Photo Courtesy: Todd Bartley, Trump at IPT on May 20, 2019
Talkwilliamsport.com will have complete coverage of the visit of President Trump to Montoursville and the Williamsport Airport.
Live reports on the News Talk WMPT Facebook page begin at 5 p.m. and continue until President Trump arrives.
The comments made by President Trump will be carried live on the News Talk WMPT Facebook page.
Stay tuned to Talkwilliamsport.com and the News Talk WMPT Facebook page as this story develops.
Sixteen (16) new cases added Saturday in Lycoming County now at 995 cases, no new deaths, 32 total deaths, with 16,083 negatives according to DOH report.
Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19:
2,510 Additional Positives Bring Statewide Total to 208,027
Pennsylvanians Urged to Download COVID Alert PA App
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., October 31, that there were a total of 2,510 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 208,027. Daily increases are now the highest they have ever been since the start of the pandemic.
The most accurate daily data is available on the website, with archived data also available.
The number of tests administered within the last 7 days between October 24 and October 30 is 257,367 with 14,938 positive cases. There were 45,416 test results reported to the department through 10 p.m., October 30.
There are 8,812 deaths attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 28 new deaths reported. County-specific information and a statewide map are available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
Mask-wearing is required in all businesses and whenever leaving home. Consistent mask-wearing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.
There are 3,403 individuals who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases and 647 individuals who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.
There are 2,314,634 individuals who have tested negative to date. Of those who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:
Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. More data is available here.
The department has seen significant increases in the number of COVID-19 cases among younger age groups, particularly 19 to 24-year-olds. An alert was sent to healthcare providers about the changing COVID-19 case demographics. Increases among 19 to 24-year-olds from April to present in October are available below:
In nursing and personal care homes, there are 26,149 resident cases of COVID-19, and 5,653 cases among employees, for a total of 31,802 at 1,070 distinct facilities in 63 counties. Out of our total deaths, 5,807 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. A county breakdown can be found here.
Approximately 12,448 of our total cases are among health care workers.
Statewide – The Wolf Administration has since noon, Oct. 30:
The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:
Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics
All Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertPA, a text notification system for health, weather, and other important alerts like COVID-19 updates from commonwealth agencies. Residents can sign up online at www.ready.pa.gov/BeInformed/Signup-For-Alerts.
Harrisburg, PA –Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar today encouraged Pennsylvania voters to educate themselves about their rights before they vote in person on election day, November 3.
“The Pennsylvania Department of State is committed to protecting every eligible voter’s constitutional right to cast their ballot safely and free from intimidation,” said Secretary Boockvar. “Voters should educate themselves on their rights before they go to the polls on election day.”
Here are some important tips regarding voter rights in Pennsylvania:
In addition, the Department of State website at votesPA.com can help voters with election-related questions and information, including:
Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar and members of the commonwealth’s Interagency Election Security and Preparedness Workgroup today reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the integrity of the Nov. 3 general election and protecting Pennsylvanians’ unobstructed right to vote.
“Ensuring that our citizens have a secure election is a priority of ours on every front, from cybersecurity to voting system security to on the ground security,” Secretary Boockvar said. “Interference in voting is illegal. Our emergency management, elections, and law-enforcement partners are engaged in our communities and monitoring all available communications channels to mitigate misinformation and intimidation.”
The Interagency Election Security and Preparedness Workgroup was formed in 2018 by Gov. Wolf and has engaged in unprecedented collaboration since then to secure Pennsylvania elections and prepare for situations that might arise on election day. Workgroup members include the Department of State, Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), the Pennsylvania Office of Administration, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, the Pennsylvania National Guard, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), the Governor’s Office and the Office of State Inspector General.
“The PSP is engaged with its local law enforcement partners and has the personnel and resources in place to keep the community safe throughout the election cycle,” said Colonel Robert Evanchick. “PSP continues to collaborate with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and other state agencies to ensure election infrastructure cyber security. On Election Day, law enforcement will work to ensure all Pennsylvanians can safely exercise their right to vote.”
Workgroup members are in frequent communication and will collaborate through every available means, including through activation of the PEMA resources that occurs on every Election Day.
“Over the years, PEMA has worked with federal, state and county partners to improve our ability to share timely and useful information among officials at all levels of government,” said PEMA Director Randy Padfield. “Having a clear understanding of conditions or incidents that could affect the ability of our fellow citizens to freely participate in an election is vital to quickly responding and mitigating the problem.”
