House Bill 253 appropriates $225 million to support Pennsylvania’s health care workforce
This appropriation will include child residential programs receiving Medical Assistance funding.
Governor Wolf announced House Bill 253 on 1/26/2022 which will provide much needed funding through he American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to support the health care workforce. This $225 million will go towards:
- $100 million to be distributed to all acute care, critical access, and children’s hospitals licensed by the Department of Health on a per-bed basis. The funding will be used strictly for recruitment and retention payments to direct care staff.
- $110 million to be distributed on a per-bed basis to high-Medical Assistance hospitals, designated Critical Access Hospitals, and inpatient and residential behavioral health facilities for recruitment and retention payments to key staff.
- $15 million to quadruple the funds available for the nurse loan forgiveness program at Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), a high-demand program which has already received more than 8,000 applications in advance of the March 1st deadline.
Please see the attached article for further information.
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