Governor Tom Wolf announced that he will spend up to $50 million in transferred state funding to purchase medical equipment and supplies for hospitals, nursing homes, and emergency workers to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania.
“We need more beds, more ventilators, more personal protective
equipment, and so much more and we need it as soon as possible because the
virus is here,” Gov. Wolf said. “I am working to get this funding moving as
quickly as I can. We need to do everything we can to support our front-line
medical workers to protect them and ensure they have the equipment to care for
patients. This funding is a step in the right direction.”
The $50 million in funding will be deposited into a
restricted account under the governor’s jurisdiction and funds will be used if
there are insufficient funds available from the disaster proclamation “to buy
medical equipment and supplies for health care entities to meet urgent patient
and staff needs to address surge demand. Health care entities include
hospitals, nursing facilities and emergency medical services” according to the
legislation – House Bill 1232.
The governor is expected to sign the bill tomorrow
(3/27/2020).