Harrisburg, PA – The departments of Health and Human Services today shared initiatives and resources available for Pennsylvanians struggling with mental health or thoughts of suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and spread awareness for suicide prevention this month, I urge you to connect with your loved ones and check in on them,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “You can show your support for anyone struggling by ensuring they feel safe and supported. To those struggling, please know you are never alone and help is available.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the country, claiming more than twice as many lives each year as homicide. Approximately 1.4 million adults attempt suicide annually in the United States, with more than 85 percent reporting having made a suicide plan prior to their attempt. In Pennsylvania alone there were tragically 2,017 people completed suicide in 2018.

“Difficult emotions and crisis can make people feel isolated and cut off, but no one is alone, and we must always know that help and support are always available,” said Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller. “We all have a role to play in fighting that stigma around mental health and supporting people through difficult times. If you or someone you know has struggled with mental health or suicidal thoughts, we encourage you to reach out. Check in. Remind them that you are here for them. These small gestures can make an impact for someone who is struggling, and it may save a life.”

The Wolf Administration in collaboration with the General Assembly and other agencies released Pennsylvania’s Statewide Suicide Prevention Plan earlier this month. The plan, which was developed by the state’s Suicide Prevention Task Force, is a four-year strategy to reduce suicide in Pennsylvania by fighting stigma, increasing training and education on suicide and mental health, improving data collection for suicide, and supporting clinical practices and treatment to prevent suicide and help those who are struggling or in crisis know that things can and will get better. Moving forward, the task force will continue working with stakeholders at the local, regional, and state levels to support and monitor the implementation of the plan, and will begin with developing measurable, achievable action items.

DHS has received grant funding from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to expand continuity of care to prevent suicide in Pennsylvania and to capitalize on the initiatives of the Governor’s Suicide Prevention Task Force. The grant project plans to promote early identification and referral of adults at risk of suicide within adult-serving systems, to increase capacity among behavioral health providers to screen, assess, manage, and treat those at risk of suicide, to expand partnerships to support care transitions, reentry, and follow-up, and to develop a comprehensive and sustainable model for continuity of care. DHS will receive $400,000 per year for three years to implement these plans.

In order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, public health professionals conduct case investigations and contact tracing efforts to find out where a COVID-19 case went and who they came in contact with while infectious. Then, contact tracing staff notify those close contacts of their exposure anonymously. Close contacts are told to isolate and monitor themselves for symptoms or quarantine. Through these efforts the Department of Health captured feedback from residents who were experiencing hardships with quarantining, so the department is incorporating care resources coordinators, or social workers, into the contact tracing process to provide supports as well as help us to better understand what is happening in our communities.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or suicidal ideation or have in past, know that help is always available:

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.
• The Spanish-language National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-888-628-9454
• For the Mental Health Crisis Text Line: Text PA to 741741
• Support and Referral Helpline: 1-855-284-2494. For TTY, dial 724-631-5600.
• TrevorLifeline for LGBTQ individuals: 866-488-7386
• Trans Helpline: 877-565-8860

These free resources are available 24/7. If you are concerned about someone else’s well-being, these resources can help you be a life-saving assistance. No matter what you are going through, help is available.

Pennsylvanians are reminded that mask-wearing is required when visiting businesses or in any setting outside the home where social distancing is difficult. Remember: My mask protects you; your mask protects me.

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean surfaces frequently.
• Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
• If you must go out, you are required to wear a mask when in a business or where it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.
• Download the COVID Alert PA app and make your phone part of the fight. The free app can be found in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store by searching for “covid alert pa.

Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics

• Daily COVID-19 Report
• Press releases regarding coronavirus
• Latest information on the coronavirus
• Photos of the state’s lab in Exton (for download and use)
• Coronavirus and preparedness graphics (located at the bottom of the page)
• Community preparedness and procedures materials
• Map with the number of COVID-19 cases

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. 

Duquesne, PA – Second Lady of Pennsylvania Gisele Fetterman and Department of Human Services Executive Deputy Secretary Clarke Madden joined the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Feeding America Chief Executive Officer Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, and Feeding Pennsylvania Executive Director Jane Clements-Smith to recognize Hunger Action Month and encourage continued support for Pennsylvania’s charitable food network, which operates food assistance programs so anyone who is having trouble making ends meet during this economic uncertainty does not have to go hungry. They also reminded Pennsylvanians to be counted in the 2020 United States Census as soon as possible.

