The Governor prioritized funding to ensure Pennsylvanians have access to the recovery support services they need:
Awarded almost $9 million in grants via the Department of Drugs and Alcohol Programs from the historic opioid settlement spearheaded by then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro to four counties to establish and expand services for individuals with mental health and substance abuse disorders.
Allocated an additional $10 million in Department of Drugs and Alcohol Programs’ grant funding to establish six regional recovery hubs to expand resources for Pennsylvanians in recovery in their community and to 19 organizations to establish and expand substance use disorder services.
The Shapiro Administration distributed over 400,000 xylazine/fentanyl test strips and approximately 127,000 naloxone kits through the Pennsylvania Overdose Prevention Program to community-based organizations and other groups.
Governor Shapiro secured vital funding to ensure Pennsylvanians receive high-quality healthcare services:
Signed a landmark, bipartisan bill into law that requires healthcare insurers to cover preventative breast and ovarian cancer screenings for high-risk women at no cost.
Established a health resource center in Darlington Township that helped over 500 residents impacted by the Norfolk Southern train derailment who had health, pet, farm animal, and air and water quality concerns, and rolled out a health resource network for residents.
Signed legislation to provide improved dental care for Pennsylvania Medicaid recipients.
Secured funding to expand programming to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity in the Commonwealth and signed Act 5, which requires more data to be shared between the Maternal Mortality Review Committee and Department of Health around maternal mortality.
Created a Behavioral Health Council to streamline and improve the accessibility of mental health and substance use disorder services in the Commonwealth.
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department now requires all commercial health insurers to provide coverage for autism benefits in compliance with mental health parity requirements, helping the approximately 55,000 Pennsylvanians with autism.
The Shapiro-Davis Administration is investing in our critical healthcare workers:
Signed the FY2023-24 budget with $50 million for Hospital and Healthsystem Emergency Relief to support the vital work of hospitals.
Signed the FY2023-24 budget with $20.7 million to increase mileage rates for ambulance services, protecting access to healthcare and ensuring that EMS workers and first responders are properly reimbursed.
Signed the FY2023-24 budget with a $20 million investment to increase base funding for counties to provide critical mental health services and address deepening workforce shortages.
The Department of State permitted registered nurses and licensed practical nurses who hold multistate licenses through the interstate Nurse Licensure Compact to practice in the Commonwealth, helping to reduce Pennsylvania’s nursing shortage.
The Administration is helping older adults age in place with dignity while also providing Pennsylvanian veterans with high quality resources:
Secured final allocation of a $52 million federal grant for the construction/renovation project at the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home.
In one year, the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs secured nearly $1 billion in compensation and pension benefits for Pennsylvania veterans.
Allocated more than $14 million through the Department of Health to 127 long-term care facilities to help maintain quality healthcare through workforce development, staff retention, and infrastructure for residents and staff.
Signed the FY2023-24 budget into law, which included $5 million for the Help at Home (OPTIONS) program to reduce the waitlist of seniors seeking services, allowing them to stay in their homes and a $1 million investment in grants for Senior Community Centers to improve safety and accessibility to continue creating safe spaces for older Pennsylvanians to gather and socialize.
Directed the Department of Aging to develop its 10-year Master Plan for Older Adults to improve Commonwealth services to 3.4 million older Pennsylvanians.
The Governor has defended Pennsylvanians’ freedoms while in office.
The Governor led a letter from six governors calling on the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure over-the-counter contraception is fully covered by insurance, expanding access to reproductive healthcare.
Maintained former Governor Tom Wolf’s Executive Order ensuring that non-Pennsylvania residents seeking abortion care in the Commonwealth can do so without fear of arrest or detention at the request of another state.
Joined the Reproductive Freedom Alliance with governors from 20 states to safeguard the freedom to choose and improve abortion and reproductive health access.
Launched a Commonwealth website to provide resources for patients seeking abortion care in Pennsylvania in the wake of right-wing judicial attacks on abortion.