MONEYSAVER MAY 05, 2020
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NEWS
By PAMELA BURLINGAME
McKean County DHS honors Johnston, raises awareness of child abuse
SMETHPORT — During these times where national and local attention are focused on coping with the impact of Covid-19, McKean County Department of Human Services (DHS) is reaching out to the public to raise awareness of child abuse and foster care and to recognize a 30-year benchmark of service. “I can’t think of a more appropriate confluence of events than the timing of three very important happenings at McKean County Human Services,” noted DHS Director Dan Wertz. “April was Child Abuse Awareness Month, May is Foster Care Month and today, April 30, 2020, marks the 30-year work anniversary of our one of our most dedicated employees, Resource Care Program Specialist, Lisa Johnston.” In April, the county promoted awareness of child abuse with blue silhouettes of children placed at the Courthouse and blue pinwheels outside at the Children’s Advocacy Center. The blue pinwheel represents innocence as a national symbol for child abuse prevention. Pinwheels reflect
Lisa Johnston
the bright future all children deserve. Foster Care will be honored and recognized in May as an important part of keeping the needs of children and youth in foster care in the minds of the public. Over half the children placed in foster care have a case plan for a timely, safe and stable reunification with their families. McKean County has an ongoing need for foster families. “Day in and day out, we see the best and the worst of family situations,” said Marcy Flickinger, foster care and adoption supervisor. “The thing that gets us through those difficult days is the impact we hope we are making on these families. It takes it’s toll on our staff and
McKean, area counties to have some restrictions eased May 8
HARRISBURG — McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter counties were among the 24 in rural northern Pennsylvania that were to see some relief from the governor’s strictest orders for residents to stay at home and businesses to close as part of a strategy to contain the spread of the coronavirus. All of the counties that are moving from “red” to “yellow” in Wolf’s color-coded reopening plan are in the northwest and north-central regions of Pennsylvania, which have seen far fewer virus infections and deaths than the rest of the state. The changes are to take effect Friday, May 8. Stay-at-home orders will be lifted and retail shops can start to reopen, though other restrictions will remain in place. The plan was obtained by The Associated Press ahead of Gov. Tom Wolf's announcement. The step-by-step relaxation of state shutdown orders means some counties or regions move from a “red” designation to a “yellow” designation. Under the yellow designation, gatherings of up to 25 people will be allowed. Currently, the statewide red designation bans all gatherings or outside trips that are not related to health, safety or going to work at an
essential job. Gyms, casinos, theaters and other indoor recreational, wellness and entertainment venues will stay closed. Restaurants and bars will still be limited to carry-out or delivery. Child care is open, although businesses must follow federal and state guidance for safety, social distancing and cleaning. Schools statewide remain closed for the rest of the academic year, and visitation restrictions on prisons and nursing homes remain in place. Wolf's administration will continue to recommend that people wear masks in public, and require businesses and commercial buildings that serve the public deny entry to customers not wearing masks. There is no word on when an area could move to a “green” designation, with all pandemic restrictions lifted aside from any federal or state health guidelines that remain in effect. Meanwhile, Wolf has begun loosening some restrictions on business sectors. This past Friday, golf courses, marinas, guided fishing trips and privately owned campgrounds statewide could reopen, and construction restart.
