April 3, 2020: COVID-19 Update from the Centre Region Emergency Management Program

April 3, 2020: COVID-19 Update from the Centre Region Emergency Management Program

Centre Region Specific News:
  • West Penn Power: Please communicate to any constituents that may reach out to you, their first step is to contact the West Penn Power credit and collection department at 1-800-736-3404 (number shows on top of the invoice). If eligible, they will be guided to contact Dollar Energy, who administers financial aid programs for FirstEnergy. 
  • Additionally, on April 2, 2020 FirstEnergy put into place new processes for Dollar Energy to evaluate residential applications eligible to receive financial assistance from the Pennsylvania Customer Assistance Program (PCAP), where household income has been impacted by COVID-19.     
  • At this time, we are not pursuing termination of any services, however, "10-day notices" are being mailed out to all customers. These notices are important because customers may need proof of delinquency to qualify for some assistance programs. This notice serves as their proof document.  
  • Please keep in mind theses financial programs are only regarding residential customers. All non-residential customers (commercial/business) should also contact our credit and collection department to review options available to them.  
  • For customers with medical conditions, FirstEnergy offers a Medical Certification program. Disconnection of electric service resulting from overdue bills can be delayed up to 30 days if it is determined that the loss of electric service would be especially dangerous to the health of a permanent member of a customer’s household. An appropriate health care professional must complete a Medical Certification Form describing the resident’s medical condition. The Medical Certification process also can be used to restore electric service after a customer has been disconnected. 
  • FirstEnergy also offers a program called Third Party Notification where a relative, friend, clergy, or social service agency can be notified along with the customer if electric service is about to be disconnected. The third party is not obligated to pay the overdue bills but can help make payment arrangements for the customer who might have difficulty paying their bill.
  • CATA: CATABUS service is currently available to provide transportation to destinations on the Governor’s list (i.e., medical appointments, grocery stores, employers on the Governor’s list, etc.). Please utilize the existing service for these purposes only.

News from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:
  • The Governor extended the Stay At Home Order to April 30th. The order has been extended to cover the entire state.
  • There are now 8,420 cases in PA. There are 32 cases in Centre County (that's up 4 from yesterday).
Resources for residents:
 
Residents can get more information on our special COVID-19 website. The site is updated daily by State College Borough. You can find that site here: https://www.statecollegepa.us/coronavirus
 
Residents can also get information on the Centre Region Ready Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/centreregionready/
 
One of our live updates next week will focus on resources to help residents and businesses. If you know of any agencies or groups in the area that are offering assistance, please send the information to me at manager@harristownship.org. Thank you!
 
Next update will be sent April 6th.
 
For questions or more information, please contact Centre Region Public Information Officer Amy Farkas by email at manager@harristownship.org or by phone at 466-6228.