The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) today said that Pennsylvanians experiencing homelessness are now able to obtain a free initial photo ID or renewal a photo ID as a result of Act 131 of 2020, which Governor Tom Wolf signed into law in late 2020.

“This new law makes significant changes to increasing many of our residents’ independence, ultimately enhancing their quality of life,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian.

“All Pennsylvanians deserve access to the basic needs we all have: adequate food, safe housing, quality health care and clean water. Eliminating barriers to basic needs for individuals experiencing homelessness is simply the right thing to do,” DHS Secretary Teresa Miller said. “I applaud the General Assembly, Governor Wolf and PennDOT for their collaboration on a project that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of Pennsylvanians.”

To obtain an ID at no cost, individuals experiencing homelessness must apply in person at a PennDOT Driver License Center and must meet identification and other requirements. The applicant must inform the Driver License Center counter staff they are applying for or renewing their existing Pennsylvania photo ID and are requesting a free ID due to their homeless status. The individual will be required to certify on the application that they are homeless as defined in Section 103 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

For initial issuance of a photo ID, the applicant must bring one acceptable proof of identification (see Publication 195US or Publication 195NC), Social Security Card or Social Security Administration ineligibility letter and acceptable form/s of address verification. In the case of homeless individuals, PennDOT will accept a letter from a shelter indicating an individual is staying at the shelter or uses the shelter as an address of residency to pick up mail.

For renewal of a photo ID, the applicant must renewal at one of PennDOT Driver License Centers. The applicant will be required to certify on the application that they are homeless, and a fee will be waived at the time of the renewal.

The law covers initial issuance and renewals for photo IDs for those who qualify for free issuance due to their homeless status. Duplicate IDs are not covered under the law change.  Duplicate fees continue to apply and cannot be waived. The law does not cover nor does it allow for waiver of any driver license product-related fees.

“Difficulty getting IDs, including because of lack of funds, is a huge barrier for many of our clients who are homeless, and not having an ID makes it very difficult to get housing, to get medical care, to find a job, and to get other types of help,” Amy Hirsch, Managing Attorney for Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, said. “Getting an ID is a tremendously important step forward for people who are homeless that helps people stabilize their lives, and take care of themselves and their children.  We are excited that this program removes the barrier caused by needing to pay for a state ID. “

Additional information can be found on the Driver and Vehicle Services website, www.dmv.pa.gov. Driver and vehicle online services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include driver’s license, photo ID and vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; ability to pay driver license or vehicle insurance restoration fee; driver license and photo ID duplicates; and driver exam scheduling. There are no additional fees for using online services.

Help is available for Pennsylvanians who need help with paying for food, accessing health care, and other essential needs. Applications for public assistance programs can be submitted online at www.compass.state.pa.us. Those who prefer to submit paper documentation can pick one up from their local County Assistance Office (CAO), print it from the website, or requested by phone at 1-800-692-7462. While CAOs remain closed to the public, paper applications can be returned via mail or dropped off in a CAO’s secure drop box, if available. You do not need to know your own eligibility in order to apply, and all Pennsylvanians are encouraged to apply for assistance so they do not have to weather these difficult times alone.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation.

NBT Bank is currently accepting applications for its Management Development Program. This program prepares participating associates to assume mid-level professional roles inside of NBT at the completion of this 12-month training process.

The Management Development Program is ideal for recent college graduates looking for a way to fast-track their career development with direct, guided access to technical and soft skill training, cross-divisional work experiences, performance coaching, mentoring and special projects that include community involvement.

The goal of NBT’s Management Development Program is to provide participants with a broad knowledge of the business of banking and develop future leaders in the company across all divisions and locations. Graduates of the program are prepared to make instant and meaningful contributions, with some already leading their own teams, overseeing high-level projects, facilitating companywide trainings, and continuing to develop their overall knowledge and relationships throughout the Bank.

Qualified candidates will hold a bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration or a related degree with prior work and volunteer experience desired. For more information about this program or to apply, visit www.nbtbank.com/Careers and look for NBT’s Management Development Associate and Commercial Banking Management Development Associate positions.

Marywood University’s School of Architecture is co-hosting the 2021 Jane Jacobs Lecture Series throughout the year. The first lecture, “The Kind of Opportunity a Post-COVID City Is,” a discussion with Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, and Roberta Brandes Gratz, Center for the Living City, will take place on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at 4 p.m. The free lecture series are open to the public. To register, please visit https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KX9F-1_yQgaSUULhOKcgNA.

The first in a year-long series of virtual lectures, this conversation with New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman, and journalist Roberta Brandes Gratz, will include a one-hour virtual discussion, with audience Q&A, as they explore the outlook for cities post-pandemic.