“No Pennsylvanian should ever know how it feels to go to bed hungry,” said Second Lady Gisele Fetterman. “The Census and food security go hand in hand, because if we don’t know you’re here, we aren’t allocated the money to provide food services for you if you’re ever in a position to need them.”

As of September 14, 2020, in Pennsylvania, 68.5 percent of residents have already self-responded to the 2020 Census, 2.6 percent higher than the national average. In Allegheny County, nearly 348,000 residents have not responded. Pennsylvanians can respond online for the first time in Census history, by phone, or by mail.

The Census questionnaire is confidential and straightforward with questions that include name, address, sex, race, ethnicity, age, and whether you own or rent your home. The Census Bureau will never ask about your citizenship status or sensitive information like your Social Security number, bank accounts, or payments/donations. The Census Bureau will never reach out to you on behalf of a political party. Your responses to the Census are protected by law and cannot be shared with, or used by, any other government agencies. Answers cannot be used for law enforcement purposes or to determine eligibility for government benefits or immigration enforcement.

Pennsylvania’s goal is to ensure that all residents respond to the Census, as a low response rate will impact federal funding and representation. Census data is used to decide how $675 billion in federal public funding is spent every year. Pennsylvania receives $26.8 billion annually through its 16 largest federally funded programs, or about $2,000 per Pennsylvanian each year. Many of these programs will be vital as Pennsylvania recovers from the public health crisis and economic insecurity. It is imperative now, more than ever, that all Pennsylvanians are counted in the 2020 Census.

“Data collected through the 2020 Census will affect all of us for the next decade. As we continue to navigate and recover from this pandemic and economic insecurity, Pennsylvania will need as many resources as possible to help meet the needs and recover from the significant challenges we’ve faced this year. A complete and accurate count will help make that possible,” said Executive Deputy Secretary Madden. “I want to thank our partners in the charitable food network who are helping people meet essential needs and stay healthy right now. Overcoming and healing from the difficult circumstances we all face will take support and strong partnerships, and I encourage everyone to reach out if they need help, support their local food banks if they are able, and compete their Census so Pennsylvania is counted, heard, and well equipped as we recover.”

More than 2 million Pennsylvanians – including 630,000 children – do not have reliable access to adequate, nutritious meals and live in food insecurity every day. According to Feeding Pennsylvania, nearly 1 in 20 Pennsylvanians are newly food insecure. Inadequate food and chronic nutrient deficiencies have profound effects on a person’s life and health, including increased risks for chronic diseases, higher chances of hospitalization, poorer overall health, and increased health care costs. As the nation faces the COVID-19 pandemic, access to essential needs like food is more important than ever to help keep vulnerable populations healthy and mitigate co-occurring health risks.

Pennsylvania’s charitable food network is a critical partner in fighting hunger in communities across the commonwealth, and it has seen an unprecedented rise in need amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying economic downturn. Food banks in Pennsylvania typically serve approximately 2.2 million people annually, but in the first three months of the public health crisis, these food banks had more than 5.5 million visits. The COVID-19 public health crisis has exacerbated food insecurity across nearly our entire commonwealth. Before COVID-19, three counties had a food security rate at or above 13 percent. Today, 64 of 67 counties are at least 13 percent food insecure, and 32 counties are at least 16.5 percent food insecure.

“The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and other Feeding America food banks across the country mobilized quickly on the front lines to meet needs of communities during this time of crisis. We know, though, that the need is not going away,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. “I want to say thank you for the remarkable generosity coming from this community that makes this support possible. I hope you will stick with us as we continue to need to stick together.”

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our food banks have seen an incredible increase in food insecurity rates across the state — including Philadelphia which has the highest food insecurity rate in Pennsylvania.” said Jane Clements-Smith, Executive Director of Feeding Pennsylvania. “The charitable food network continues to work hard to meet the sustained increased demand, but we still need the support of our generous communities across the commonwealth.  Hunger Action Month is another opportunity to raise awareness about hunger and to remind donors, volunteers, and stakeholders that we need their support to ensure that no one in Pennsylvania is denied access to nutritious food. We are proud to partner with our member food bank, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and want to recognize the incredible work they have done now and throughout the pandemic.