The Department of State has been working with the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other state and federal partners to share intelligence and identify information and sources that will be monitored on Election Day. The presence of multiple partners at PEMA on Nov. 3 will help the Department of State track situations and will enhance communication with each county’s emergency operations and elections offices, law enforcement and our federal and state partners.
The Office of Attorney General will be fully mobilized on election day with civil and criminal attorneys in every region of Pennsylvania serving as the People’s attorneys. The office will also have analysts, agents, and attorneys embedded with the FBI and all other state and local partners.
“We must ensure all eligible votes are counted. This historic collaboration between local and state agencies gives us the ability to ensure a free, fair and secure election process,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. “Interference, intimidation, and fraud undermines that ability and we will not stand for it.”
With a record number of Pennsylvanians registered to vote, the officials reminded voters that in addition to state and federal laws dictating how elections are carried out, county election boards have broad authority under the law and will be in close contact with local law enforcement and the Office of Attorney General as needed.
“Pennsylvania is a recognized leader among states in cybersecurity,” said Secretary of Administration Michael Newsome, whose office oversees cybersecurity for state agencies, including the Department of State. “We are constantly evaluating our cybersecurity practices and capabilities, and utilize multiple layers of security and industry standards, to safeguard against potential threats. We also work closely with partners in federal, state and local government, higher education, law enforcement and the private sector to share information and resources related to cybersecurity. Pennsylvanians can be assured that we are doing everything we can to protect their data and this election.”
In addition to working with the county boards of elections, the Center for Internet Security and other key partners, the Pennsylvania National Guard is engaged in maintaining and enhancing the security of Pennsylvania’s election process.
“The Pennsylvania National Guard is proud to once again provide cyber security support to our counties and state agencies as it has for the past four elections in the commonwealth,” said Maj. Gen. Anthony Carrelli, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
Voters have the right to vote without being subjected to intimidation, harassment or discriminatory conduct. A voter who experiences intimidation should report it to their county board of elections and the district attorney’s office. Voters can also call the Department of State at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772) or the U.S. Department of Justice’s Voting Section at 1-800-253-3931.
Harrisburg, PA – The Wolf Administration today issued the following statement on the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) refusal to issue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) emergency allotments to all households without risk of retribution against Pennsylvania – an action that undermines a federal court order and forces Pennsylvania to choose between issuing additional benefits in line with the order and facing a potential $82 million monthly recoupment should the USDA prevail on appeal.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) permits states to extend emergency SNAP allotments to current SNAP recipients due to the ongoing crisis. However, the USDA issued guidance to states on March 20, 2020 specifying that emergency allotments authorized under the FFCRA should only be issued to households not currently receiving the maximum monthly allotment – excluding 40 percent of SNAP households in Pennsylvania.
In September, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued a preliminary injunction in Gilliam v. USDA, ruling that the USDA misinterpreted the law to mean that any household that was already receiving the maximum monthly allotment for its size would not receive an additional emergency allotment. Following the ruling, the USDA sought clarification regarding the ruling, delaying Pennsylvania’s request for additional emergency allotments. After being reprimanded by the court for not promptly complying with the preliminary injunction, the USDA indicated that they would extend emergency allotments to SNAP recipients currently receiving the monthly maximum benefit, but that if their appeal was successful, they would recoup funds issued from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which would total about $82 million per month.
The full statement:
“No one should be barred from access to food at any time, but especially during a pandemic when healthy foods are critical to maintaining good health and well-being,” Governor Tom Wolf said. “What the USDA is doing is mean-spirited, dangerous and just plain wrong. Washington needs to stop playing politics with people’s lives.”
“It’s no secret that Pennsylvania and many other states around the country are in difficult financial positions due to COVID-19 – situations that are exacerbated by an unwillingness of the federal government to pass a stimulus package to provide states some relief. Holding the threat of recoupment over the head of the commonwealth is nothing more than a strong-arm tactic to prevent this much-needed aid from going out to households across Pennsylvania and discourage other states from pursuing this aid for their residents.
“The Trump Administration’s refusal to issue benefits without threat of seeking recoupment is a vindictive unwillingness to follow the law and help some of the lowest-income Pennsylvanians and Americans around the country during what has and will continue to be a tumultuous period. For most of the last six months, Pennsylvania has urged the USDA to follow the Families First Coronavirus Response Act as it is written and extend additional support to all SNAP recipients as authorized under the law. They have been unwilling to do this, and now that they are being forced to correct their misinterpretation, the USDA is putting Pennsylvania in an incredibly difficult position as we try to issue additional support to Pennsylvanians with low or no income.
