and barber Career and Technical Center (CTC) programs to earn educational hours and practical experience.

The pilot also will allow CTC educators in these programs the flexibility necessary to assist their students in obtaining all the required education hours prior to their planned graduation date.

“The Department of State is proud to partner with the Department of Education on this pilot to help high school students enrolled in Career and Technical Education programs gain academic, technical and real-world skills,” said Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar. “These programs prepare students for many postsecondary options, including direct entry into skilled careers, apprenticeships and college.”

For students interested in becoming a cosmetologist or barber, Pennsylvania has 72 cosmetology programs and three barber programs within CTCs. To become a licensed cosmetologist or barber, 1,250 hours of instruction are required. CTC students typically complete these hours over a period of three years (grades 10, 11 and 12) with classes that address specific subjects and tasks necessary for the state board examination and entry-level job skills, as well as a high school diploma.

The pilot consists of three major components by which cosmetology and barber CTC students may earn educational credit toward their respective 1,250-hour instruction requirements: (1) up to 650 hours of distance education, including practical skills review; (2) up to 350 hours of internships and job shadowing; and (3) the remainder to come from traditional in-person instruction.

“The opportunity to develop new and innovative pathways for residents of the commonwealth to reach their professional aspirations of becoming cosmetologists and barbers is a goal the department,” said Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. “I am always encouraged by efforts to grow our technical and education programs in an effort to enhance the trade industries across PA.”

Full details regarding the pilot program may be found at https://www.dos.pa.gov/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardsCommissions/Cosmetology/Pages/CTE-Cosmetology-Barber.aspx.

Pennsylvania is home to more than 1,700 approved career and technical education programs, offered in over 200 schools including 80-plus regional CTCs and more than 140 high schools. The pilot program will remain available to cosmetology and barber CTC students for the remainder of the current school year (2020-21) and next school year (2021-22), subject to further extension by the Departments of State and Education.

More information about professional licensing in Pennsylvania is available on the Department of State’s website.

Monetary donations are tax-deductible

Annville, PA – In the spirit of the holiday season, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) reminds Pennsylvanians that this is a great time to give to programs that support the commonwealth’s nearly 800,000 veterans, active military and their families.

“As we approach the holiday season people often ask how they can honor current and former servicemembers as a way to thank them for their incredible service to our nation,” said Maj. Gen. Anthony Carrelli, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the DMVA. “Many Pennsylvania veterans and current military need our help this year more than ever because of the challenges brought about by COVID-19. We are proud to administer four tax deductible programs that honor our veterans and provide them with aid, but these programs rely on generous donations from the public.”  

The four tax-deductible programs administered by the DMVA are:

Military Family Relief Assistance Program (MFRAP): The MFRAP provides financial assistance, in the form of grants, to eligible Pennsylvania servicemembers and their eligible family members who have an immediate financial need based on circumstances beyond their control. This program is made possible by generous donations from taxpayers who designate all or part of their Pennsylvania Personal Income Tax refund to support Pennsylvania military personnel and their families, and by those who donate online, or privately by mail.

Veterans’ Trust Fund (VTF): The VTF issues grants to statewide charitable organizations that assist veterans, veterans service organizations and county directors of veterans affairs to help veterans in need of shelter and necessities of living. The VTF also issues temporary assistance grants to individual veterans that have qualifying financial needs. The grants are funded by generous Pennsylvanians who voluntarily make a donation when applying for or renewing their driver’s license or photo identification card and renewing a motor vehicle registration, from proceeds generated by the sale of the Honoring Our Veterans and Honoring Our Women Veterans license plates, and through private donations by mail.

Residents’ Welfare Funds: Residents’ Welfare Funds at each of the DMVA’s six veterans homes help to keep the residents active and healthy by providing activities and entertainment. Donations are made online or through private donations by mail. The six Pennsylvania veterans homes and their locations are: Delaware Valley Veterans’ Home (Philadelphia), Gino J. Merli Veterans’ Center (Scranton), Hollidaysburg Veterans’ Home (Hollidaysburg), Pennsylvania Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Home (Erie), Southeastern Veterans’ Center (Spring City), and Southwestern Veterans’ Center (Pittsburgh).