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank serves 260,000 people, including more than 70,000 children, across 11 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania. Through more than 400 local partners and agencies, the Food Bank distributed nearly 40 million pounds of food over the past year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, from March through July of 2020, the Food Bank distributed more than 14 million pounds of food.

“Today shows the importance of working together, not only to provide food assistance for those in need, but also to complete the Census so that everyone is counted,” said Lisa Scales, President & CEO of Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. “We have seen a dramatic increase in need since the start of the pandemic and are serving many people who are receiving food assistance for the first time. We expect that to continue well into next year. As long as there is a need, our Food Bank will be here to support our neighbors.”

Help with buying food is also available through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP helps nearly 1.9 million Pennsylvanians by providing a benefit to assist with purchasing groceries, helping households have resources to 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 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (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.

Anyone interested in volunteering can find organizations in need of volunteer support on the United Way of Pennsylvania’s 211 website.

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.

For more information about the U.S. Census, visit the PA Census website. For more information about the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit the DCED website.

Says his refusal to meet with Judge Amy Coney Barrett is “an insult to Pennsylvanians”

Washington – Eight members of Pennsylvania’s Republican Congressional Delegation today sent a follow-up letter to Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) addressing Casey’s response to a letter sent last week urging him to support a confirmation vote for President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

Congressmen Fred Keller (PA-12), Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15), Mike Kelly (PA-16), John Joyce (PA-13), Scott Perry (PA-10), Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Dan Meuser (PA-09), and Lloyd Smucker (PA-11) signed the letter, which points out that Casey failed to address the concerns raised in the Congressmen’s initial correspondence and charged Casey with prioritizing partisan fearmongering above his constitutional responsibilities as a member of the United States Senate.

“President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett, is a decorated jurist committed to serving as a neutral arbiter,” the letter states. “In voting for President Trump in 2016, Pennsylvanians – your employers – made it clear that constitutionalists like Judge Barrett are exactly the types of judges they want on the federal bench.

“Your refusal to even meet with Judge Barrett is an insult to Pennsylvanians and is further proof that your ideal judicial candidate is an activist who will use their seat on the bench to circumvent the legislative process to enact liberal policies – the very same policies that you have largely failed to garner support for in the Senate since 2007,” the letter continues.

A copy of the letter is attached.

Delegation Letter to Sen. Casey (1)

Fred Keller Second Letter to Sen. Casey Release

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine today released a weekly status update detailing the state’s mitigation efforts based on the COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard. Updates are released each Monday.

The update includes the following:

• Level of community transmission as a basis for the recommendations for Pre-K to 12 schools to determine instructional models.
• Data on cases among 5-18-year-olds.
• Cases that reported visiting a business among potential locations where exposures may have occurred.
• Updated travel recommendations.

The dashboard is designed to provide early warning signs of factors that affect the state’s mitigation efforts. The data available on the early warning monitoring dashboard includes week-over-week case differences, incidence rates, test percent-positivity, and rates of hospitalizations, ventilations and emergency room visits tied to COVID-19. This week’s update compares the period of September 18 – September 24 to the previous seven days, September 11 – September 17.

“Our percent positivity and incidence rate for the Commonwealth both decreased this week, a testament to all the work Pennsylvanians are doing to unite against this virus,” Gov. Wolf said. “We must continue our focus on taking actions to protect ourselves and others, such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, washing our hands and avoiding large gatherings. Together, Pennsylvanians can be united to work to prevent the spread of the virus.”

As of Thursday, September 24, the state has seen a seven-day case increase of 5,070; the previous seven-day increase was 5,551, indicating a 481-case decrease across the state over the past week.

The statewide percent-positivity went down to 3.2% from 3.7% last week. Counties with concerning percent-positivity include Centre (12.0%). Northumberland (8.3%), Juniata (6.8%), Indiana (5.9%), Lebanon (5.7%), Snyder (5.2%), York (5.2). Each of these counties bears watching as the state continues to monitor all available data.

