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Pennsylvania State Senate
04/25/2024 07:03 AM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20210&cosponId=35484
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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: April 23, 2021 09:53 AM
From: Senator Camera Bartolotta
To: All Senate members
Subject: Health Care Heroes & Public Health Preparedness Act
 
In the near future, I will introduce the Health Care Heroes and Public Health Preparedness Act, which will create a grant program to allow hospitals to apply for resources needed to continue to respond to the health crisis, generate economic activity, and prepare for future public health challenges. 
 
Hospitals and their employees have shouldered a huge part of the burden in our communities for the response to the pandemic, and now we turn to them as central to the vaccination effort. This has come with immeasurable pressure on our most important resource, our health care work force, but it has also exposed the need for critical investments to ensure access to care in every corner of the Commonwealth is protected.
 
In an effort to support the hospital community, the Health Care Heroes and Public Health Preparedness Act would set aside $650 million from the over $7 billion the state will receive from the American Rescue Plan Act. These monies would be used by hospitals to support the health care workforce, make investments in behavioral health for all Pennsylvanians, and strengthen our public health infrastructure.
 
The Health Care Heroes and Public Health Preparedness Act would establish a grant program accessible to hospitals that can:
 
  • Demonstrate need;
  • Demonstrate that funding cannot be obtained via other funding sources; and
  • Require grant recipients to submit reports, maintain documentation and be subject to audit by the Auditor General.
     
    Additionally, defined award criteria and responsibility to distribute grant funding would be delegated to an agency with appropriate legislative oversight.
     
    Together, we have an opportunity to show our collective support for the work hospitals and front line health care workers have done over the past year and help them emerge from the challenges they faced with the strength to continue to keep Pennsylvanians healthy and safe. Please join me in this effort by cosponsoring my proposal.
     

Introduced as SB642