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In this Update:

• Labor and Industry Budget Hearing
• Visit with PennDOT in Clearfield
• Citation Presentation in Clearfield
• How to Protect Yourself Against Tick-Borne Diseases
• Access Nursing Home Inspections Online
• March is National Kidney Month
• Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Labor and Industry Budget Hearing

During the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing with the Department of Labor and Industry, I asked about the Unemployment Compensation Program which is the most common issue my district office deals with daily. Some of these claims have been unresolved since August, preventing owed payments to Pennsylvanians.

Visit with PennDOT in Clearfield

This week, I met with the PennDOT Assistant District Executive of Design Dean Ball and the Assistant District Executive of Construction Steven Fantechi to discuss upcoming 2022 projects in Clearfield County.

Citation Presentation in Clearfield

I was honored to present Janet Caldwell with a Senate Citation for the receiving the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Star of Excellence award in the District 2 office in Clearfield.  The Star of Excellence award is the Department of Transportation’s highest award given only to select employees for their outstanding performance in providing the best transportation services to Pennsylvanians every day.

How to Protect Yourself Against Tick-Borne Diseases

Lyme disease and the rare but dangerous Deer Tick Virus (DTV) have been found in ticks at high levels for the first time in multiple locations around the state. 

The statewide infection rate is currently 0.6% of ticks sampled. At three locations, the DTV infection rate exceeded 80%: Fisherman’s Paradise public fishing area on Spring Creek in Centre County, Lawrence Township Recreational Park in Clearfield County, and Iroquois Trail near Tunkhannock in Wyoming County.

The Deer Tick Virus is rare in the United States, but positive cases have increased in recent years. Initial symptoms of a DTV infection may include fever, headache, vomiting and weakness. Some people who are infected with DTV experience no symptoms, and therefore infection may go undetected. However, 91% of patients treated for DTV infections develop severe neuroinvasive disease. 

Recommended precautions for anyone venturing outdoors include:

• Apply tick repellents containing permethrin to clothing, and EPA-registered insect repellents such as DEET to exposed skin before entering the outdoors.
• Wear light colored outer clothing and tuck shirts into pants, and pants into socks.
• Walk in the centers of trails and avoid wooded and brushy areas with low-growing vegetation and tall grasses.
• After returning home, remove all clothing, take a shower and place clothing into the dryer on high heat to kill any lingering ticks. Examine gear, such as backpacks, for ticks.
• Conduct a full-body tick check.
• Check over any pets exposed to likely tick habitats each time they return indoors.
• If a tick is found attached to your skin, use tweezers to remove it carefully, including the head. Monitor for symptoms and contact your doctor with any questions.

For more information about tickborne disease prevention, visit Department of Health’s Tickborne Diseases website.

Access Nursing Home Inspections Online

Pennsylvanians with loved ones in long-term care can access a searchable database of nursing homes to view the results of inspections and complaint investigations.

The database includes patient care surveys, building safety surveys, size of the nursing home, type of ownership and additional information about each of the nursing homes in the state. The Department of Health oversees 688 nursing homes with more than 88,000 beds.

If you see something that may jeopardize patients’ safety or well-being, you can file an anonymous complaint by calling 1-800-254-5164, filling out an online form, emailing c-ncomplai@pa.gov or sending a letter in the mail. 

March is National Kidney Month

More than 37 million people in the United States are estimated to have chronic kidney disease and nearly 90% of them are unaware.

If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, you are at higher risk for developing kidney disease. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has useful information during National Kidney Month and year-round.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

To everyone who is Irish or Irish for the day, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

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