“This aid was intended to help individuals and families not have to go without food and ease the burden on an over-extended charitable food network. This will also directly support local food retailers, grocers, and agricultural producers around Pennsylvania who accept SNAP benefits – many of whom are small businesses – who are also feeling the impact of this period of economic insecurity. As the nation continues to face the COVID-19 pandemic that is only accelerating, access to essential needs like food is more important than ever to help keep people healthy, mitigate co-occurring health risks, and limit trips out of the home throughout the dangerous flu season and winter months.
“These political games only hurt the people who need this relief most. I urge the USDA to abandon this needless threat so Pennsylvania can issue these benefits to families who have gone without additional support for the last six months without further exacerbating our budgetary situation. Our SNAP families are in dire straits and many are still struggling to survive this pandemic because of the lack of further relief and support from the federal government. It is our duty and responsibility as public servants to provide the services and benefits needed to come through this pandemic and recover once the pandemic has ended.”
Nine (9) new cases added Friday in Lycoming County now at 979 cases, no new deaths, 32 total deaths, with 16,009 negatives according to DOH report.
Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19,
Total of 2,641 Additional Positives Bring Statewide Total to 205,517
Pennsylvanians Urged to Download COVID Alert PA App
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., October 30, that there were a total of 2,641 additional positive cases of COVID-19, which includes 2,416 new one-day positive cases and another 225 cases from previous days and reported today, bringing the statewide total to 205,517. Daily increases are now comparable with what we saw in April 2020.
The most accurate daily data is available on the website, with archived data also available.
The number of tests administered within the last 7 days between October 23 and October 29 is 249,105 with 14,516 positive cases. There were 39,851 test results reported to the department through 10 p.m., October 29.
There are 8,784 deaths attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 22 new deaths reported. County-specific information and a statewide map are available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
Mask-wearing is required in all businesses and whenever leaving home. Consistent mask-wearing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.
There are 3,174 individuals who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases and 647 individuals who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.
There are 2,297,983 individuals who have tested negative to date. Of those who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:
Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. More data is available here.
The department has seen significant increases in the number of COVID-19 cases among younger age groups, particularly 19 to 24-year-olds. An alert was sent to healthcare providers about the changing COVID-19 case demographics. Increases among 19 to 24-year-olds from April to present in October are available below:
In nursing and personal care homes, there are 26,013 resident cases of COVID-19, and 5,627 cases among employees, for a total of 31,640 at 1,064 distinct facilities in 63 counties. Out of our total deaths, 5,800 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. A county breakdown can be found here.
Approximately 12,373 of our total cases are among health care workers.
Statewide – The Wolf Administration has since noon, Oct. 29:
The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:
Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics
All Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertPA, a text notification system for health, weather, and other important alerts like COVID-19 updates from commonwealth agencies. Residents can sign up online at www.ready.pa.gov/BeInformed/Signup-For-Alerts.
Harrisburg, Pa. – Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar today called on all Pennsylvania counties to begin pre-canvassing mail-in and absentee ballots on November 3, as close to 7 a.m. as possible, the earliest time they can do so.
“The outcome of Tuesday’s election could well depend on Pennsylvania. It is vitally important that the more than 3 million ballots cast by mail here be counted as soon as possible,” Secretary Boockvar said. “The country will be looking to Pennsylvania for accurate and timely results.”
Pennsylvania law allows counties to start pre-canvassing mail ballots at 7 a.m. on Election Day, when the polls open. Pre-canvassing includes opening ballot envelopes, removing inner envelopes and ballots, and scanning the ballots. At 8 p.m. when the polls close, counties may begin to record and publish the counts.
“We are directly reaching out to the counties to explain why it matters to get started with pre-canvassing on Election Day, even if they can only do part of it,” Secretary Boockvar said. “The overwhelming majority of counties are already planning to start pre-canvassing mail ballots the moment they can. I urge those few counties thinking about waiting until after the election to reconsider.”
Secretary Boockvar noted that public and private funding is still, and has been for months, available to reimburse counties for the cost of additional resources needed to implement mail-in voting, including staffing, equipment, third-party support, and other tools needed for pre-canvassing and canvassing of ballots.
So far, about 73 percent of the more than 3 million ballots mailed to Pennsylvania voters have been voted and returned to counties. Secretary Boockvar urged voters who have not yet returned their mail ballot to hand-deliver their ballot now to ensure their ballot will be counted.
