The Wolf Administration announced it has selected Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) of Philadelphia as its health care emergency preparedness vendor, effective July 8, 2020. The agreement is part of the Department of Health’s annual federal health preparedness grant. Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said, “We are looking forward to the opportunity to expand our existing hospital preparedness program, as well as creating an inclusive environment for all members of our health care system through our health care coalitions.” Health Care Coalitions (HCC):

• Are a formal collaboration among healthcare organizations and public and private partners that are organized to prepare for, respond to and recover from an emergency, mass casualty or catastrophic event
• Include the key components of comprehensive healthcare membership, regional presence developed within states/territories to cover larger geographic areas and preparedness capability operationalization through plans, exercises, trainings, response and after-action reports

The Hospital and Healthsystem of Pennsylvania (HAP) previously held the contract. Click here to read the Department of Health’s announcement. As PACHC learns more about changes under the new vendor the PA Association of Community Health Centers will make health centers aware.

The state House and Senate passed HR 836, a concurrent resolution, terminating the Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued by the Governor. The House and Senate believe they do not need the Governor’s approval to end the proclamation. In response, Gov. Wolf issued a press release outlining the impact ending the Emergency Proclamation would have on the state, including:

• Pennsylvania will be the first and only state in the United States without an active disaster emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Telehealth and other health care services provided by out-of-state providers for Pennsylvanians would end
• Hospitals and alternative care sites would no longer be able to add capacity or repurpose facilities (i.e., beds) without having to abide by the 60-day notice requirement
• License renewal and training requirement suspensions for healthcare professionals, child care workers, direct care workers, and direct support professionals, among other professional groups who provide life sustaining services to our children, seniors, and vulnerable residents would end, meaning all of these workers would need to choose between not returning to work until those credentials could be renewed or trainings completed or the option of returning to work with the understanding that they are practicing out of compliance with Pennsylvania law and regulation, very well opening themselves up to personal liability

The Governor also argued in his press release in response to the action that the General Assembly’s claims that the resolution ended the business guideline orders is not true. “Not only does any concurrent resolution need to come to the Governor for approval or disapproval, but the disaster declaration is separate from the orders signed by Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine under the Disease Prevention Act that include provisions for business reopening and for worker and building safety. Those orders remain in place. The legislature did nothing to end those.” Governor Wolf and his General Counsel Gregory Schwab said the administration would be going to court to get clarification as to whether the administration has to comply with the Legislature’s termination of the declaration. The Senate Republican Caucus filed a Petition for Review on Wednesday in Commonwealth Court, to assert what they say is the Legislature’s right, under state law, to terminate disaster emergency declarations.

CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.

Call details are below. Conference lines are limited so we highly encourage you to join via audio webcast, either on your computer or smartphone web browser. You are welcome to share this invitation with your colleagues and professional networks. These calls are not intended for the press.

Calls recordings and transcripts are posted on the CMS podcast page at: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/OpenDoorForums/PodcastAndTranscripts

CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Calls (Tuesdays at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern)

Office Hour Calls provide an opportunity for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding CMS’s temporary actions that empower local hospitals and healthcare systems to:

• Increase Hospital Capacity – CMS Hospitals Without Walls;
• Rapidly Expand the Healthcare Workforce;
• Put Patients Over Paperwork; and
• Further Promote Telehealth in Medicare

 This week’s Office Hours:

Tuesday, June 16^th at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 4527348

Audio Webcast link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=5b097cf5-075d6589-5b094dca-0cc47adc5fa2-a36963157ab9f1a5&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2176

Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19 (Fridays at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern)

Lessons from the Front Lines calls are a joint effort between CMS Administrator Seema Verma, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Physicians and other clinicians are invited to share their experience, ideas, strategies, and insights with one another related to their COVID-19 response. There is an opportunity to ask questions of presenters.

This week’s Lessons from the Front Lines:

Friday, June 19^th at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Code: 2258722

Web Link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=5290c7b7-0ec4decb-5290f688-0cc47adc5fa2-aab7a40991a3db3b&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2203

To keep up with the important work the White House Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19 click here: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=36fa2226-6aae0b0d-36fa1319-0cc47a6d17cc-2d06c219f858d641&u=http://www.coronavirus.gov/. For information specific to CMS, please visit the Current Emergencies Website.

