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PA Main Street Program helped COVID-19 recovery

PA Main Street Program helped downtown businesses weather the pandemic like this parklet dining area in Downtown Easton. PHOTO/SUBMITTED

PA Main Street Program helped downtown communities recover from the pandemic, according to a study by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center (PDC), in partnership with Jon Stover & Associates (JS&A).

The study was part of PDC’s ongoing mission to support Main Street and Elm Street programs throughout the state.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted local economies and the day-to-day lives of people in communities across the country and world. Businesses of all sizes and in all types of communities were forced to adjust their operations in response to changing regulations, consumer preferences, and safety measures starting with the onset of the pandemic in early 2020.

Immediately after the pandemic’s onset, Main Streets across the state mobilized and began helping their local businesses respond to these new challenges, roadblocks, and unprecedented changes in the economy, PDC said.

JS&A’s analysis, conducted in July 2022, found that with the support of these programmatic efforts, customer traffic quickly bounced back, and downtown consumer spending surpassed pre-pandemic levels for most of 2021 and throughout 2022.

“In short, it was clear to us that the PA Main Street Program played a major role in the economic resiliency and recovery of downtown communities throughout the pandemic,” said Jon Stover, managing partner of JS&A. “Main Streets provided a local conduit for national, state, and local resources and administered a range of technical and financial support services that help explain how most of these communities recovered relatively quickly despite the pandemic’s long and devastating impacts.”

The critical on-the-ground support that PA’s Main Streets provided enabled thousands of businesses to adjust and sustain their operations, the study showed. Providing direct financial resources, support in applying to grants and loans, and disseminating health and policy updates all worked to support the operations of local businesses.

Main Street programs also effectively attracted customers to downtown business by leveraging social media, incentivizing ways to shop local during the pandemic, and creatively programming public spaces and hosting outdoor events to boost nearby business sales, the study showed.

Even as local economies began to stabilize, elevated levels of local customer support continued throughout 2020, 2021 and into 2022, and has remained a lifeblood for Main Street businesses, pointing to the strong customer bases that these programs nurture in their communities, PDC said.

“To say that the last few years have been challenging for Pennsylvania’s downtowns and neighborhood business districts is an understatement, however this study speaks to the resiliency and dedication of PA’s Main Street Programs,” said Julie Fitzpatrick, executive director, Pennsylvania Downtown Center. “We saw first-hand the social and economic impact of the local nonprofits’ assistance, and the power of residents shifting their spending to support these local businesses as we’re all adapting to this ever-changing market.”

The project was financed in part by a state Department of Community and Economic Development Keystone Communities planning grant.

Poultry farmers hit by avian flu to get aid to recover losses

Poultry farmers in Lancaster and Berks County hit by avian flu that killed more than 4.2 million birds this year will receive aid from the state to recover their losses.

Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding PHOTO/PROVIDED

The state Department of Agriculture today announced its $25 million recovery and reimbursement program for poultry farmers hit by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding was joined by Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) Director Randy Padfield, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and industry partners at a Mount Joy, Lancaster County farm to outline the program.

Farms that lost up to $100,000 will be reimbursed at 100%. Those that lost amounts over $100,000 may be reimbursed on a percentage basis, based on the number of applications received and available funding, according to the Department of Agriculture.

HPAI directly impacted 17 poultry farms in Lancaster and Berks counties this spring and summer.

“Pennsylvania’s poultry industry is $7.1 billion to the economy and 26,600 jobs. It’s food on the table here in the commonwealth and across the nation,” Redding said. “This $25 million recovery program was critical to secure, and I’m grateful to Governor Tom Wolf and the General Assembly for recognizing the value of this industry in the budget. Pennsylvania’s poultry producers and integrators will remain vigilant, and together we are prepared to continue fighting this threat to our food system and economy during upcoming migrations.”

This year, after years of pandemic and related supply chain and labor shortage issues, farmers are facing a historic outbreak of HPAI, said state House Speaker Brian Culter, R-Lancaster. “Creating jobs and literally putting food on the table, agriculture is our top industry.”

The grant program, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, will provide reimbursement to farms, integrators, and allied industries directly impacted by HPAI by suffering demonstrable financial losses due to inclusion in a control or quarantine zone.

The HPAI Recovery Reimbursement Grant program is comprised of two rounds:

Round one is now open to only poultry farmers and integrators and to only those premises located in the 3-kilometer infected zones as defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s General Quarantine Order. The 91 impacted poultry farms that have been identified as part of the first round have received a direct mailing of the application this week. Round one applications are due September 10.
Round two will be open to those who suffered losses in the Control Zones. Additional information will be shared about the second round when it becomes available on agriculture.pa.gov.

As of July 27, 2022, all Control Areas (the 10-kilometer perimeter around an infected, quarantined farm) have been lifted.

The General Quarantine Order is still in place, enabling the state to place additional restrictions on HPAI-infected farms to control the spread of the disease. The prohibition on exhibiting poultry at fairs is also still in place.

To apply for the grant program, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s website. To learn more about HPAI, visit the avian influenza web page.

“It’s not a joke.”- LVH-Muhlenberg patient talks of his battle with COVID-19

Chris McMillan greets his family as he is discharged from LVH-Muhlenberg.