Mail ballots must be returned to county election offices, satellite election offices or other designated drop-off locations. A voted mail ballot cannot be returned to the voter’s polling place on election day.
For more information on voting and elections in Pennsylvania, call the Department of State’s toll-free hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772) or visit votesPA.com.
Secretary of Human Services Teresa Miller answers questions from the press.Governor Tom Wolf announced that people with intellectual disabilities and autism and the providers of support services for these vulnerable Pennsylvanians will receive $260 million in CARES Act funding to help continue to provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Wolf was joined by Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller, who outlined to details of funding allocations. JUNE 15, 2020 – HARRISBURG, PA
Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Human Services (DHS) is warning of a possible scam concerning Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits and reminding Pennsylvanians to be skeptical of unsolicited or random calls or text messages about public-assistance programs – especially when the calls or text messages solicit personal information, such as Social Security numbers.
“We are all living through difficult times, and unfortunately, there are people who will try to take advantage of others who may need help meeting essential needs. Be mindful, stay aware, and if you think something looks off, it probably is,” DHS Secretary Teresa Miller said.
DHS is investigating a report of individuals receiving calls with pre-recorded messages advising them to expedite their P-EBT benefits issuance by providing their Social Security number and case record number. In the message, the speaker claims to be from a County Assistance Office (CAO).
DHS and other government agencies do not ask for information about P-EBT, SNAP or any other public-assistance programs via unsolicited or random calls or texts, and Pennsylvanians should not reply to such a call or text or share any personal information if they are contacted in this way. If you or anyone you work with receive unsolicited or random calls or text messages telling you that you qualify for assistance and then asking for personal information, it is most likely a scam. Do not respond. Delete the message so you do not get caught in an identity theft scam.
Pennsylvanians who have questions about whether a call, text, letter, or other communication is legitimate should contact DHS’ Office of Income Maintenance. Clients in Philadelphia should call the Philadelphia Customer Service Center at 215-560-7226. Clients in all other counties can call the Statewide Customer Service Center at 1-877-395-8930.
The federal government authorized P-EBT in the spring to allow states to assist families with school-age children who qualified for free-and-reduced price meals through the National School Lunch Program – and who lost their easy access to breakfast and lunch at school as a result of the school closures related to COVID-19 earlier this year.
DHS began distributing P-EBT benefits to Pennsylvania families in late May. To date, more than $360 million has been distributed to about 680,000 households to help families feed nearly 1 million children. Families received about $370 per child.
DHS administered this program in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and schools across the commonwealth. The program was recently reauthorized by the federal government for the 2020-2021 school year. Pennsylvania and other states are currently awaiting guidance from the United States Department of Agriculture to begin the program for the current school year.
Additional information about Pennsylvania’s P-EBT can be found here.
If Pennsylvanians need help purchasing or affording food for themselves and their families, help may also be available through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP helps nearly 1.9 million Pennsylvanians by providing assistance each month for groceries, helping households purchase enough food to avoid going hungry. SNAP is our country’s most important and most impactful anti-hunger program. For every meal provided by a Feeding Pennsylvania food bank, SNAP provides nine. While SNAP is intended to be a supplemental program, during a pandemic and historic unemployment, resources are strained, particularly for our lowest income Pennsylvanians.
Applications for the SNAP and other public assistance programs can be submitted online at www.compass.state.pa.us. All Pennsylvanians experiencing financial hardships due to the pandemic, a lost job, or a change in income are strongly encouraged to apply and see if they qualify for assistance with food, health care, and other essential needs.
For more information about food assistance resources for people around Pennsylvania impacted by COVID-19 and the accompanying economic insecurity, visit the Department of Agriculture’s food security guide.
Harrisburg, PA – The Wolf Administration and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health today announced 10 communities and agencies will receive grants totaling $155,000 to assist with the development of plans and policies to increase physical activity options in their communities through the WalkWorks program. This program has also benefitted from its close partnership with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and its generous funding of two of the grant recipients.
“Having access to areas for recreation, such as walking and biking, is essential in keeping Pennsylvanians healthy – especially, during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Physical activity can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and premature death. Being active also helps prevent weight gain, reduce depression and improve cognitive function in older adults. We are proud of this collaboration and the grant recipients who will help support the efforts to encourage safe physical activity in their communities across Pennsylvania.”
