I am outraged that Gov. Shapiro and the legislature once again passed a state budget that ignores 94% of Pennsylvania’s direct care workforce. Only a small portion of home care workers, those in the participant-directed program, received funding. The rest—the caregivers employed by home care agencies serving older adults and people with disabilities across this state—were left behind.
These are the most compassionate people in our workforce. They spend their days caring for others, yet many cannot afford to care for themselves. Because the state refuses to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates, agencies cannot pay fair wages. Caregivers are being forced to turn to food banks, rely on public assistance, or leave the profession entirely just to survive.
Every neighboring state has done what Pennsylvania refuses to do. West Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland and New York have all increased home care funding to strengthen their workforce and protect access to care. Pennsylvania’s inaction has made us the outlier and has deepened an already severe care crisis.
When we fail to support this workforce, we fail every person who depends on them. Lawmakers must act now to fund the frontlines and ensure that every caregiver in Pennsylvania is treated with dignity and paid a wage they can live on.
Becky Jacobs
Senior Director of Workforce Development
Pennsylvania Homecare Association
Research the Casino ‘Dealer School’ Before Enrolling
The Happy Valley Casino website encourages folks to join their team by enrolling now in their 12-week paid free Dealer School training classes starting soon at the mall in mid-December before the holidays. Brilliant planning, right?
Before signing up for that future job at the casino, make sure you first review the detailed paper trail of facts posted at all three of the separate websites focused on the Happy Valley Casino:
• The PA Gaming Control Board website (hundreds of Happy Valley community member comments)
• The nationally unprecedented and locally crafted SayNoCasino.org website
After reviewing the hundreds of details linked above, discuss your casino job application plans with family members and your closest friends. Ask them for candid feedback about your plans to join the Happy Valley Casino team.
Only then can your decision to apply for employment at the Happy Valley Casino be a truly informed one.
Consider how nearly vacant the 24/7 casino floor will be during the day Monday through Friday. Most casino patrons in our town are at work then. The hoped-for tips you’re counting on from lucky winners might be disappointing.
Finally, factor in the planned table game minimums of maybe $10 or higher per hand. Remember that most of us will not hesitate to drive 10 miles around here to save 20 cents on a gallon of gas. That represents just $3 for the average 15-gallon fill-up.
Only then should you make an informed career decision to sign up for employment at the Happy Valley Casino. It will be more than the casino patrons choosing to roll the dice. Are you really OK with hoping for the best at an unwanted casino? Don’t give up your day job too soon either because the casino’s grand opening in late April or May still counts as a ribbon-cutting in Spring 2026.
Dan Materna,
Howard
