GEISINGER EMPLOYEES ARE 100% COMPLIANT
Geisinger announced that 100 percent of its staff have chosen to protect their communities, patients, and each other by meeting its COVID-19 vaccine policy that was announced in late August. Guided by the core values of safety and high-quality care, Geisinger required that all employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine or an approved exemption by Nov. 1. Geisinger’s policy aligns with federal policies released this week requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers at Medicare and Medicaid participating hospitals and other health care settings as well as employers with more than 100 employees.
LYCOMING COUNTY’S VETERAN’S PARADE IS TODAY
The annual Lycoming County Veterans Parade highlights honors the men and women who have served in the military. The parade is set for today in Loyalsock Township. A ceremony at 2 p.m. will kick off the event in front of Loyalsock High School. The parade will begin immediately following the ceremony at Northway Road proceeding to Sheridan Street and ending at Faxon Bowling Lanes on River Avenue. The reviewing stand will be at St. Ann’s Catholic Church.
COVID-19 LOCAL NUMBERS FROM FRIDAY
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Friday reported new COVID-19 cases. In Clinton County 60 new cases were reported Centre County saw an increase of 45 new cases, while Lycoming County increased by 93 Tioga County 35 new cases Northumberland County, with 67 new cases. Union had 28 new cases and Snyder had 21. Montour County had five new cases.
PRESCRIPTION DRUG ASSISTANCE FOR OUR SENIOR CITIZENS
The House has approved legislation to expand availability of prescription drug assistance to more of the state’s senior citizens. House Bill 1260 would expand the PACENET program, which provides life-sustaining medications to more than 300,000 older Pennsylvanians, by raising income eligibility limits to $33,500 for single individuals and $41,500 for married couples. The current PACENET eligibility requirement is $27,500 for single individuals and $35,500 for married couples. The bill also would eliminate the requirement for PACENET cardholders not enrolled in Medicare Part D to pay a monthly benchmark premium. Instead, the bill would require the program pay this monthly premium. The bill now goes to the Senate.
UNEMPLOYMENT LAWS TO PROHIBIT REFUSAL TO WORK
With employers across the state struggling to fill vacancies, the House has passed legislation that would update unemployment laws to clarify that people collecting unemployment can’t take steps to avoid being hired. Specifically, House Bill 1819 would prohibit actions to discourage their own hire, such as failure or refusal to attend a job interview or other applicant selection activity without good cause; refusing a job prior to an interview or a discussion of the details of a job with the employer without good cause; or failing to make a good faith effort to obtain employment, as evidenced by any statement or other actions of the claimant intended to discourage the claimant’s hire.
The legislation would also require the Department of Labor and Industry to create forms, or update existing forms, to enable employers to report claimants who discourage their own hire in order to receive unemployment benefits. The bill now goes to the Senate.
Governor Tom Wolf today signed into law House Bill 425. House Bill 425 extends flexibility for certain licensees, including restaurants by allowing them to extend the area in which they are licensed to serve alcohol to include a seating area within 1,000 feet of their main location, gives the PLCB the ability to issue eligible licensees unlimited off-premise catering permits and an additional year of safekeeping, and allows a licensee that closes permanently to sell their liquor and wine to another licensee.
LOCAL CHIEF URGES COMMUNITY TO CHANGE BATTERIES IN CO DETECTORS AND OTHER SAFETY MEASURES THIS WEEKEND
At 9:45am, emergency crews from Old Lycoming Township responded to the 1800 block of Marshall Ave. in the township for a report of Carbon Monoxide in the residence. Donning Self Contained Breathing Apparatus, crews entered basement and found extremely high levels and a vent pipe from a gas furnace that was detached pumping CO into the residence. The furnace was shut down, a heating contractor called and an extended period of ventilation was needed to make the home safe. Crews cleared the scene at 10:59am. The lessons from this incident are very clear. First CO detectors are life savers and are essential in any home. Second we are coming up to “change the clocks back, change the detector batteries” weekend and that includes the CO detector. Third make sure you have your heating systems checked at the start of the heating season.
