Category: News

USDA Proposes Gradual Revisions to School Nutrition Standards through 2029 (February 7, 2023)

On February 3, 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced proposed revisions to school nutrition standards. Expressing concerns regarding U.S. rates of childhood obesity, Sec. Vilsack proposed school nutrition standards that would revise requirements on the use of whole grains, sodium, and sugar in school meals.

According to K-12 Dive, such changes would be made gradually between the fall of 2024 and the fall of 2029. Beginning in fall 2024, schools would be required to offer mostly whole grain products, with the choice of occasional enriched grain products. By fall 2025, they would be expected to reduce weekly sodium limits for breakfast and lunch by 10% and limit high-sugar products like yogurts and cereal. However, some flavored milk options with “reasonable limits” on added sugars would be allowed.

By fall 2027, added sugars would be limited to less than 10% of calories per week for breakfast and lunch, and weekly limits for sodium would decrease by another 10%. Sodium would then be reduced an additional 10% for school lunches alone in fall 2029. For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

Special Legislative Session to Prioritize Increased Statute of Limitations for Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse Fails (February 4, 2023) 

The January 9th special session in Harrisburg that was called for with the intent to help victims of childhood sexual abuse has failed, with no action taken and no pathway in sight. The session, called for by House Speaker Mark Rozzi and then-Governor Tom Wolf was to vote on a constitutional amendment that would provide victims of childhood sexual abuse a chance to sue their abusers regardless of the statute of limitations. However, it devolved into wrangling over partisan issues instead of taking measures to help survivors of childhood sexual assault. 

The push to pass House Bill 14 was spearheaded by State Republican Representative Jim Gregory, who is a sex abuse survivor. His previous bill passed and should be law, but it was bungled and kept off of the ballot due to an error by the PA Department of State.

During the session, the PA Senate bundled Gregory’s bill, which would have paved the way for a constitutional amendment to expand the statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file a civil lawsuit, with two other amendments and passed the bundle as Senate Bill 1. Unfortunately for abuse victims, those amendments were highly debatable items such as a  voter ID requirement  and ending the governor’s ability to veto the General Assembly’s disapproval of a regulation. 

When on January 6, 2023 Governor Tom Wolf issued a proclamation calling for a special session of the General Assembly to be held on Monday, January 9, 2023 to propose a constitutional amendment to retroactively extend the timeline for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file civil actions, the aim was for the General Assembly to pass the joint resolution no later than Friday, January 27, 2023. This timeframe would have ensured the PA Department of State could meet the publication requirements so that voters would have the opportunity to consider the amendment in May 2023. Earlier, in August 2022, Gov. Wolf and legislative leaders agreed that the constitutional amendment process would be the best path forward.​​​​​​

The proposed language in HB 14 is underlined in section (b) below:
(a) All courts shall be open; and every man for an injury done him in his lands, goods, person or reputation shall have remedy by due course of law, and right and justice administered without sale, denial or delay. Suits may be brought against the Commonwealth in such manner, in such courts and in such cases as the Legislature may by law direct.
(b) An individual for whom a statutory limitations period has already expired shall have a period of two years from the time that this subsection becomes effective to commence an action arising from childhood sexual abuse, in such cases as provided by law at the time that this subsection becomes effective.

AMA Reports on Effectiveness of Bivalent COVID-19 Boosters and Future Possibilities (February 4, 2023)

On January 31st, American Medical Association (AMA) Board Chair Sandra Fryhofer, MD, AMA’s liaison to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and a member of ACIP’s COVID-19 Vaccine Workgroup, recapped the latest news from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meeting. Topics included “harmonizing” strain composition for both COVID-19 primary vaccines and booster shots.

According to Dr. Fryhofer, the good news is that the bivalent vaccine booster “seems to be doing pretty well. FDA outlined multiple studies from vaccine manufacturers and from independent researchers indicating better neutralizing antibody response against circulating Omicron variants after a bivalent boost versus a monovalent vaccine dose. FDA review also highlighted observational data that current bivalent boosters provide additional protection against symptomatic infection or emergency department and urgent care visits and hospitalization.”

The doctor also stated that while the “simplification of the current COVID vaccination process is greatly needed…discussion by the FDA advisory committee meeting confirmed the importance of getting a dose of the updated Omicron bivalent COVID vaccine. The current bivalent booster is working well against circulating variants.”For those who become infected, Dr. Fryhofer said “physicians and their patients need to know about the therapeutic options, like oral Paxlovid, Remdesivir infusions, and if those aren’t available, oral Molnupiravir, and how to get them. Use of convalescent plasma has also been authorized.”

