Pennsylvania lawmakers want to set aside millions of dollars to help struggling area hospitals

PITTSBURGH — A bipartisan group of state lawmakers want to set aside $650 million to help local hospitals recover from the pandemic.

The Pennsylvania Heroes Act would create a grant system for hospitals to apply for money to pay for projects ranging from infrastructure to expanded mental health services for employees.

The money would come from the $7.2 billion Pennsylvania is expected to receive in COVID-19 relief from the federal government.

“It’s an opportunity for each member hospital to identify their highest priority needs and show the Commonwealth how they will be advancing healthcare,” said Andy Carter, the CEO of the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.

One of those hospitals with plenty of needs is Monongahela Valley Hospital in Washington County.

Like other community hospitals, Mon Valley struggled financially before the pandemic.

Those problems were exacerbated as beds started to fill up with COVID-19 patients and the Pennsylvania Department of Health suspended elective procedures for several months.

Mon Valley Hospital CEO Lou Panza said that decision was a financial blow they are still recovering from.

But he believes funding from the Pennsylvania Heroes Act would give them an opportunity to make permanent changes.

“We would have the financial support to go back and retool our hospitals to be better prepared for the next pandemic,” Panza said. “Having the capability to install more permanent negative pressure rooms as opposed to temporary rooms. Dealing with the mental health issues of not just the patients but the staff.”

The bill has bipartisan support and has been cosponsored by more than two dozen lawmakers including Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Beaver/Washington).

Given the number of rural hospitals and healthcare systems in Pennsylvania, Bartolotta isn’t expecting much resistance in Harrisburg.

“The long-term health of rural Pennsylvania depends on the health of these facilities.”

OTD: UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Cox Media Group