A05630
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
2510
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY TURZAI, READSHAW, KORTZ, KAIL, BARRAR, BOBACK,
CAUSER, SCHLEGEL CULVER, DeLUCA, EMRICK, FEE, FRITZ, GILLEN,
GREGORY, GREINER, HELM, KAUFFMAN, M. K. KELLER, KNOWLES,
MARSHALL, MENTZER, MIHALEK, MILLARD, MIZGORSKI, NELSON,
O'NEAL, OWLETT, PICKETT, POLINCHOCK, RADER, RAPP, REESE,
RYAN, SAYLOR, SCHMITT, STAATS, THOMAS, WARNER, ZIMMERMAN,
SIMMONS AND STRUZZI, MAY 12, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, MAY 12, 2020
AN ACT
Providing for regional response health collaborations to promote
health in facilities by supporting COVID-19 readiness and
response and improving the quality of infection prevention.;
and making emergency appropriations for human services.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Regional
Response Health Collaborative Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Assisted living residence." As defined in section 1001 of
the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), known as the Human
Services Code.
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"Authority." The Commonwealth Financing Authority.
"COVID-19." The novel coronavirus as identified in the
Governor's Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued on March 6,
2020, published at 50 Pa.B. 1644 (March 21, 2020).
"Emergency medical services agency." As defined in 35
Pa.C.S. § 8103 (relating to definitions).
"Facility." Any of the following:
(1) An assisted living residence.
(2) A long-term care nursing facility.
(3) A personal care home.
"Federal funds." Funds received from the Federal Government
to fight COVID-19 under the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security Act (Public Law 116-136, 134 Stat. 281).
"Health collaborative." A collaboration of a local health
care system that provides educational support and clinical
coaching in a specific region of this Commonwealth.
"Long-term care nursing facility." As defined in section
802.1 of the act of July 19, 1979 (P.L.130, No.48), known as the
Health Care Facilities Act.
"Personal care home." As defined in section 1001 of the
Human Services Code.
"Region." The following areas of this Commonwealth:
(1) Northeast.
(2) Southeast.
(3) North central.
(4) South central.
(5) Northwest.
(6) Southwest.
Section 3. Regional response health collaborative.
(a) Division.--The authority shall divide this Commonwealth
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into regions and shall delineate all of the facilities within
the parameters of a region.
(b) Proposals.--The authority shall solicit proposals from
health collaboratives to provide operations, management and
administration of the purposes provided under subsection (e) in
each region to protect residents in facilities from COVID-19.
(c) Contract.--The authority shall contract with at least
one health collaborative in each region for the purposes
provided under subsection (e).
(d) Appropriation.--The amount of $500,000,000 of the
Federal funds is appropriated to the authority for the purposes
of this act. The authority shall distribute the funds to each
health collaborative contracted under subsection (c).
(e) Purpose.--Each health care collaborative shall:
(1) Promote health and stabilize the economy of the
region by directly supporting COVID-19 readiness and response
in facilities.
(2) Improve the quality of care related to infection
prevention and other priority health care conditions common
to facilities.
(3) Expand COVID-19 testing to include asymptomatic
staff and residents in facilities to expand public health
surveillance.
Section 4. Duties.
(a) Review.--Each health collaborative shall perform daily
strategic review of facilities in their region.
(b) Plan.--Through collaborative review of the clinical
situation within facilities identified as having unmet needs, a
health collaborative shall formulate an action plan tailored to
the facility, identifying specific resources or tactical actions
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to implement to assist facilities.
(c) Components.--A health collaborative shall provide for
the following as provided under section 5:
(1) Enhanced testing capability.
(2) Infection control consultation and implementation,
including contact tracing.
(3) Advanced clinical care, including remote monitoring
and physician consultation.
(d) Funds.--A health collaborative shall:
(1) budget for and distribute funds provided by the
authority; and
(2) track and record the expense associated with each
type of testing and with implementing infection control
consultation across the region.
Section 5. Components.
(a) Enhanced testing.--
(1) If a facility experiences a positive test of COVID-
19, testing of facility residents and health care workers
shall be conducted. Onsite testing shall be made available
through mobile testing teams developed by the health
collaborative. The health collaborative shall coordinate the
testing response with participation from local emergency
medical services agencies and regional testing laboratories
to prioritize receipt of test results.
(2) A health collaborative shall deploy systematic
surveillance testing on a weekly basis using a random
sampling of not more than five asymptomatic residents in a
facility. Results of the testing shall be shared with all
stakeholders and the Commonwealth.
(b) Infection control and consultation.--A health
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collaborative shall deploy clinical staff to perform onsite
observation and consultation as part of the mobile testing team.
The clinical staff shall:
(1) implement infection control practices, such as
cohorting, personal protective equipment use, case detection
and staffing practices; and
(2) facilitate completion of exposure tracing studies.
(c) Advanced clinical management assistance.--Clinical staff
shall provide onsite and telemedicine-supported clinical care
for a facility.
Section 6. Emergency appropriations for human services.
(a) Construction with General Appropriation Act of 2019.--
All appropriations contained in this section shall be in
addition to any appropriation under the act of June 28, 2019
(P.L. , No.1A), known as the General Appropriation Act of
2019.
(b) Appropriations to Department of Human Services.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the following
amounts are appropriated to the Department of Human Services for
the 2019-2020 fiscal year:
The following Federal
amounts are appropriated to
supplement the sum appropriated
for "Medical Assistance - Long-
Term Care":
(1) "COVID - Medical
Assistance - Long-Term Care."
Federal appropriation..... 449,000,000
The following Federal
amounts are appropriated to
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supplement the sum appropriated
for "Medical Assistance - Long-
Term Care - Managed Care":
(1) "COVID - Medical
Assistance - Long-Term Care -
Managed Care."
Federal appropriation..... 8,000,000
The following Federal
amounts are appropriated to
supplement the sum appropriated
for "Community HealthChoices":
(1) "COVID - Community
HealthChoices."
Federal appropriation..... 50,000,000
The following Federal
amounts are appropriated to
supplement the sum appropriated
for intellectual disabilities -
community waiver program:
(1) "COVID - Community ID
Waiver Program."
Federal appropriation..... 259,280,000
The following Federal
amounts are appropriated to
supplement the sum appropriated
for the sum appropriated for
services to persons with autism
spectrum disorders:
(1) "COVID - Autism
Intervention Services."
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Federal appropriation..... 720,000
Section 6 7. Effective date.
This act shall take effect immediately.
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