State Senator Mastriano COVID-19 Update (April 15, 2020)

Pennsylvania COVID-19 Cases

137,584 tested in Pennsylvania statewide.

111,094 tested negative; 26,490 have tested positive (19.25 %), an increase of 1,145 from yesterday. 2,384 are hospitalized, 657 of those hospitalized required ventilators, 647 deaths.

Adams County has 64, an increase of 1 from yesterday.

Franklin County has 78, an increase of 9 from yesterday.

York County has 381, an increase of 10 from yesterday.

Cumberland County has 131, an increase of 7 from yesterday. 

Recoveries are still not being reported.

In Pennsylvania:

42% of all beds are available.

37.7% of all ICU beds are available.

69.83% of all ventilators are available. 

Working For You - Legislation I Sponsored

Senate Bill 1103: PA Healthy Citizens and Healthy Businesses --- referred to Senate Health Committee. 

Senate Bill 1097: Electronic Notarization legislation was voted unanimously out of the Senate Appropriations Committee today. This bill will modernize the notarization industry in PA; this type of audio-video communication is already in place in 22 other states.

https://senatormastriano.com/2020/04/15/mastriano-remote-notary-bill-receives-committee-approval/

Senate Bill 841: Senate Approves COVID-19 Emergency Measures for Local Governments; this legislation would take a number of steps to ensure local governments can continue to operate during the coronavirus pandemic; provides greater flexibility on property tax deadlines; and gives notaries emergency authorization to notarize documents remotely through the use of communications technology. https://senatormastriano.com/…/mastriano-senate-approves-c…/

Senate Resolution 323: Legislative Oversight & Input on Emergency Actions - - - assigned to the Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee.

Other Bills I am supporting during this crisis:

COVID-19 Crisis Grant Program for Volunteer Fire and EMS Companies (Senator Pittman).

Small Business Disaster and Emergency Relief (Senator Killion)

Property Tax Payment and Penalty Relief for Local Taxpayers (Senator Martin)

Change for Business Interruption Insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic (Senator Hughes)

Education Issues to Address Concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 (Senator Langerholc)

Prorated Refunds for Room and Board (Senator Martin)

Payment of Contract Services in Schools during the pandemic of 2020 (Senator lovino)

Allowing Construction Activities to Resume Safe Operations (Senator Arnold)

Removing outdated regulatory barriers to close the digital divide (Senator Phillips-Hill)

Requiring DOH to release communicable disease information by municipality (Senator K. Ward)

Business disruption insurance during COVID-19 (Senator Dinniman)

Crisis grant to Volunteer Fire & EMS companies due to COVID-19 (Senator Brewster)

COVID-19 crisis grant program for non-profit organizations (Senator Killion)

Department of Aging Offers Online COVID-19 Resource Guide for Older Pennsylvanians.

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging has launched an online COVID-19 resource guide to help older adults easily find useful information related to their health, safety and well-being.  https://www.aging.pa.gov/Pages/covid-guide-for-older-adults.aspx

WellSpan Health joins 100 Million Mask Challenge

Mask donations needed to meet expected increase in demand.

WellSpan Health today announced it is joining the 100 Million Mask Challenge, an initiative launched by the American Hospital Association to help meet growing demand for masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 100 Million Mask Challenge is a nationwide effort calling on manufacturers, the business community and individuals across the country to coordinate efforts to rapidly produce needed PPE on a large scale for the nation’s health care heroes. The current supply of masks in some parts of the country has not been able to keep up with the demand.

Individuals interested in making or donating masks should visit WellSpan.org/COVID19Help to download the approved pattern or call the Coronavirus Information Hotline at 1-855-851-3641 and select option 4.

WellSpan has opened mask donation sites across southcentral Pennsylvania. Donations will be accepted Monday through Friday at the following locations:

Chambersburg: 660 Orchard Drive, Chambersburg; open 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Gettysburg: 450 S. Washington St., Gettysburg; open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Hanover: WellSpan Health and Surgery Center, 1227 Baltimore St., Hanover; open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

For more information on the 100 Million Mask Challenge, visit www.100millionmasks.org.

Volunteers & Help in District 33

Thank you to each of you that have reached out to help during this time to deliver groceries, prescriptions and supplies to those who are not able to go out.  Please continue to let me know, via my email address or phone number listed below, under the conclusion article, if you can help.

Points of Light

In Franklin County, the 1st Responders to the Rescue group purchased meals for the Franklin County 911 Center. The lunch and dinners were prepared by Texas Road House. 

Jared Gobrect from Big Biscuit PDR, Kevin Tasto and Holly Miller from Roller Printing donated 1,000 pounds of sugar to Hanover Distilling Company to be fermented into alcohol to make hand sanitizer.

Jordan Lehr from 1-800-Board Up is donating his time to sanitizing vehicles for United Hook & Ladder Station 33 in Adams County.

Becky Bequette reports from Fairfield that 1,567 masks have been distributed. The community has come together and are called Fairfield Facemasks. Their priority is to produce face masks for people in health care, elderly care, home care, vulnerable populations, and those with health issues. 

Recently, they have been filling other requests as they are able to and taking donations to be split among the food charities within the Fairfield Area School District. 

These charities are Ruth's Harvest, which provides food in backpacks to school students to cover the weekend, and the Fairfield Food Pantry operated out of the Fairfield Mennonite Church. 

Non-perishable donations have been going to Fairfield Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a group organizing food handouts with St. John’s Lutheran church in town. The Fairfield area has been amazing in coming together to provide for each other in so many ways. If anyone would like to help or donate, please reach out to Fairfield Facemasks on Facebook.