Community Transmission
As of Friday’s data, Centre and Northumberland counties were in the substantial level with known sources of outbreaks contributing to community transmission. The departments of Education and Health will speak with school district representatives in both counties to discuss the implications of this level of transmission.

For the week ending September 24, 18 counties were in the low level of transmission, 47 counties in the moderate level, with two with substantial transmission:

• Low – Cameron, Clarion, Crawford, Elk, Forest, Fulton, Huntingdon, Jefferson, McKean, Montour, Pike, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Venango, Warren, Wyoming
• Moderate – Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Chester, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Indiana, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Union, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, York
• Substantial – Centre, Northumberland

Cases Among 5-18-Year-Olds
The Department of Health is providing weekly data on the number of statewide cases of COVID-19 among 5 to 18-year-olds.

Throughout the pandemic, there have been 9,552 total cases of COVID-19 among 5 to 18-year-olds. Of that total, 624 occurred between September 18 – September 24. For the week of September 11 – September 17, there were 753 cases of COVID-19 among 5 to 18-year-olds.

Cases by demographic group is available on the DOH website.

Business Visits
The Department of Health is providing weekly data on the number of individuals who responded to case investigators that they spent time at business establishments (restaurants, bars, gym/fitness centers, salon/barbershops) and at mass gatherings 14 days prior to the onset of COVID-19 symptoms.

Of the 5,747 confirmed cases reported between September 13 and September 19, 42 percent (2.405) provided an answer to the question as to whether they spent time at a business establishment.

Of those who did provide an answer, 14.5 percent, or 350, answered yes, they visited a business establishment 14 days prior to onset of symptoms:

• 55 percent (194) of those who said yes reported going to a restaurant;
• 23 percent (82) of those who said yes reported going to some other business establishment;
• 12 percent (42) of those who said yes reported going to a bar;
• 11 percent (39) of those who said yes reported going to a gym/fitness center; and
• 4 percent (14) of those who said yes reported going to a salon/barbershop.

Of the 5,747 confirmed cases, 42 percent (2,417) answered the question as to whether they attended a mass gathering or other large event. Of the 42 percent, 11 percent (266) answered yes to whether they attended a mass gathering or other large event 14 days prior to onset of symptoms.

Compared to data reported on September 21, this week’s data saw an increase in people going to a restaurant (55 percent to 50 percent) and going to some other business (23 percent vs. 21 percent). Numbers went down for this week’s data for people who reported going to a salon or barbershop (4 percent vs. 8 percent), a gym/fitness center (11 percent vs. 15 percent) and going to a bar (12 percent vs. 13 percent). The number of those who attended a mass gathering or other large event went down slightly from close to 12 percent to 11 percent.

On July 13 contact tracers began asking more specific questions on the types of businesses visited and if individuals attended a mass gathering, defined as more than 250 people in attendance outdoors or more than 25 indoors.

The numbers above highlight business settings and mass gatherings as possible sites for transmission. With less than half of those asked about what types of businesses they visited or if they attended a mass gathering responding to the question, the department is reminding Pennsylvanians that it is essential that people answer the phone when case investigators call and to provide full and complete information to these clinical professionals.

Travel Recommendations
Also today, the Department of Health updated its travel recommendations, originally announced on July 2, to add Kentucky, Texas and Utah and remove Louisiana from the list of states recommended for domestic travelers returning from to quarantine for 14 days upon return to Pennsylvania.

It is important that people understand that this recommendation is in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. A concerning number of recent cases have been linked to travel, and if people are going to travel, we need them to take steps to protect themselves, their loved ones and their community, and that involves quarantining.

Gov. Wolf continues to prioritize the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians through the COVID-19 pandemic. Pennsylvanians should continue to take actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, regardless of in what county they live. This includes wearing a mask or face covering anytime they are in public. COVID-19 has been shown to spread easily in the air and contagious carriers can be asymptomatic.

• Require all customers to wear masks while entering, exiting or otherwise traveling throughout the restaurant or retail food service business (face masks may be removed while seated). Further, employees are required to wear masks at all times.
• Provide at least six feet between parties at tables or physical barriers between customers where booths are arranged back to back.
• Ensure maximum occupancy limits for indoor and outdoor areas are posted and enforced.