Latest
SEPTA will spend $3.6 million to bulk up social services for homeless people and drug users
The deployment of social-outreach workers on SEPTA transit is set to increase eight fold. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)
COVID-19
Health
How newly appointed Commissioner Bettigole plans to turn the Philly Health Department around
After a six-month stretch in which Philadelphia had no permanent health commissioner, Mayor Jim Kenney has appointed Dr. Cheryl Bettigole to the role. Bettigole has been serving as the interim commissioner of the city’s Department of Public Health since May, when former department head Dr. Thomas Farley resigned at the request of the mayor. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
Income and Wages
Labor ‘militancy’ is on the rise in Philly. Workers and experts explain #Striketober
From the sidewalks of Old City, to the Philadelphia International Airport to the gates of a Kellogg Company Plant in Lancaster County and beyond, labor unions are threatening job actions or walking off as a part of a wave that’s come to be known as #Striketober. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
Health
Kensington business owners on pandemic recovery: ‘Things are getting better slowly, but we have a long way to go’
“We have a long way to go to get back to where the revenue was before the pandemic, but at least now, things are not getting worse as far as sales go.” | From: Kensington Voice (Read more.)
Health
The Black Doctors Consortium’s primary care clinic in North Philly is now open
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium has removed the “COVID-19” from its name, not because the pandemic is over, but because the group has expanded to do more than just offer coronavirus tests and vaccinations. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
En Español
What you need to know about getting the COVID-19 vaccine if you’re undocumented
Federal authorities have said that vaccines are open to everyone “regardless of immigration status.” So, if you are an undocumented person who is otherwise eligible to receive the vaccine, your immigration status won’t prevent you from being vaccinated. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)
Income and Wages
Bonuses to be offered for substitute teachers, nurses for working in Philly schools amid shortage
Kelly Educational Services, which provides substitutes for Philadelphia and several other districts across the region, is bumping up pay rates in response to shortages of teachers, nurses, food service workers, and other staff hitting schools hard. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)
Community and Family
There’s a New Dawn for FarmerJawn
The new location will bring a garage, two greenhouses, two-plus acres of land, a historic springhouse, and a residence. With the new space, Christa plans to hire a network of new employees and launch the FarmerJawn and Friends Foundation Fund. It is a new non-profit that will teach two farmers each season how to run an urban farm enterprise while completing a Community Supported Agriculture (“CSA”) program. | From: Germantown Info Hub (Read more.)
Health
To boost vaccination and equity, Pa. plans to hand out $5 million in grants to community organizations
The strategy, Wolf said, is to aid local leaders who are already trusted by their communities. “For communities where hesitancy persists, the best person to talk to about why vaccines are important might not be me,” Wolf said. “We want to get the message out … in the hands of people that are actually best to spread this message and be listened to.” | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)
Health
A new dashboard will help track Philly’s pandemic recovery, future growth
After more than 18 months, Philadelphia businesses are starting to see their financial condition slightly improve as they navigate this next phase of the pandemic. That is one of the many takeaways from the latest data released by a new Philadelphia business and jobs dashboard, launched to track how the city’s businesses and economy are faring since the start of the pandemic. | From: AL DÍA (Read more.)