Advocacy Correspondence: PA Senate Institutional Sustainability and Innovation Committee, HAP Support for SB 998, HB 157, and SB 522, October 28, 2025
October 28, 2025
Members of the Senate Institutional Sustainability and Innovation Committee:
On behalf of The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) and our 235 member hospitals and health systems across the Commonwealth, HAP writes today on the package of bills expected to receive a vote by members of the committee on Tuesday.
Growing and Reinforcing the Healthcare Workforce
HAP strongly supports Senate Bill 998, as introduced by Senator Rosemary Brown, which would establish the Nurse Education Capacity Expansion Grant Program. SB 998 would create a competitive grant program for accredited, high-performing nursing programs to expand capacity, and enhance the workforce pipeline by affording resources for:
- Hiring new full- or part-time faculty or assistants.
- Enhancing compensation packages to attract and retain instructors.
- Strengthening clinical partnerships and preceptorship opportunities.
Across the state, accredited nursing programs are turning away qualified applicants due to the lack of faculty, clinical placements, and resources to train them. Nurses often earn higher pay at the bedside than in teaching roles, making it difficult to recruit and retain qualified instructors. SB 998 will serve to attract and retain nurse educators and increase the number of qualified nurses graduating from academic institutions within the Commonwealth.
HAP supports House Bill 157, as introduced by Representative Kathy Rapp, which would establish a Rural Healthcare Grant Program within the Commonwealth. HB 157 would allow hospitals in rural counties and designated medically underserved areas to apply for grants from the Department of Health to support the hiring of nurses and physicians at their facility and the repayment of student loan debt, incentivizing licensed healthcare professionals to apply for open positions across rural regions of the Commonwealth.
Together, SB 998 and HB 157 represent practical and targeted solutions to one of the most urgent challenges facing Pennsylvania’s healthcare system: the workforce shortage.
Integration of Behavioral and Physical Healthcare
HAP supports Senate Bill 522, as introduced by Chairman Frank Farry, which establishes a Department of Human Services grant program to assist primary care practices in integrating behavioral health services. Integrating behavioral health within primary care settings is an important step toward expanding access to mental health services, reducing stigma, and improving whole-person care for patients.
Please vote yes on SB 998, HB 157, and SB 522.
Restrictions on Medical Equipment
HAP will be neutral on Senate Bill 804 introduced by Senator Lisa Boscola, with amendment A01662 to be offered by Chairman Farry which strikes burdensome health care practitioner disclosure requirements. HAP appreciates the willingness of the prime sponsor to remove language which would have placed a requirement on health care providers to disclose information that may have been unknown, and to offer alternatives that may have been unavailable.
Thank you for your consideration and for your continued commitment to addressing the health care workforce crisis and improving care delivery across Pennsylvania. HAP and our members look forward to working with the General Assembly to ensure hospitals and health systems remain robust, sustainable, and prepared to meet the needs of patients and communities across the Commonwealth.
Please contact me or Sarah Lawver, HAP’s senior director, state advocacy, with any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Arielle Chortanoff
Vice President, State Advocacy
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Topics: Behavioral Health, Rural Health Care, Workforce
Revision Date: 10/28/2025
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