(Mar 05, 2020) Policy Committee
EXTON, March 5 – State Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, D-Chester, will hold a House Democratic Policy Committee hearing on the state of the care workforce in Pennsylvania. The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 12, at the Abraham Fetters-White School, 134 Sharp Lane. The media and public are invited to attend. Otten requested the hearing to discuss the rising need for and shortage of care workers for senior citizens and individuals with disabilities; the need to raise wages and reimbursements for home health care workers and direct support professionals; and the need to ensure safe work conditions for all care workers, whether in the home or in a facility setting. Otten will be joined by legislators from across the state, including Policy Committee Chairman Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster. Panelists will include: Kevin Hancock, deputy secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Matt Yarnell, president, SEIU Healthcare PA. Lolita Owens, homecare worker, Liberty Resources. Tynia Stevens, nurse aide, Bryn Mawr Extended Care Center. Lauren House, intellectual disability deputy administrator, Chester County Department of Mental Health/Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Jeanne Meikrantz, executive director, The Arc of Chester County. Pennsylvania Homecare Association. Deborah Rowe, vice president, nursing workforce development, PA Health Care Association. Read more