Maria MacDonald, director of undergraduate interior architecture, was recently named executive director of the national nonprofit, Center for the Living City, which was founded 15 years ago by friends of urban writer and activist Jane Jacobs.

Jane Butzner Jacobs grew up in Scranton before her career as an author and activist in New York City and Toronto. Ms. MacDonald, who lives on the same block where Jacobs grew up, is only the second director of the organization. She replaced the center’s founding executive director, Stephen Goldsmith, who stepped aside to focus his time on advancing the center’s global Observation and Action Network. Mr. Goldsmith remains on the center’s board of directors.

Space is limited, but the event will be recorded and available on The Center for The Living City website, at www.centerforthelivingcity.org. For additional information, please contact Ms. Maria MacDonald, at mnmacdonald@marywood.edu.

Toyota of Scranton, Johnson College & ShopRite are hosting a no-contact drive-through turkey dinner giveaway on Sunday, February 28 at 11 a.m. on the Johnson College campus in Scranton. Meals will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis, with a limit of four meals per vehicle, until all 250 pre-prepared meals are handed out. ShopRite is donating all of the food, while it will be prepared and packaged by Toyota of Scranton staff and Johnson College students. 

Vehicles will enter the Johnson College campus via its north entrance, at the light across from Schiff’s. Once on campus, vehicles will be directed to line-up for pick-up. Johnson College students and Toyota of Scranton staff members will load the meals into each vehicle’s hatch or trunk. This no-contact procedure is to keep everyone safe and healthy during the pandemic. Face coverings and gloves will be worn by all volunteers. Vehicles cannot line up on campus before 11 a.m. and cannot park on Main Street.

“Johnson College and Toyota of Scranton are taking our strong partnership beyond the classroom and with ShopRite’s generous donation, together, we’ll feed many families in need within our community,” said Dr. Katie Leonard, Johnson College President & CEO. “We work to prepare students for hands-on, high demand jobs in essential industries, and also to be essential contributing members of their communities. This is one of the goals Orlando S. Johnson strived to achieve when he founded Johnson College, and one we carry forward each day.”  

“Toyota of Scranton is pleased to partner with Johnson College and ShopRite to provide free turkey dinners to people in need in our community,” said Patrick Rogers, CFO of Toyota of Scranton. “We have a strong commitment to giving back to the community we serve.  Helping others in need is particularly important during these extraordinary times.” 

“ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities we serve,” said Katie Gallagher, ShopRite spokesperson. “We are locally owned and operated by the Bracey Family and have been serving local communities in Lackawanna and Monroe County for generations. This partnership with Johnson College and Toyota of Scranton is a great opportunity for ShopRite to demonstrate its continued commitment to the community and help feed local families in need.”

For day-of event information or interview coordination, please contact Doug Cook at 570-702-8920 or Melissa Carestia at 570-702-8928.

Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) today announced an affiliation agreement that will increase access to and further advance the delivery of pediatric health care to families in central and northeast Pennsylvania. The affiliation seeks to leverage the combined expertise and infrastructure of the two organizations, ensuring that children in the region receive the right care,at the right time, in the right place, delivered by the best clinical team to meet their medical needs.

Initially focused on increasing access to excellence in quaternary, or the most advanced, specialized levels of pediatric care, the affiliation will expand to include several distinct agreements aimed at improving pediatric health care for children across the vast spectrum of pediatric disorders. Clinicians from CHOP and Geisinger have already begun to collaborate across numerous clinical areas including Cardiology/Cardiac Surgery, Radiology, and Laboratory Services, utilizing enhanced technology powered by virtual connections and electronic medical record (EMR) capabilities. The alliance will provide access to CHOP’s expertise in rare and complex diseases, while harnessing Geisinger’s well-established outpatient general and specialty pediatric programs and inpatient services at Janet Weis Children’s Hospital.

The affiliation also supports the health care, education and research missions of both organizations.
“This is an important and innovative step forward for pediatric care in Pennsylvania. When two great institutions work together to improve pediatric care delivery, our children and families win,” said Frank Maffei, MD, chair of Department of Pediatrics at Geisinger. “The affiliation promotes collaboration in delivering the highest quality pediatric care in a family-centered manner. The approach will allow families to stay as close to home as possible while receiving nationally acclaimed care. We are committed in providing the full spectrum of pediatric care to support the health and well-being of children in our collective communities.”

“CHOP and Geisinger share a dedication to improving children’s health,” said Steve Docimo, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Care Network at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “We look forward to an alliance that will provide families access to the best of both of our organizations. Together, we will keep children’s well-being at the center of all we do to advance patient care.”