With regard to what the future may bring, keeping in mind that COVID is not flu, the FDA’s Dr. Peter Marks has supported the concept of giving COVID boosters in the fall as a tag-along to the already established seasonal flu vaccine campaigns as a way to keep hospitals already challenged by flu and RSV from being further overwhelmed by COVID. Dr. Fryhofer also stated that the “FDA proposed a system that’s very similar to what we do for flu—reviewing data for COVID variants in the spring, announcing any COVID vaccine strain changes in June, with updated vaccines available in the fall.”

For more from the American Medical Association, click here.

FREE ACT 48 Trainings offered for Educators and Nurses on Tourette Syndrome & the Associated Disorders  (February 3, 2023)

The PA Tourette Syndrome Alliance is offering professional training for Educators and Nurses by webinar in February of 2023. This training provides in-depth information about Tourette syndrome, the co-occurring conditions, classroom accommodations and more. There are two options for Educators and one option for Nurses. Please review the dates and times to see which of these will fit best into your schedule. 

Webinar Training Options: (select the one that best fits your schedule) 
-Two-hour training for Educators on Monday, Feb 20, 2023 9:00-11:00 am 
-One-hour training for Educators on Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 7:00pm-8:00 pm
-Two-hour training for Nurses on Monday, Feb 20, 2023 12:30-2:30pm

To register, go to https://patsainc.org/resources-and-support/support-for-schools/ then click on the button for the date you wish to attend. For Act 48 Credits, please have your PPID available. This number is listed on your certificate (lower left) or look it up here: https://www.perms.pa.gov/screens/wfpublicaccess.aspx   

**PATSA also offers these trainings directly to school teams and for school nurses (all ACT 48 accredited). If you would like to set up an exclusive group in-service training, whether in-person or virtual, please reach out to get your training scheduled. You can call 1-800-990-3300 or by email to [email protected].

DHS Alerts Pennsylvanians About The End Of Emergency Allotment And Other SNAP Changes, Urges Support Of Charitable Food Network (February 3, 2023)

On January 27, 2023, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Val Arkoosh advised Pennsylvanians of upcoming changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Due to passage of the recent federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, starting in March, SNAP recipient households will no longer receive the Emergency Allotment (EA) additional payment created during the COVID-19 public health emergency and will resume receiving one SNAP payment per month. 

This change will happen for all SNAP recipients, with households receiving letters via mail about the change in SNAP payments. 

“We know this additional SNAP payment has been a lifeline for people over the past three years and that ongoing economic uncertainty and high food prices are contributing to food insecurity for many Pennsylvanians. There is help available for you and your family through Pennsylvania’s heroic charitable food partners,” said Acting Secretary Val Arkoosh. “I urge anyone who can donate food or resources, now is the time to help your local food assistance programs as they prepare to meet this potential additional need.” 

With funds made available due to the federal COVID-19 emergency, DHS began providing EAs as a second monthly payment to SNAP recipient households that were receiving benefits since March 2020. The EAs increased the SNAP budget amount to the maximum available amount for their household size or, since early 2021, were a minimum of $95. These payments were distributed separate from the initial payment as an extra payment each month.  

Due to federal legislation, this month will be the last month EAs are sent; and starting in March, SNAP recipients will only receive one regular SNAP payment. 

Additionally, the 2023 cost of living adjustment for Social Security Income (SSI), which is also set by the federal government, prompted an 8.7 percent increase to SSI income. SNAP eligibility thresholds – also set at the federal level – did not rise proportionally. Because of this, approximately 249,000 households will experience a decrease in their base SNAP benefits by an average of $40 per household, which will take effect in March when EAs end. It is anticipated that approximately 5,000 to 20,000 households will be disenrolled from SNAP due to the SSI increase. These federal changes will primarily affect older Pennsylvanians and seniors.   

Pennsylvanians who need to report changes to their household size, income, or expenses are encouraged to report any changes either online at www.dhs.pa.gov/COMPASS, via the myCOMPASS PA mobile app, or by calling DHS’s Customer Service Center at 877-395-8930 (or 215-560-7226 for Philadelphia residents). This will help ensure households are receiving the maximum SNAP benefit based off their individual circumstances.

DHS recognizes the impact these changes may have on households and wants to make sure families that need food assistance know where to go for help:  

For more information about SNAP Emergency Allotments, visit dhs.pa.gov/SNAPCares.