Pennsylvania Veterans’ Memorial Trust Fund: Located at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Lebanon County, and maintained by the DMVA, the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Memorial is the first in the commonwealth to honor veterans of all eras from the Revolutionary War forward and it is the largest veterans memorial located in any of the national cemeteries. Donations are accepted online or by mail to help fund the maintenance and repair of the memorial.

When an online donation is made, donors may choose to enter honoree information and a plaque in their honor will be displayed on the Virtual Donor Wall. Online plaques will show that donations have been made: ‘in honor of,’ ‘in memory of,’ or ‘on behalf of’ someone.

To make a donation online or by mail for any of these tax-deductible programs, or to learn more about each one, go to www.donate.dmva.pa.gov.

Harrisburg, PA — Michael Huff, Director of Testing and Contact Tracing for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, presented an update today on the commonwealth’s COVID-19 testing and contact tracing efforts, emphasizing the need to prioritize case investigations and for those who test positive to participate in contact tracing.

To date, the state has been conducting both PCR and antigen tests. In total, Pennsylvania has conducted 5,498,223 tests, which equates to nearly half the state’s population.

“The increase in testing demonstrates the increased need for case investigation and contact tracing – two key public health activities that occur when a case of COVID-19 is identified,” Huff said. “Given the continued increase in both the number of positive cases and the positivity percentage rate, which stood at 11 percent for the week of Nov. 13 – Nov. 19, the recommendations for prioritization of COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing have been enhanced.”

Huff outlined key case investigation prioritization recommendations from the CDC that were released yesterday and are meant to enhance efforts already initiated by the Department of Health. These include:

• Prioritize case investigation interviews for people diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 6 days (based on specimen collection date or symptom onset, if known);
• Prioritize contact tracing efforts on household contacts exposed in past 6 days, and people living, working or visiting congregate living facilities, high density workplaces or other settings (or events) with potential extensive transmission;
• As resources allow, expand case investigation and contact tracing to people outside the household who are at increased risk for serious illness, are part of a cluster, or were exposed within the past six days,
• If more than 14 days have elapsed since the specimen was collected, case investigation should generally not be pursued.

Case investigation and contract tracing remain essential components of the COVID-19 response and are a key strategy to interrupt disease transmission and reduce spread of the virus in a community. With more than 34,000 positive cases reported in the past seven days, contact tracing has become even more critical to identifying those who may have been exposed to the virus by someone who has tested positive.

As cases of COVID-19 are at record levels, Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine yesterday announced new mitigations efforts to help stop the spread of COVIC-19 at this critical time.

Huff reiterated the importance of the mitigation efforts, “As Governor Wolf, Secretary Levine, I and others have said in the past, the COVID-19 situation is fluid, and guidance continues to change over time, even after plans are prepared and adopted. One thing has not changed – citizens of Pennsylvania have individual responsibility to contribute to proper behavior and to adhere to public health guidance to protect themselves and others as well as to help control the spread of COVID-19. Public health controls are only as effective as the willingness of individuals to carry them out.”

Huff also reminded Pennsylvanians to download the free COVID Alert PA app, which is an important tool to join the fight against COVID 19. To date there have been more than 560,000 downloads and more than 42,000 daily check-ins on average.

Pennsylvania is uniting against COVID. Here are the mitigation measures in place to keep people safe:

Local Guidelines

The Wolf Administration supports local officials who choose to maintain additional restrictions. The following counties are under additional local guidelines:

• Allegheny
• Delaware
• Philadelphia

Travel

There are travel requirements in place across Pennsylvania. Visit the Department of Health’s website for the latest travel guidelines.