Accounting students from The University of Scranton will follow an adjusted contactless process to assist local residents with filing their federal, state and local tax returns as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The process for this year has been adjusted to because of COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

The free service is available to residents of Lackawanna and Wayne counties with household incomes of $57,000 or less for 2020.

Qualified clients can provide the information needed to complete tax forms (see below) in a secure “drop-off box” located in the University Police Department, 820 Mulberry Street. Forms will be processed remotely by University student volunteers. Clients will be contacted by phone or email with any questions and when their tax forms have been filed electronically. The documents provided, or copies of documents if originals were needed for filing, will be then returned to participants.

Documents need for filing tax forms include:

• name, email and phone number;
• a copy of the taxpayer’s driver’s license (and spouse’s if applicable);
• a copy of Social Security cards for the taxpayer, the spouse, and any dependents;
• all Wage and earning statements, including, but not limited to:
  • Form W-2 (employees);
  • W-2G (gambling winnings);
  • 1099-R (retirement withdrawals);
  • 1099-Misc, 1099-NEC(miscellaneous income) and any related expenses;
  • 1099-G (unemployment income);
  • 1099-SA (Social Security statement);
  • 1099-B (sales of stock);
• interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV);
• a copy of last year’s federal and state returns, if available;
• a voided check for proof of bank account routing and account numbers for direct deposit;
• forms 1095-A, B and C, health coverage statements;
• any information pertinent to deductions and credits the taxpayer may be eligible for, such as:
  • 1098-T for anyone on the tax return who attended a higher education institution during 2020;
  • Totals paid to daycare providers and the daycare provider’s tax identifying number such as their Social Security number or business Employer Identification Number, name, and address;
• for those who qualify for a property tax or rent rebate (age 65 and older, a widow/widower, disabled, and within certain income limits), copies of property tax receipts for any property taxes paid during the 2020 tax year;
• list of charitable donations;
• note if you received the first stimulus payment? (spring of 2020) $1,200/taxpayer-spouse and $500 for each qualifying child;                      
• also note if you received the economic impact payment? (late 2020 or early 2021) $600/ taxpayer-spouse and each qualifying child.

Residents can include information above in an envelope and place it in the “drop-off box” in the University Police Department, 820 Mulberry Street, Mondays through Thursdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

The VITA Program began on Monday, Feb. 8. The program will end when the capacity to process tax forms received has been met.

Residents with questions may call the University at 570-941-4045.

University students have participated in the VITA program for more than 30 years.

Patients who are diagnosed with COVID-19 have a new treatment option available that may help them avoid a stay in the hospital. The Wright Center for Community Health is the first in Scranton to offer an outpatient infusion clinic for administering Bamlanivimab, or BAM, a monoclonal antibody.

“These monoclonal antibodies are the unsung heroes when it comes to the fight against COVID-19,” said Jignesh Sheth, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for The Wright Center, who is leading the delivery and administration of the drug. “There’s strong evidence that it stops people from going to the hospital and that patients recover faster with fewer complications.”

BAM was first introduced at the Wright Center’s Scranton location two weeks ago with close to 40 COVID-positive patients treated thus far. None of those patients treated ended up in the hospital with one 61-year-old COVID-19 patient, described as “very ill,” coming in for treatment on a Friday and by that Sunday, was able to walk four miles.

The Wright Center is offering the treatment to people 65 and older within 10 days of a positive COVID-19 PCR test or onset of symptoms, and to younger patients, 12 and over, at higher risk. People hospitalized as a result of COVID-19 are not eligible to receive the treatment.

The monoclonal antibodies found in BAM, which was granted emergency-use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, are laboratory-created proteins that replicate the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful antigens, like COVID-19. The medicine targets the virus in a confirmed-positive patient and aims to prevent their body from having a damaging, or even life-threatening, inflammatory reaction.

Who is Eligible for the COVID-19 Infusion Clinic?

• Must be 12 years of age and older
• Must have tested COVID-19 positive via PCR nasal swab
• Must be outpatient only; not available for hospitalized individuals
• Must not require oxygen as a result of COVID-19 symptoms
• Must be considered a patient with underlying medical conditions considered high-risk for developing complications, which includes those 65 and older

BAM is administered as a one-time infusion over one hour. Patients are asked to remain at The Wright Center’s infusion clinic for roughly one hour after treatment to monitor for any side effects. BAM is not authorized for patients who are hospitalized due to COVID-19, who require oxygen therapy due to COVID-19, or who require an increase in baseline oxygen flow rate due to COVID-19 in patients who are on chronic oxygen therapy due to underlying non-COVID-19-related conditions. For more information about COVID-19 Infusion Therapy or to schedule an appointment, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-941-0630.