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On the last day of the current legislative session—and as cases of COVID-19 continue to surge across the commonwealth—Governor Wolf vetoed a bill that would have provided limited liability protections for hospitals, health systems, and practitioners who are on the front line fighting to keep all patients safe and healthy.

During a conference call with reporters today, Rachel Levine, MD, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health, said the state has reached “a concerning milestone,” with more than 4,400 COVID-19 hospitalizations. The positivity rate has climbed to nearly 12 percent, as well.

While holidays are associated with family gatherings and sharing time with loved ones, families who have experienced a loss can find the holiday season to be an especially challenging time. Combined this year with the COVID-19 pandemic, record unemployment, and staying home for the holidays instead of visiting relatives and friends, an extra layer of stress and even sadness may permeate this holiday season.

As COVID-19 case counts continue to spike, a group of more than 400 clinical leaders, including chief medical officers and chief nursing officers, from Pennsylvania’s hospitals today issued an urgent call to action ahead of the holiday season.

When announcing a broad range of mitigation orders and guidance yesterday, Governor Tom Wolf pointed to the increasing number of COVID-19 infections in both Pennsylvania and across the nation.

Since the discovery of penicillin during 1928, antibiotics have been a lifesaving treatment in the fight against bacterial infections.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly today sent Governor Wolf a spending plan for the remainder of the fiscal year 2020–2021 budget. During May of this year, lawmakers enacted an interim state budget that funded government programs for five months and fully funded education.

Last night, the state Senate voted on a measure proposed by Senator Lisa Baker (R–Luzerne), which would protect providers and facilities, the business community, and education entities from frivolous COVID-19 lawsuits. Today the state House of Representatives approved the measure by a vote of 104 to 98, sending the bill to Governor Wolf.

As legislators work to finalize the details of the 2020–2021 state budget, the Senate Democrats elected their leadership team for the 2021–2022 legislative session. There are two new members of the Senate Democratic leadership team.

On National Rural Health Day, HAP celebrates Pennsylvania’s rural hospitals for their outstanding work in the communities they serve.