Continuing his commitment to small businesses (SBs) and small diverse businesses (SBDs), Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced new procurement changes to improve opportunities for minority-, women-, LGBT-, veteran- and disabled-owned businesses to compete for state government contracts and succeed in the commonwealth’s economy.

These actions are the direct result of the governor’s Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities in Commonwealth Procurement and in Pennsylvania’s Economy executive order signed in 2015. The order created the Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities (BDISBO) within the Department of General Services, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Diversity Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities and led to the 2018 Statewide Disparity Study which examined disparities in the commonwealth’s contracting system and made recommendations for improvement.

There are three new changes taking effect.

Visit the Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion, and Small Business Opportunity for more detailed information on the new policies and programs as well as the Wolf Administration’s efforts to diversity state contracting and opportunities for small and diverse businesses.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that beginning Wednesday, June 17, nine more COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites will open in Walmart parking lots across the state, bringing the total to 19 sites at Walmart locations. Quest Diagnostics and Walmart are working with the department to provide no-cost testing for residents living in areas where there are fewer testing sites. Another testing site has also been added in Venango County, which previously had only one site, bringing the total of new testing sites to 10.

Beginning June 17 these sites will be open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. to test up to 50 registered patients daily. Registration is required one day in advance. There is no COVID-19 testing inside Walmart stores or Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Centers.

The testing sites that will open on Wednesday include:

• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 1887 Elmira St, Sayre, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 1665 N Atherton St, State College, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 108 Washington Towne Blvd N, Edinboro, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 2501 W State St, New Castle, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 1566 W Main Street Ext, Grove City, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 9300 State Route 61, Coal Township, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 980 N Susquehanna Trail, Selinsgrove, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 120 AJK Blvd, Lewisburg, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 1169 South Main St, Mansfield, PA

More information about these testing sites and others, including a map of the sites available in Pennsylvania, are listed on the department’s website

As Pennsylvania continues to implement Governor Tom Wolf’s Process to Reopen PA, the state is also among a select few with a steady decline in cases, a positive indicator that the state’s phased, measured reopening plan is working to balance public health with economic recovery.

According to data analysis from Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center data, Pennsylvania’s steady decline in cases since a peak in mid-April is particularly important as more counties reopen. The latest report indicates Pennsylvania is among the states with a sustained decline in cases over the past two weeks, an important indicator that reopening plans are measured and thoughtful.

In an Associated Press analysis, more than half the states in the U.S. are experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases as reopening begins. Pennsylvania is not among them. Many other states are experiencing significant case increases tied to reopening too soon or too much.

A Tableau Public analysis of states using four primary factors: daily tests, daily positive tests, current hospitalizations, and daily deaths shows Pennsylvania with a significant increase in tests accompanied by steep declines in positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths since a peak in mid-April. And while the country as a whole is seeing declines in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, many states are seeing increases that are cause for concern as reopening widens.

Mask-wearing has proven to be an important deterrent to the spread of the virus.  A recent study from Cambridge and Greenwich universities in the United Kingdom found that cloth masks, “even homemade masks with limited effectiveness can dramatically reduce transmission rates if worn by enough people, regardless of whether they show symptoms.”  The study also notes that mask-wearing will be especially important as a possible second wave of the virus could occur in the fall.

Pennsylvania has urged mask-wearing throughout its response to the pandemic and even as counties reach the green phase of reopening, masks are still required when entering businesses and encouraged for use in any space where social distancing is difficult to maintain. The state’s business guidance outlines mask-wearing for both employees and customers.

“Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine has said it countless times, ‘My mask protects you and your mask protects me,’ and that is important for all Pennsylvanians to remember as we continue a successful and safe reopening of the state,” Gov. Wolf said.

For more information on COVID-19 cases, visit the data dashboard here.

As states and localities begin to stabilize and COVID-19-related healthcare demand decreases, it is important to safely resume care in order to treat ongoing health needs that are currently being postponed.   CMS has issued guidance for health care facilities looking to expand operations in the next phase of COVID-19 pandemic re-openings. The guidance can be accessed at this link: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-recommendations-reopening-facilities-provide-non-emergent-care.pdf

Guidelines for Opening Up America Again are still applicable to all areas, and can be found here. If States or regions have determined with their public health officials that they passed the Gating Criteria (symptoms, cases, and hospitals) announced on April 16, 2020, then they may proceed to Phase I, and subsequently to Phase II of re-opening. Consistent with those recommendations, facilities should check with their State and local authorities to confirm if Gating Criteria have been met in their area.