I can’t express enough how much I admire Lisa Johnston for her years of dedication to this work.” Johnston began her journey with McKean County Children and Youth Services on April 30, 1990 working with numerous foster parents and foster children. Her current position is instrumental in managing how each department in the agency works together, as well as with the other services in the county that are critical for children in foster care and foster parents. McKean County District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg Shaffer was a foster care coordinator with Johnston during her prior tenure at CYS. “We would meet with individuals interested in foster parenting and assisting in adoptions. Lisa was a mentor to me and many others,” said Shaffer. “Lisa has a very strong sense of community service and ensuring that the “right” thing is done even if there’s resistance from others or if it’s difficult. I remember her leading the charge on several occasions when she felt that something was wrong, particularly by being a strong advocate for foster parents. And people listened
to her because she was so respected.” Johnston was named 2015 Caseworker of the Year by the Pennsylvania State Resource Family Association. She is a graduate of Smethport Area High School and The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. “Working in child welfare is emotionally challenging since it’s impossible to turn off your thoughts at the end of the day and forget what you’ve seen,” added Shaffer. “Lisa’s longevity at the Agency is a testament to her character and devotion to such an important cause and her deep-rooted sense of family.” Johnston, formerly Lisa Ohman, is a Smethport native and currently resides with her husband in Port Allegany. They have one daughter, who is a physician’s assistant in New York City. Johnston’s focus on the value of the foster family mirrors Shaffer’s perspective. “Foster parents have kept our children safe, loved them as their own, provided permanency, and are a valuable resource to our communities,” said Johnston. “I’ve seen the pain and joy that comes with this
profession. Our children are our future.” “May is Foster Parent Month and we are asking our community to help us in promote this program, along with April as Child Abuse Awareness Month, and to reflect on the service that Lisa has provided to our county,” said Wertz. “I do want to be clear, this is a hallmark of service, not a retirement, we intend to keep Lisa actively working for us as long as long as she will have us.” Johnston summed up the impact and value of foster families, “May is Foster Parent Month, and a time to reflect on how special and valuable these people are to our agency and the children and families they serve. I am truly blessed to have worked with each and everyone one of them and offer thanks from the bottom of my heart.” According to Wertz, Johnston’s co-workers have planned a remote celebration of her career on Thursday. DHS is asking the community to help raise awareness and to participate in meeting a goal of 30 new eligible foster families in 30 days, to honor Johnston’s 30-year commitment to this program.
Area counties among those with highest unemployment rates in Pa.
By JOEL WHETZEL
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on economies, local counties have found themselves paying the price in terms of unemployment — at an even higher rate than the rest of Pennsylvania. According to data released from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Elk, McKean, Cameron, Potter and Forest counties make up five of the state’s top 10 counties in terms of highest unemployment rate. Forest County faces the state’s highest unemployment rate of 9.7%, up from 7.9% in February. Cameron County was the next highest with a rate of 9.4%, a sharp increase from February’s rate of 6.9. Potter was next, reporting at 9.3%, which was an increase from 7.2% a month ago. McKean County reported the sixth-highest unemployment rate at 8.2%, while Elk was tied for the seventh-highest with a rate of 8.1. Those numbers are up from 6.6% and 6.4%, respectively. By comparison, Pennsylvania reported a statewide unemployment rate of 6.0% for the month of March, up from 5.1% in February and 4.1% in March of 2019. State Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint,
File photo A sign on the door of Copy Connection explains the business is closed because of the order by the state.
points to the statewide stay at home order as the cause of the uptick. Gov. Tom Wolf issued the order on March 19, and since then, only businesses deemed “essential,” such as grocery stores, have been able to remain open. “Before the governor’s business shutdown, we had historic low unemployment rates. Now we have historic high unemployment rates,” Causer said. “When you have an order that is one of the most strict business shutdown orders in the nation, you’re going to have high unemployment rates.” Since March 15, the state has reported more than 1.6 million unemployment claims. The overwhelming increase
has created a burden on the filing system, and as a result, many residents have had trouble filing their claims and therefore have gone without income. “Many, many people are out of work and have been forced out of work because of the governor’s shutdown order,” Causer said. “They’re not getting unemployment compensation, and they’re struggling to feed their families. It’s a really bad situation right now.” As such, the legislator feels it’s time to start reopening the economy in a safe manner, particularly in the Northern Tier. Of Pennsylvania’s 44,366 total COVID-19 cases so far, only 21 have come from the five-county area previously mentioned,
according to data from the state Department of Health. “I believe we have to get people back to work; we have to open the state’s economy back up,” Causer said. “We cannot just shut down the economy of the state, and it’s a situation where we have to get people back to work. We have to do so safely, but it’s critically important we get them back to work.” Wolf announced a three-phased reopening plan, color-coded by red, yellow and green phases, and said earlier this week that an announcement will be made on Friday about which regions can transition from the red phase (what the state is under right now) to the yellow phase beginning on May 8. Causer is hopeful that local residents will be able to return to work on that May 8 target date. “That’s certainly what we’re hoping for, or even sooner,” he said. “The governor reopened all construction activities on May 1, so it seems to be a moving target… May 8 is the day he targeted for reopening many counties in Pennsylvania. We certainly hope we can get the Northern Tier counties open very quickly.” When businesses do reopen, though, Causer cautions that social distancing guidelines should still be upheld.