Harrisburg, PA – The Wolf Administration today began distribution of the seventh allotment of COVID-19 antigen test kits provided by the federal government to Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified institutions in Bucks, Juniata, Mercer and Somerset counties.

“Antigen test cards are a timely, quick and easy-to-use tool for communities to receive rapid COVID-19 testing,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “These test kits, provided by the federal government and being distributed to areas in need by the Wolf Administration, will further help communities struggling with the spread of COVID-19. Antigen tests look for pieces of proteins that make up the SARS-CoV-2 virus and are less sensitive than PCR tests for detecting COVID-19 infections.”

Last week, 202,000 tests were distributed to 112 facilities in Bedford, Cambria, Franklin, Lancaster and Lehigh counties. Additional tests will be provided to health care providers in those counties in the coming weeks.

In weeks one through five, 804,520 antigen test cards were distributed to CLIA-certified sites in the following counties:  Armstrong, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Cambria, Centre, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Franklin, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Snyder, Tioga, Union, Venango, Westmoreland and Wyoming. Archived lists of distributions since week one can be found on the Department of Health’s Coronavirus Symptoms & Testing webpage under the Antigen Tests subhead.

The antigen test detects an antigen on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus while the Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test detects viral RNA. Both PCR and antigen tests can detect active infection and are considered diagnostic tests. Antigen tests can be considered for symptomatic individuals (within the first five to seven days of symptom onset) and in asymptomatic individuals in settings where there is a high probability that the individual to be tested is positive, such as when they are a close contact of a case.

On October 15, the Secretary of Health issued an Order to health care providers and facilities reinforcing that all antigen test results, both positive and negative, are required to be reported to the Department of Health. A patient with a positive antigen test result is considered a case and receives a complete case investigation and contact tracing. All entities conducting testing to identify SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are required by law to report positive, inconclusive/indeterminate, and negative results to the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (PA-NEDSS) within 24 hours. All laboratory reporters must request a PA-NEDSS account if they do not already have one.

The department anticipates receiving hundreds of thousands of tests over a number of weeks from the federal government. The department will continue to provide kits to counties in need.

CLIA-certified sites include:

• All long-term care facilities;
• Higher-education institutions;
• Drug and alcohol and behavioral health treatment centers;
• State and county correctional facilities;
• Healthcare providers:
  • Federally Qualified Health Centers;
  • Urgent Care Centers;
  • Pharmacies; and
  • Primary Care doctors.

The targeted populations will be tested at CLIA-certified sites that directly receive these test kits and can provide timely test results and health care advice during their visit.

Targeted populations include:

• Individuals in congregate care settings;
• Day care workers or clients;
• K-12 students and adults who work in K-12 settings;
• College and university students;
• Individuals without permanent housing;
• Food distribution facility employees;
• Food workers, and
• First responders.

For more information about the CLIA certificate and antigen test card reporting, reference the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA) Health Advisory Network (HAN) Advisory:  Guidance on Reporting Point of Care SARS-CoV-2 Test Results.

For more information about the antigen tests, reference the PA HAN Advisory:  Point of Care Antigen Test Use and Interpretation.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.

Harrisburg, PA – Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced that the CARES Act-funded Dairy Indemnity Program has distributed $7.6 million in direct relief payments to 1,550 dairy farmers in the commonwealth. Any dairy farmer who experienced losses due to discarded or displaced milk during the COVID-19 pandemic was eligible to apply.

“Early in the pandemic in Pennsylvania, many of our dairy farmers were forced to dump milk and faced extreme uncertainty due to rapidly changing markets,” said Redding. “In this season of thanks, we are grateful that the legislature saw and met the needs of Pennsylvania’s dairy farmers with this program. These dollars don’t stop at the farm gate. They come back in your communities through grocery stores, schools, food banks, and more.”

Senators Judy Schwank and Elder Vogel, chairs of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, championed this CARES-Act funding for Pennsylvania’s dairy farmers and joined today’s announcement.

