HHS Announces $311,746,422 in Provider Relief Funds for Pennsylvania Safety Net Hospitals

Recognizing the incredibly thin margins safety net hospitals operate on, HHS is announcing the distribution of $311,746,422 in Provider Relief Funds to safety net hospitals in Pennsylvania serving the most vulnerable citizens. This payment is being sent directly to these hospitals via direct deposit this week. Across the nation, more than $10 billion is being delivered to safety net hospitals this week.

“Healthcare providers who focus on treating the most vulnerable Americans, including low-income and minority patients, are absolutely essential to our fight against COVID-19,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “HHS is using funds from Congress, secured by President Trump, to provide new targeted help for Pennsylvania safety-net providers and clinicians.”

HHS is providing support to healthcare providers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic through the bipartisan CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which allocated $175 billion in relief funds to hospitals and other healthcare providers, including those disproportionately impacted by this pandemic.

Qualification for these safety net hospitals to receive payment was based on:

• A Medicare Disproportionate Payment Percentage (DPP) of 20.2 percent or greater;
• Average Uncompensated Care per bed of $25,000 or more. For example, a hospital with 100 beds would need to provide $2,500,000 in Uncompensated Care in a year to meet this requirement;
• Profitability of 3 percent or less, as reported to CMS in its most recently filed Cost Report.

Recipients received a minimum distribution of $5 million and a maximum distribution of $50 million.

HHS also announced it was opening an enhanced portal to allow Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs, and expects to distribute approximately $15 billion to eligible providers that have not received a payment from the Provider Relief Fund General Allocation.

Insurance telemarketers fined $225M for a billion robocalls
By TALI ARBEL AP Technology Writer
The U.S. communications regulator on Tuesday proposed a $225 million fine, its largest ever, against two health insurance telemarketers for spamming people with 1 billion robocalls using fake phone numbers. The Federal Communications Commission said two men in Texas, through their companies, made the calls that purported to sell products from major insurers but actually worked on behalf of other companies. State attorneys general of Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas also sued the two men and their companies in federal court in Texas for violating the federal law governing telemarketing, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

(McKees Rocks, Pa.) A woman was critically injured in a motorcycle crash that shut down part of Route 65 near the McKees Rocks Bridge early Monday afternoon. The accident involved a car and a motorcycle. Allegheny County’s Twitter feed reported that when police arrived on the scene, they found a woman who was driving the motorcycle was unresponsive. She was treated at the scene and taken to a Pittsburgh hospital in critical condition. It’s being reported that the driver of a car pulled out of a driveway onto Route 65 when the motorcyclist, who was driving northbound, hit the bumper of the car. No one who was in the car was injured and police continue to investigate.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is advising motorists that line painting operations on various roadways in Lawrence, Beaver and Allegheny counties will occur Monday through Friday, June 8-12, weather permitting.

Work to repaint lines will occur from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day in the following locations:

Lawrence County

• Various I-376 ramps between the Pennsylvania Turnpike exit (Exit 26) and the Route 208/New Wilmington exit (Exit 5)

Beaver County

• Route 65 in various municipalities
• I-376 in both directions between the Hopewell (Exit 48) and Center (Exit 42) interchanges
• Route 989 in various municipalities

Allegheny County

• I-279 Parkway North between the I-79 split in Franklin Park Borough to Camp Horne Road exit (Exit 8) in Ohio Township
• Various I-376 Parkway West ramps between the I-79 (Exit 59) interchange in Collier Township to the Campbells Run Road (Exit 62) in Robinson Township
• I-579 Veterans Bridge to I-579 Cap project in the City of Pittsburgh
• Route 837 in various municipalities
• Route 910 in various municipalities

PennDOT advises motorists to exercise caution and patience, and suggests allowing at least 250 feet (13 car lengths) behind line painting equipment to avoid damage.  Motorists should avoid passing the paint vehicles unless directed by a paint crew member or flag person to do so.  Passing too quickly can cause damage to fresh paint lines and may result in paint on the motorist’s vehicle.  Line painting vehicles normally pull over every two and one-half miles or when safety permits.  Recent technological advancements on the mix of formulas have produced fast dry paints that are dry to the touch within 2 to 3 minutes.  It is crucial to stay off these lines during the curing period.

Motorists who accidentally get paint on their vehicles should immediately wash the paint off with a high-pressure water stream and detergent.  Dried paint can be removed with de-natured alcohol and a soft cloth.  Generally, PennDOT is not responsible for paint on vehicles.

Roadway line painting is an important part of PennDOT’s highway safety initiatives. Paint lines provide direction, delineation, and guidance to motorists.

Glass beads applied on top of wet paint during the painting process provide retro reflectivity.  These small, spherical beads reflect light during dark hours and periods of low visibility.  As the glass beads become worn or wet, the reflectivity becomes greatly diminished resulting in reduced visibility during dark and wet hours.

Lines need repainting each year because of normal wear, tear, and weather. Winter maintenance activities such as plowing, spreading anti-skid materials, and studded tires are very abrasive to paint lines and can cause fading.  Normal weathering caused by snow, rain, and ice also contribute to line reflectivity reduction.

PennDOT establishes painting schedules to minimize delays to motorist.  On days before holidays and on Fridays, crews will focus on secondary routes to minimize inconvenience for motorists.

Motorists should use caution and be aware of changing traffic patterns when driving through the area.

Visit 511pa.com or call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions on major roadways before traveling.

Big Sewickley Creek Road Bridge Replacement Starts Tuesday in District 11

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing the start of a bridge replacement project on Route 4036 (Big Sewickley Creek Road) in Franklin Park, Allegheny County and Economy Borough, Beaver County will begin Tuesday, June 9 weather permitting.

Beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, single-lane alternating traffic controlled by temporary traffic signals will occur around-the-clock through mid-December on the bridge over Big Sewickley Creek between Hopkins Church Road and Amsler Ridge Road. A single 11-foot lane will be maintained throughout the project.

The temporary traffic signals will be installed today and put in flash mode until Tuesday morning.

J.F. Shea Construction, Inc. will conduct the replacement work for the $2.38 million bridge project.  Additionally, the project includes utility relocation, roadway and bridge widening, pavement reconstruction, guide rail updates, and pavement marking installation.

Please use caution when traveling through the area.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 950 traffic cameras.

Old Darlington Road Guide Rail Improvements Underway in South Beaver

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing guide rail improvement work is underway on Old Darlington Road (Route 4013) in South Beaver Township, Beaver County.

Single-lane alternating traffic will occur on Old Darlington Road between Chippewa Township and Route 551 weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through mid-September. Flaggers will assist motorists through the work zone.

Crews from Lindy Paving will conduct the guide rail improvement work. Please use caution when traveling through the area.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 950 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.)  Late yesterday Beaver County Emergency Service sent out a release of a missing  3 year-old West Aliquippa boy. Maddox Maritch, the missing boy,  was found safe in a neighbor’s kitchen by the resident about 8:30 p.m. last night. Assistant Emergency Services Director Kevin Whipple said that Police called in a tracking dog from White Oak Search and Rescue to assist Aliquippa Police in the search.  According to Aliquippa Police Officer Nicco D’Arrigo, the  search took about 2 hours.