“During these most trying times our state and local parks are seeing an unprecedented crush of visitors, most intent on walking, hiking or biking,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “Now more than ever people need that access to healthy physical activity, which is exactly what this partnership embraces.”
With this funding, the grant recipients can now execute the plans they submitted which emphasize new or improved pedestrian, bicycle and/or transit systems establishing activity-friendly routes that connect residents and visitors to everyday destinations. The communities or agencies receiving the grant awards are:
The grants will help assist in community planning and design to incorporate more opportunities for walking, cycling and public transit while providing more healthy options for exercise in these communities. This shift in planning requires a coordinated effort to link transportation policy and public health, which these grants support.
“Activity-friendly routes connected to everyday destinations can make it safe and convenient for people of all abilities to walk, bike or wheel. Planning healthy, compact, complete communities is needed to support active transportation,” said Carol L. Reichbaum, M.S.L., M.S.P.A., director of WalkWorks at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Public Health Practice. “Doing so will not only lead to improved health, it will also address other major concerns, including congestion, economic vitality and sustainability. While community design has long been the domain of land use and transportation planners, it has become increasingly obvious that our communities will benefit from greater collaboration with strategic partners such as public health practitioners, municipal planning entities, advocacy organizations and others to create built environments that better support health.”
The grant recipients were selected from a competitive pool of high-quality applicants by a multidisciplinary review team that included representatives from DOH, University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Public Health Practice, PennDOT, DCNR, the Department of Community & Economic Development and the Pennsylvania Local Technical Assistance Program.
The WalkWorks program is committed to increasing walking, establishing activity-friendly routes and expanding walkable communities across Pennsylvania. Funding for WalkWorks is provided by DOH through the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant and the State Physical Activity and Nutrition Grant, both from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To find a local walking route or find more information about the program, visit www.pawalkworks.com or follow WalkWorks on Twitter.
Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf and Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman commended the recent work of the General Assembly, particularly the House Insurance Committee and the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, on two pieces of bipartisan legislation to strengthen and clarify mental health parity analysis and enforcement.
“Pennsylvania leads the nation in mental health parity enforcement and this legislation will strengthen our already robust efforts,” said Gov. Wolf. “These bills represent collaboration among all parties that will result in an even better understanding of mental health parity and, therefore, better access for Pennsylvanians who seek help.”
The two measures, House Bills 1439 and1696, sponsored by Representative Aaron Kaufer and Representative Thomas Murt respectively, were signed by Gov. Wolf on October 29 as Acts 89 and 92. These laws require health insurers that want to offer comprehensive health insurance coverage in Pennsylvania to verify that they have completed and fully documented analyses of their efforts to provide mental health and substance-use disorder coverage that is comparable to physical health services with respect to cost sharing, in- and out-of-network coverage, and other treatment limits. In addition to the verified analyses, insurers must make that documentation available to the Insurance Department, upon request, to demonstrate compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA). Documentation must also be available to policyholders and providers upon request.
The new requirements are one element of Gov. Wolf’s multi-agency effort and anti-stigma campaign, Reach Out PA: Your Mental Health Matters. The campaign is dedicated to expanding resources and the state’s comprehensive support of mental health and related health care priorities in Pennsylvania. Reach Out PA, in partnership with several state agencies, has conducted both targeted and broad outreach to consumers and stakeholders regarding barriers to mental health and substance use disorder treatment. These agencies have coordinated over the past several months to provide support for providers, practitioners, consumer advocates, and others under the Wolf Administration’s mental health and substance use disorder treatment priorities. New resources from these efforts will be made available this winter.
In recent years, the Insurance Department has identified, through market conduct examinations, significant compliance concerns relating to mental health parity.
“Our exams and investigations, as well as analysis of consumer complaints, indicate that mental health parity noncompliance persists,” said Altman. “We appreciate the legislative leaders that worked with PID, insurers, and consumer advocates to help strengthen Pennsylvania’s parity framework through this legislation. The legislation will result in greater compliance across insurance companies and improve consumer access to understandable coverage information.”
A critical part of easing access to mental health services is establishing that state and federal parity laws, and their consumer protections, are being followed by all insurance providers operating within the commonwealth. Uniformity in definitions and reporting is important to ensuring all parties are on the same page. This type of transparency will provide those struggling with mental health or substance-use disorders continued access to the care they need.
Consumers with questions or concerns about their insurance plan’s compliance with parity laws can contact the Insurance Department’s Consumer Hotline at 1-877-881-6388.
