This story appears in the May 27-June 2 edition of The Centre County Gazette.
With COVID numbers down, Centre County government is ready to bring employees who have been working remotely back to county offices on June 28. These offices are scheduled to open to the public on July 6.
Currently, employees who are able to work remotely are on a rotational schedule, alternating days in the office. Since the pandemic began, county workers have either been on a full remote status or on a rotational schedule. Some county workers, such as correctional officers, have had to report in person.
“Over the last several weeks we have seen the number of COVID-19 cases community wide and among our own workforce decline,” County Administrator Margaret Gray said during Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting Hospitalizations have declined and of course at the same time, we have seen more people take advantage of being vaccinated.”
Penn Highlands Micro Hospital 7:37 pm
Penn Highlands Healthcare purchased this land near the intersection of Colonnade Boulevard and Waddle Road in Patton Township in 2019.
Now, plans to build a micro-hospital and a neighboring office building here have been approved by Patton Township supervisors.
With Mount Nittany Medical Center and its sister facilities, as well as Geisinger Health System having a number of medical care options in Centre County, Penn Highlands enters
the mix with stiff competition.
Centre County commissioner Michael Pipe says that gives those seeking options to receive care more control over how they get it.
“You know, the consumer at the end of the day will make the decision about where they see healthcare provided, so we’ll see what that looks like. But again, they’re not going to open for another two years, so we’ll see how other healthcare entities respond to this and react to it and if they make any changes,
BELLEFONTE Centre County hospitality businesses have received another $354,992 in the second round of the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program
BELLEFONTE A free COVID-19 testing site will soon open in Bellefonte.
According to a news release from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, beginning Tuesday and continuing through Saturday, May 29, a clinic will be held at the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority Interpretive Center, located at 253 Transfer Road in Bellefonte.
The announcement came from the DOH on Saturday.
The clinic had been at the Patton Township Municipal Building from March 30 through this past Saturday.
“The continuation of the free, no appointment needed COVID-19 testing site allows those who haven’t signed up for a vaccination yet to get a test,” said Michael Pipe, chair of the Centre County Board of Commissioners. “Talk to your doctor today about getting a COVID-19 vaccine. They’d be happy to answer your questions.”
BELLEFONTE Employees in Centre County Government will soon start to head back to the office.
At Tuesday’s Centre County commissioners’ meeting, it was announced that a transition from full remote work will begin to take place over the next several weeks.
“We think we’re kind of at the cusp and could move safely from a full remote work status to a modified rotation of our workforce,” said county administrator Margaret Gray. “We would want to do this cautiously and slowly over the next several weeks.”
According to Gray, there was a myriad of factors taken into account when making the recommendation.