Bucks Co. Lawmakers Announce New Bill Designating $225M To Support Health Care Workers

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Bucks County lawmakers on Wednesday announced the passage of a bill that will deliver $225 million to Pennsylvania health care employees.

House Bill 253 passed unanimously, State Representatives Tina Davis, John Galloway and Perry Warren said.

“Nurses and health care workers in Bucks County have selflessly sacrificed for the greater good since the first days of the pandemic,” Davis, secretary of the House Democratic Caucus, said. “I am proud to support this measure to help dedicated nurses and provide the money needed to help health care workers and improve health care in Bucks County and throughout the state.”

House Bill 253 would provide $110 million to hospitals that provide behavioral health services, serve a high amount of Medical Assistance clients, or are in some of our most rural parts of the state so they, too, can retain and recruit the staff they need at the bedside. It would also provide $100 million for needed retention and recruitment funds for direct care staff.

Another $15 million would be used to quadruple the amount of student loan forgiveness that can be provided to nurses in various settings, including the Student Loan Relief for Nurses Program.

“The pandemic placed additional stresses on society, resulting in a rise of mental health issues,” Galloway said. “Throughout the commonwealth, behavioral health provider staff have been addressing the increased need for care for nearly two years without a break. They have literally saved lives, but at cost to their own health.”

Democrats and Republicans came together in a bipartisan effort to create this bill, which Gov. Tom Wolf signed Wednesday.

"I am proud to sign this critical legislation into law to support our health care workforce and ensure Pennsylvanians can continue to receive quality care for emergency health issues and life-saving procedures," he said.

Wolf was joined by Democratic and Republican members of the General Assembly in the Governor’s Reception Room to celebrate the legislation.

“The past two years have been a challenge for everyone, and perhaps most of all for our health care workers,” Warren said. “Yet, whether in hospitals, or in public or private health care settings, our dedicated health care workers have come to work every day, caring for the sick, preserving health and saving lives. This bill recognizes their commitment and will help Pennsylvania health care providers retain and recruit essential frontline workers."

In addition to the funding to support the health care workforce, House Bill 253 also creates the Opioid Abuse Child Impact Task Force to focus on improving the safety, well-being and permanency of substance-exposed infants and other young children affected by their parents’ substance abuse disorders.

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