Chris McMillan, the first coronavirus patient at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg to come off a ventilator, is glad to be back at his home in Bethlehem.

McMillan was discharged from the hospital on April 6.

Though feeling only about 50% of normal, he is grateful to be on the mend after a 15-day struggle battling COVID-19. Eight of those days were spent in an induced coma on a ventilator, according to Lehigh Valley Health Network. The ventilator was removed on April 2.

McMillan began feeling sick at home and quarantined himself in his basement to keep his companion Jen Sanita and their three children as safe as possible, according to LVHN.

When his flu test was negative and his above-normal temperature refused to drop, he drove himself to the hospital. By then he had begun wheezing and his breathing sounded like a crackling in his chest. McMillan said that the experience of battling COVID-19 and being on a ventilator has left his balance and coordination, “just shot,” and that he has lost 16 pounds.

“It’s not a joke,” he said in a statement. “We should shelter and separate ourselves from it because on the other side of the coin is a battle.”

He praised the nurses and other staff who cared for him at LVH–Muhlenberg, calling them “absolute heroes and amazing,” who were there for him through frequent ups and downs, both physical and emotional.

McMillan’s discharge video and farewell from the LVH–Muhlenberg staff is available to view at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VThQ1AhaV-s.

An oasis for families, friends hit by opioids

After losing their 23-year-old son and brother, Ben, to the opioid epidemic in 2016, the Miller family founded Speak Up for Ben Inc., a nonprofit that is planning to open The Oasis Community Center in Hanover Township, Northampton County. Rather than offer a drug and alcohol treatment center, their goal is to create a recovery center for families, a place to go for those with loved ones affected by substance abuse.

Rhonda Miller is the executive director of The Oasis Community Center, a resource for those whose loved ones and friends are affected by opioid abuse. (Photo/Christopher Holland) –

The Oasis center, which opens July 1 at 3400 Bath Pike, is near the border with Bethlehem close to Route 22, but in a setting characterized by calm.

“We are in an 1803 stone farmhouse; it’s such a serene setting right along the Monocacy Creek,” said Rhonda Miller, Ben’s mother and executive director of Speak Up for Ben. “It’s an oasis in the physical sense from the chaos of the storm of life.”

The center provides support, activities and resources for families of substance abusers, focusing on those who have lost loved ones or those whose loved ones are still struggling with addiction. The center is not just for families but also for friends, co-workers and others. All of the services at the center are free.

Noting that families often lack outside support, Miller said the center would provide family support meetings, grief recovery groups and healing activities. The house, which is about 3,200 square feet, will include space for cooking classes, a meditation room, restorative yoga, art therapy and other activities.

“Of course, with the opioid issue surging, this is really a time for it to open,” Miller said. “The need has always been there. It’s no longer something that people can overlook.”

Though still claiming thousands of lives per year, drug overdose deaths fell slightly in Pennsylvania, falling from 5,559 deaths in 2017 to 4,267 in 2018, according to data from the state’s OpenDataPa online portal.

In April, the Easton chapter of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce attracted nearly 80 executives to a program on the opioid epidemic, emphasizing the concern over its impact on families and the workforce.

“We think Oasis is going to allow families who are grieving over the loss of loved ones to recover and can help them help us and the rest of the community battle the scourge of the opioid addiction,” said Lamont McClure, Northampton County executive.

Miller believes the roots of the opioid crisis are complex but feels over prescription plays a role. Those who are prone to addiction already can quickly become addicted to opioids, according to Miller.

“Ben was 23 and he struggled with an opioid addiction through prescribed opioids,” Miller said of her son.

Once prescribed opioids were cut off, Ben turned to street opioids and eventually heroin, she said. It’s a path that many people take once they become addicted, Miller said.

For healing to take place, people need to come together, she added.

“There’s hundreds of thousands of families like me,” Miller said. “This touches many families. A lot of overdose deaths are unreported. I really want to break the stigma around addiction. We are creating a safe community where they can access resources and gain support.”

The Northampton County Drug and Alcohol Division covered startup costs for the center and as a nonprofit, Speak Up for Ben conducts fundraising efforts and is looking for donors. The county provided Speak Up for Ben with $105,000 in funding for the fiscal 2018-19 year, said Sue Wandalowski, director of human services for Northampton County.

Miller declined to provide an estimated operating budget.

Linda Johnson, president of Voices for Change, an Easton-based nonprofit, believes the Oasis can bring people together who have loved ones suffering from substance abuse.

“I think what it does is bring the recovering resources and the family resources together because that’s how we heal,” she said.

Voices for Change focuses on helping people coming out of treatment programs and getting them into recovery houses, Johnson said.

By showing the community that recovery is possible, the center also could help change the stigma surrounding opioid and substance abuse, she said.

The center will be open weekdays for regular programs and on occasional weekends for special events. The center will also have a certified family recovery specialist on site, a person trained in supporting family members seeking recovery from a loved one’s addiction.

The center will host a grand opening at noon on June 28.

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“It’s not a joke.”- LVH-Muhlenberg patient talks of his battle with COVID-19

An oasis for families, friends hit by opioids