Penn State Health announced a three-part strategy to support long-term care facilities and nursing homes throughout southcentral Pennsylvania after receiving $22.9 million from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

A new state order for Pennsylvania’s long-term care facilities mandates all organizations to provide pre-approved personal protective equipment to all staff working directly with COVID-19 positive residents by Aug. 27.

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced Thursday that Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories partnered with the state departments of Health and Community Economic and Development to provide COVID-19 testing in nursing homes.

Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill into law a bill that will provide $500 million in emergency funding to help long-term care providers stop the spread of COVID-19 in their facilities.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is investigating several nursing homes for criminal neglect of patients and residents.

A major update to a national rating system for nursing homes has had a trickledown effect on the ratings of Pennsylvania facilities, one that could affect their ability to attract residents.

Pennsylvania nursing homes already dealing with what they see as inadequate state funding said they face another threat: A legal climate that forces them to pay to settle allegedly frivolous lawsuits.

Nursing homes throughout the state face Medicaid funding gaps, for a total of $631 million in statewide funding shortages, according to data from LeadingAge PA, an association of nonprofit aging service providers in Pennsylvania.