Luzerne/Wyoming County Providers Association holds Legislative Breakfast

WILKES-BARRE — Several major issues affecting human services providers were discussed at Friday’s Luzerne/Wyoming County Providers Association Legislative Breakfast — and state legislators assured the 50 in attendance that they will work together in a bipartisan manner to get some help.

One of the main concerns, repeated often during the roundtable discussion at Genetti’s in Wilkes-Barre, was the recruitment and retention of direct support staff in all areas of human services — from intellectual disability services, mental health, brain injury, and drug and alcohol services.

Attending the event were: Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston; Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre; Rep. Alec Ryncavage, R-Plymouth; Rep. Mike Cabell, R-Butler Township; Rep, Jim Haddock, D-Pittston Township; Rep. Dane Watro, R-Kline Township, Sen. Dave Argall, R-Schuylkill; Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver, R-Northumberland; and Mark Grochocki, representing Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township.

Jack Phillips, Director of Government Affairs for the Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association, moderated the event.

The providers discussed the issues they are having with competing with warehouse jobs that pay $19 to $20 an hour and providers do not have the capability of raising their rates to consumers because they have fixed rates from the state.

George Gwilliam, representing Cori’s Place, a non-profit agency serving adults with intellectual disabilities from Luzerne and Wyoming Counties since 2002, said funding is not available.

“We want to offer our staff members a living wage, or at least close to that,” Gwilliam said. “It’s getting more and more difficult to meet the rising needs.”

Another provider said she and her staff spend hours and hours on the phone trying to recruit workers.

“Our staff members are working long hours,” she said. “They are being pushed to the max. The system is in big trouble. We need significant help.”

Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, said finding workers is not easy in today’s world.

“Our workforce programs are broken,” Kaufer said. “In Pennsylvania, we have one million able-bodied people without dependents who are not taking jobs. The system needs to be adjusted. Unemployment is low. We need to create and implement new policies.”

Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, said he has been meeting with many who manage and care for family members, neighbors and residents of NEPA.

“Inevitably these organizations are experiencing the beckoning call for more staff, appropriate subsidies to be able to compete for qualified employees in the available workforce and federal and state regulations that need to be reviewed, updated or changed to address the needs of the time,” Pashinski said.

Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, could not attend the event, but offered comments via email.

“This is a crucial moment for discussions between state officials, legislators, and community providers,” Baker said. “The challenges of the pandemic called into question nearly all aspects of running facilities — staffing requirements, safety protocols, state mandates, policy guidelines, state reimbursements, and patient rights and protections. With a new administration taking office, it provides a needed opportunity to explore changes in direction. This could include strengthening laws, relaxing outdated restrictions, altering insurance coverage, and resetting how state money can be applied.”

The Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA) surveyed more than 130 providers representing over 30,000 individuals served across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to measure the impact of the collapsing Intellectual Disabilities and Autism (ID/A) system in Pennsylvania.

This data demonstrates that the care and support system for people with ID/A is failing and in crisis. Since before the COVID-19 Pandemic, systemic under-funding has been a consistent problem.

Individuals approved for services cannot find providers with the capacity to offer the services they need and are entitled to. Providers and families are feeling the effects of this daily.

Gwilliam said providers are competing against McDonald’s and warehouses for employees.

“This is causing providers in our area a crisis because we cannot find staff to operate our programs,” Gwilliam said. “They are paying warehouse workers $20 to $22 an hour, while McDonald’s is paying $17 to $18 an hour.”

Gwilliam said providers are limited because they can not increase the cost of the service, because they have a state fee rate they must charge and it is controlled by the state.

“Also, we have become over-regulated and it has a direct affect on our staff and the burnout rate and turnover rate of our employees,” Gwilliam said.

Gwilliam said the state needs to review regulations and make changes to them, so providers can serve their most vulnerable population and not increase paperwork.

“I feel the new administration will work with human services providers on many of these issues,” Gwilliam said. “I feel very optimistic after the Legislative Breakfast. The northeast legislators heard our concerns and will work with us to accomplish our goals that need to be addressed.”