Author Archive: Aneri Pattani of Spotlight PA

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A Decades-Old Law Is Shielding the Wolf Administration from Scrutiny of Its Coronavirus Response

A Decades-Old Law Is Shielding the Wolf Administration from Scrutiny of Its Coronavirus Response

| August 20, 2020

HARRISBURG, Pa. — For the first months of the pandemic, as state officials took sweeping and unprecedented actions to combat COVID-19, the public was cut off from a crucial tool to understand how those life-and-death decisions were being made.

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Inside Some Pennsylvania Rehabs, ‘It’s Like COVID Doesn’t Exist’

Inside Some Pennsylvania Rehabs, ‘It’s Like COVID Doesn’t Exist’

| August 15, 2020

Waking up on June 14, Colleen Moskov couldn’t remember what had happened the night before. She had blacked out from another episode of binge drinking, a frequent occurrence over the past six months. But that morning, Moskov decided she’d had enough.

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Politics, Fear Keep Some COVID-Positive People From Disclosing Contacts. What’s the Solution?

Politics, Fear Keep Some COVID-Positive People From Disclosing Contacts. What’s the Solution?

With all but one county in Pennsylvania now in the green phase of reopening, public health experts agree that contact tracing is a crucial element to keeping people safe.

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Thousands of Deaths Later, Pa. Finally Mandates Universal Testing in Nursing Homes, but Not for Another Month

Thousands of Deaths Later, Pa. Finally Mandates Universal Testing in Nursing Homes, but Not for Another Month

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Three months after the coronavirus began infecting and killing nursing home residents — who account for a large majority of all deaths in the state — the Wolf administration on Monday ordered facilities to test all staff and residents once by mid-summer.

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From Confusion to Threats, Some Pa. Nursing Home Residents Aren’t Getting Their Coronavirus Stimulus Checks

From Confusion to Threats, Some Pa. Nursing Home Residents Aren’t Getting Their Coronavirus Stimulus Checks

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Federal stimulus checks aren’t reaching a growing number of seniors in Pennsylvania’s long-term-care homes, depriving them of money needed now more than ever to connect with family amid a pandemic that has overcome their facilities and isolated them from visitors.

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Pa. Health Officials Quietly Alter Erroneous Nursing Home Case, Death Counts as Providers Cry Foul

Pa. Health Officials Quietly Alter Erroneous Nursing Home Case, Death Counts as Providers Cry Foul

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Two days after the state released a long sought-after list of nursing homes where the coronavirus has infected or killed residents or staff, Pennsylvania’s top health official admitted there are errors in the data.

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Pa. Sold Nursing Home Testing Plan as ‘Universal’ and ‘Radical’, but Advocates Say It’s Optional and Insufficient

Pa. Sold Nursing Home Testing Plan as ‘Universal’ and ‘Radical’, but Advocates Say It’s Optional and Insufficient

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Last week, under growing pressure to address the mounting death toll of seniors in Pennsylvania’s nursing homes, the Wolf administration announced a “robust universal testing strategy.”

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Pa. Had an Early Plan to Protect Nursing Home Residents From the Coronavirus, but Never Fully Implemented It

Pa. Had an Early Plan to Protect Nursing Home Residents From the Coronavirus, but Never Fully Implemented It

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s plan to protect its nursing homes was robust and aggressive.

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How PA. Plans to Keep Track of the Coronavirus After Reopening to Prevent Another Outbreak

How PA. Plans to Keep Track of the Coronavirus After Reopening to Prevent Another Outbreak

HARRISBURG, Pa. — One week after Gov. Tom Wolf said his administration was struggling to come up with a plan to increase its contact tracing capabilities to help prevent another coronavirus outbreak, officials with the Department of Health unveiled new steps they say will allow the state to safely reopen.

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Pa. Slashed the Ranks of Its Contact Tracing Nurses. Now, They Are Pivotal to Reopening, but Only a Fraction Remain.

Pa. Slashed the Ranks of Its Contact Tracing Nurses. Now, They Are Pivotal to Reopening, but Only a Fraction Remain.

A lab test indicates you have COVID-19.

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