“The dairy indemnity program, funded by the CARES Act, was a great program to help 1,550 of our farmers weather COVID-19,” Schwank said. “But there are nearly 7,000 dairy farms in the Commonwealth. We have to recommit ourselves to doing everything we can to strengthen the industry.”

“During this difficult time, there was an even greater appreciation for the role dairy farmers plays in our economy and to the families of Pennsylvania,” said Vogel. “It is the Commonwealth’s most essential industry and providing the necessary state funding at this time is more critical than ever.”

To qualify for direct relief payments, farmer’s losses must have occurred between March 6, 2020 and September 30, 2020. Farmers were eligible for an immediate $1,500 in direct relief upon applying, followed by additional relief dollars with the remaining funds in the program.

Pennsylvania is home to nearly 7,000 dairy farms with an economic impact of $12 billion and more than 52,000 jobs. The commonwealth’s more than 500,000 cows produce more than 10.2 billion pounds of milk annually, ranking Pennsylvania seventh in the nation for total milk production.

For information as it relates to agriculture during COVID-19 mitigation in Pennsylvania visit agriculture.pa.gov/COVID. For the most accurate, timely information related to Health in Pennsylvania, visit on.pa.gov/coronavirus.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Departments of Aging (PDA) and Human Services (DHS) today reminded Pennsylvanians who serve as caregivers for either a family member or a close friend that there are resources available to help them as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

“Family caregiving has many faces in Pennsylvania. They are adults taking care of aging parents or other relatives, grandparents raising grandchildren, or a non-relative caregiver, such as a close family friend, raising a child whose parents cannot care for them,” said Secretary of Aging Robert Torres. “No matter whom they are caring for, all caregivers may need some type of support, whether it’s emotional, financial or legal. With the COVID-19 emergency, the need for such assistance may even be greater.”

PDA offers resources for caregivers of adults and children. It oversees the Caregiver Support Program (CSP), which helps to ease the stresses of caregiving. All of these resources can be found here. Improving and increasing support for caregivers in Pennsylvania is one of PDA’s objectives in its State Plan on Aging, which went into effect on October 1.

In September, the PDA and DHS jointly announced the launching of KinConnector.org, a resource designed to help kinship care families connect to services and supports that can help children and their caregivers. KinConnector also runs a helpline that can be reached by calling 1-866-KIN-2111 (1-866-546-2111) and supports callers needing assistance in English and Spanish.

“We know that this year has been a tough time for many, and it is okay to feel stressed or anxious. But whether you are a grandparent caring for your grandchildren, someone who lost their job due to the pandemic, or someone who just needs extra assistance to make ends meet, know that you do not have to go through this time alone,” said DHS Secretary Teresa Miller. “DHS offers many resources to help you through these hard times, and nobody should feel like they should have to go without food or health insurance because they are struggling. I encourage all Pennsylvanians who may need help to reach out – we are here for you.”

Earlier this year, DHS launched the statewide Support & Referral Helpline – a free resource staffed by skilled and compassionate caseworkers available to counsel Pennsylvanians struggling with anxiety and other challenging emotions. The helpline caseworkers can help counsel and refer you to community-based resources that can further help to meet individual needs. Pennsylvanians can contact the statewide Support and Referral Helpline at 1-855-284-2494. For TTY, dial 724-631-5600.

Pennsylvanians can also apply for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and other public assistance programs online at www.compass.state.pa.us. Those who prefer to submit paper applications can print from the website or request an application by phone at 1-800-692-7462 and mail it to their local County Assistance Office (CAO) or place it in a CAO’s secure drop box, if available. Dropping applications off at a CAO using the drop box can help avoid an application delay due to postal service delays. While CAOs remain closed to the public, work processing applications, determining eligibility, and issuing benefits continues.

For more information on resources available for kinship families and grandparents raising grandchildren, visit www.dhs.pa.gov.

Learn more about other programs offered by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging here.