Pittsburgh, PA – Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens will reopen to the public on Sat., June 13 with its all-new Summer Flower Show: Back in Bloom.

As a home to beauty and inspiration in Western Pennsylvania since 1893, Phipps is monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on the community and has instituted new safety protocols, including the following:

• RESERVE ALL TICKETS IN ADVANCE: All tickets must be purchased in advance in order to prevent crowding. Guests will able to enter by showing an electronic or printed copy of their receipt to our guest services team
• WEAR A MASK: Masks are required for all staff and guests ages 2 and up at all times. Guests with medical conditions that prevent them from wearing a mask may visit visit our ticketing website to learn about special accommodations.
• MAINTAIN A SAFE DISTANCE: Signs have been placed on the floors throughout the conservatory to remind guests what a six foot distance looks like. Phipps has created a one-way experience through the conservatory to minimize interactions with other guests.
• WHEN IN DOUBT, DO NOT TOUCH: In order to minimize contact with surfaces, Phipps has temporarily eliminated hands-on play areas and activities.

Phipps is taking the following additional steps to provide a safe environment:

• Enhanced Cleaning Protocol: Hourly cleaning of surfaces that may be touched, including elevator buttons, handrails, kiosks and door handles.
• Hand Sanitizer: Touchless stations are located throughout the facility for your use.
• Facemasks for All Guests and Staff: All guests and staff are required to wear facemasks while onsite.
• Limiting Number of Guests: Number of tickets sold will be limited to ensure visitors can observe social distancing.

Tickets are available for reservation now at phipps.conservatory.org/tickets. In order to enter Phipps, all guests must reserve their tickets in advance, including members.

Department of Health Orders Further COVID-19 Protections for Hospital Staff

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today issued an order requiring that all hospitals take additional steps to further protect their staff and patients from COVID-19. The order requires all hospitals to develop, implement and adhere to safety measures by Monday, June 15.

“Across Pennsylvania, nurses and other front-line workers are treating patients around the clock in hospitals fighting the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine. “Many hospitals are already taking steps to protect their staff from this dangerous virus as much as possible. I have heard from nurses and staff, and this Order responds directly to many of their safety concerns. It ensures that the necessary steps are in place to deliver a safer environment so these workers can continue providing high-quality care during these extraordinary times.”

The Order addresses several concerns raised by nurses and other front-line workers. It requires hospitals to develop, implement and adhere to the following policies and procedures that provide for the safety of the hospital staff and patients by:

• Notifying hospital staff members who have been in close-contact with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case within 24 hours of the known contact and provide instruction for quarantine and work exclusion.
• Testing symptomatic and asymptomatic hospital staff members who have received notice of a close contact with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case upon request.
• Procuring and distributing nationally approved respirators to the hospital staff member when the staff member determines the mask is soiled, damaged or otherwise ineffective.
• Requiring universal masking for all individuals entering the hospital facility except for people for whom wearing a mask would create a further health risk or individuals under age 2.

These safety policies and procedures must be developed in consultation with the medical and nursing staffs, including front-line professional and auxiliary nursing staff members, including bed-side nurses, and must be implemented by June 15.  In addition to medical and nursing staff, hospital staff members include therapeutic services, social services, housekeeping services, dietary services, and maintenance.

If a patient, family member or staff member at a facility is concerned about the safety at a facility, an anonymous complaint can be filed with the department. All complaints filed are confidential and the department will protect the anonymity of those who report concerns. Any hospital staff who report concerns about worker safety should not be retaliated against.

The department investigates every complaint received. If there is a complaint about a healthcare facility, including a nursing home, please contact us at 1-800-254-5164 or fill out this online form.

(Harrisurg, Pa.) Pa State Representative Mike Turzai is reported to be announcing that he is resigning as the Speaker of the Pa House of Representatives today. It is not known if Turzai is also planning to resign from his house seat. Turzai announced in January that he was retiring after this term and will not seek re-election of his current seat.

Legislature moves to up penalty for boating under influence
PITTSBURGH, Penn. (Tribune-Review) — Pennsylvanians caught boating under the influence could face stiffer penalties as support for stricter laws grows in the state Legislature. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that the House and a Senate committee passed a measure that would make the penalties for people driving a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs similar to those imposed for driving a car under the influence. The legislation particularly focuses on those boating with minors on board. If the legislation passes, boating under the influence with a minor on board would carry a fine ranging from $1,500 to $10,000, or imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both.

(File Photo)

COOPERSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Federal and state authorities on Wednesday were trying to determine what caused two tractor-trailers filled with fireworks to explode in eastern Pennsylvania, killing one person and injuring another.
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents joined state investigators at the scene in Lower Milford Township to comb through the trailers and a building that were destroyed by the series of blasts on Tuesday afternoon.
The blasts drew neighbors and passersby.
A.J. Molaee told WPVI-TV he and his parents after aid to a man lying on the ground.
“He said, ‘My friend Brian’s in there in the trailer and my dog, is my dog OK? And I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die,'” Molaee recalled. “We’re asking him what happened? He said, ‘I just walked in and the whole place exploded.'”
Neighbors reported the blasts shook their homes and black smoke rose from the scene.
The Lehigh County coroner has not released the name of the victim.
No additional information was available, the coroner said.

Some counting continues, a week after Pennsylvania’s primary
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The counting from Pennsylvania’s first foray into mass voting by mail is wrapping up a week after the primary, with results of some of races still up in the air. State and county elections officials said Tuesday there were a few comparatively minor issues during the voting, which featured new paper-trail machines in some counties and a crushing demand for mail-in ballots under a state law passed last year. At least five incumbent state lawmakers lost their primaries and three others are in close contests. Elections officials say some improvements to the vote-counting process should be made before November, when the presidential race is sure to bring high turnout.

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.