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Nursing Homes Poised To Deal With Staffing Challenges

ALBANY — As New York’s nursing homes begin to recover from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed $216 billion budget will help the facilities with retention and recruitment of staffers, a top industry executive says. Hochul is offering a massive $10 billion multi-year commitment for health care. A total of $4 billion would be earmarked for wages and bonuses for workers. The package, as outlined in her proposed $216 billion state spending plan, offers $3,000 bonuses for health care workers earning less than $100,000 per year and who remain in their ...

State Judge Overturns NY Mask Mandate

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A New York judge ruled Monday that the state's mask mandate can't be enforced, after it was reinstituted by Gov. Kathy Hochul over concerns about a winter surge of coronavirus cases. State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rademaker said in his decision that the state ...

Pennsylvania Rolls Out ‘Strike Team’ To Ease Hospital Crunch

SELLERSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania has deployed its first pandemic "strike team" of out-of-state health care workers to a suburban Philadelphia hospital under severe strain from COVID-19, the state's top health official announced Monday. The team, which includes nurses and respiratory ...

Warren County School District To Pay $28k In Mask Suit Fees

The Warren County School District will pay a total of $28,000 to a group of parents who successfully took the district to federal court over its attempt to end around school mask regulations. The suit was brought by the parents of nine students who were not named in any court filings. The suit resulted in a consent order that required the district to “comply with the August Department of Health order as interpreted by the September Pennsylvania Department of Education directive” that mandated masks in schools. The court left the plaintiffs with the opportunity to petition for ...

Judge Temporarily Restores New York’s Mask Mandate

An appeals judge temporarily restored New York's mask mandate Tuesday, a day after a judge in a lower court ruled that Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration lacked the constitutional authority to order people to wear face coverings. Judge Robert Miller in New York City granted the state's ...

Vaccine Education Bill Proposed

A state Assemblywoman says teaching middle and high school students about vaccines should lead to more people taking vaccines as they get older. Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, D-New York City, introduced A.8870 earlier this week to amend the state Education Law to require instruction on vaccine science in every state middle and high school. Rosenthal wants to see health curriculum include information on vaccine history and development, effects of vaccines on the immune system, information on vaccine-preventable diseases and their spread, as well as information on thesafety and testing ...