HARRISBURG – The Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board of Directors, chaired by State Senator Gene Yaw, will hold a virtual public hearing on Wednesday, January 13, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., on the COVID-19 vaccines and how they will be distributed throughout rural Pennsylvania.
Agenda (pdf)
“We are all very grateful that COVID-19 vaccines are now being distributed to front-line health care workers and our more vulnerable residents in Pennsylvania,” Sen. Yaw said. “As the vaccines continue to be rolled out, we want to learn more about the planned distribution in rural Pennsylvania.
“As we all know, there are fewer health care facilities and workers in our rural areas, and transportation and logistical challenges as well. The Center’s Board wants to understand how these challenges will be addressed in the coming weeks and months, and how public perceptions about the vaccines may also affect distribution.”
Presenters scheduled for the public hearing are: Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine; Dr. George Garrow, Chief Medical Officer, Primary Health Network (Sharon, PA); Mr. Steven Johnson, President, UPMC Susquehanna; and Dr. Cary Funk, Director of Science and Society Research, Pew Research Center.
In addition to Sen. Yaw, Center Board members are: Board Secretary Dr. Nancy Falvo, Clarion University of Pennsylvania; Board Treasurer Stephen Brame, Governor’s representative; Sen. Katie Muth; Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski; Dr. Timothy Kelsey, Pennsylvania State University; Dr. Catherine Koverola, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford; Shannon Munro, Pennsylvania College of Technology; Dr. Joseph Nairn, Northern Pennsylvania Regional College; Dr. Charles Patterson, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania; and Darrin Youker, Governor’s representative.
The public hearing will be held via Zoom Webinar. Attendees are asked to please register in advance at
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZaA2FdhAQjCV4HPcxfXxqA
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The Center works with the legislature, educators, state and federal executive branch agencies, and national, statewide, regional and local organizations to maximize resources and strategies that can better serve Pennsylvania’s nearly 3.4 million rural residents.
CONTACT:
Christine Caldara Piatos, Communications Manager
Center for Rural Pennsylvania
(717) 787-9555