About Us

​Pennsylvania Long‑Term Care Council

The Long-term Care Council provides informed recommendations to improve regulations, licensing, financing, and delivery of long-term care services and supports in the Commonwealth.

​About the Pennsylvania Long‑Term Care Council

The Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Council makes suggestions about rules and funding for long-term care services. It was created by Act 64 of 2015 and updated by Act 63 of 2021 to better match today’s needs. This council replaces the Intra-Governmental Council on Long-Term Care. It covers all types of long-term care, like care in nursing homes and help at home. The council has 35 members. It includes people who use long-term care, consumers, advocates, caregivers, providers, and policymakers. Secretary of Aging, Jason Kavulich, chairs the council.

Attend a Meeting

Long-Term Care Council meetings will begin at 10:00 a.m. They will be on Microsoft Teams unless otherwise specified. The end time will vary based on agenda items for each meeting. 

Please contact Jessie Pierce at (717) 884-4852 or via email at jesspierce@pa.gov​. for the following:

  • Request a link to the virtual meetings
  • Request accommodations as provided for in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
  • Make inquiries about Long-Term Care Council business

Membership

Senator Maria Collett, Minority Chair Aging & Youth Committee
Designee: Tom Holroyd

Senator Judy Ward, Chair Aging & Youth Committee
Designee: Greg Beckenbaugh

Representative Steven Mentzer, Republican Chair Aging & Older Adult Services Committee
Designee: Annemarie Robey

Representative Patty Kim, Chair Aging & Older Adult Services Committee
Designee: Chuck Miller

 

Acting Insurance Commissioner Mike Humphreys

Designee: Katie Merritt, Policy Director

 

MG Mark Schindler, The Adjutant General

Designees:

BG Maureen Weigl, Deputy Adjutant General for Office of Veterans Affairs

Richard C. Hamp, SGM (Ret)

Special Assistant to the Deputy Adjutant General for Veterans Affairs

Travis J. Davis, MHA, NHA, HSE 

Director, Bureau of Veterans' Homes

 

Robin Wiessmann 

Executive Director/CEO, PA Housing Finance Agency

Designee: Danielle Rudy, Supportive Housing Officer II


Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen

Designees: 

Susan Coble, Director 

Bureau of Community Program Licensure and Certification

Megan Barbour 

Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Health

 

Acting Secretary of Human Services Dr. Valarie Arkoosh

Designee: Jennifer Hale, Director

Bureau of Policy and Regulatory Management

Office of Long-Term Living

 

Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich 

Council Chair

 

Acting Secretary of Transportation Michael Carroll

Designee: Danielle Spila, Director 

Bureau of Public Transportation Secretary                    

 

Nicole M. Anders

Program Director, Inglis Day Program

SE Regional Rep., PA Adult Day Srvs. Assoc. (PADSA) 

Adult Day Center Representative 


Eric Beittel, CFP

Ender's Insurance 

Long-Term Care Insurance Representative


Samella Hudson-Brewton

Executive Director, John F. Kennedy Center 

Senior Community Center Representative 


Karen Buck, Esq.

Executive Director, SeniorLAW

Consumer Advocacy Representative 


Janice Cameron

Member, PA Council on Aging Member 

Chair, Southeast Regional Council on Aging

PA Council on Aging Representative


Kathy Cubit

Advocacy Manager, Center for Advocacy for the Rights & Interests of the Elderly (CARIE) 

Caregiver Representative

 

Shona Eakin                                       

Chief Executive Officer, Voices for Independence

LTSS Consumer 


Commissioner Jeff Engleston                                                   

Warren County Commissioner

County Commissioners Association of PA Representative


Kathleen Gillespie

Chief Executive Officer, Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging

Area Agency on Aging Representative 


Mark J. Gusek

Chief Executive Officer / Executive Director

The Lutheran Home for The Aged d/b/a

The Village at Luther Square d/b/a

LIFE – Northwestern Pennsylvania

LTC Managed Care Representative


Nancy Hodgson, PhD, RN, 

Associate Professor, Biobehavorial Health Science

Anthony Buividas Term Chair in Gerontology                    

School of Nursing

University of Pennsylvania

Academic Research Representative 


David A. Nace, MD, MPH

Chief Medical Officer, UPMC Senior Communities

Associate Professor of Medicine

Director of Long-Term Care & Influenza Programs

Division of Geriatric Medicine

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine 

LTSS Physician Representative 

 

Shane Nugent 

Vice President, The Nugent Group

For-Profit Skilled Nursing Facility Representative 

 

Teresa Osborne

Advocacy and Outreach Manager, AARP Pennsylvania

Consumer Advocacy Representative


Adrienne Peters-Sipes. Esq.

PA Bar Association, Elder Law Section Representative

 

Vini Portzline

Brd. Pres., Center for Independent Living of Central PA 

LTSS Consumer 


Angela M. Reynolds, Ph.D.

CEO YWCA Greater Pittsburgh

Caregiver Representative


Missy Shupe

LTSS Nurse Representative 


Michael Sokoloski

Mgr. of Grassroots Advocacy, BAYADA Home Health Care

Homecare Representative


Megan Stedjan

Nonprofit Skilled Nursing Facility Representative 

 

Nicholas M. Taylor

Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. ARMY (Ret.)

Chairman, Pennsylvania State Veterans Commission

Designee: Mark Baylis

State Veterans Commission Representative 

 

Kimberly VanHaitsma, PhD

Assoc. Professor & Dir., Program for Person Centered Living Systems of Care, Penn State College of Nursing

Senior Research Scientist, Polisher Research Institute

Academic Research Representative 

 

Matthew W. Yarnell

President, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania 

Consumer Advocacy Representative 


Margie Zelenak

Executive Director, PA Assisted Living Association (PALA)

Assisted living/Personal Care Home Representative 

 

Heshie Zinman

Founder & Board Member, LGBT Elder Initiative

Consumer Advocacy Representative