Centre Daily Times from State College, Pennsylvania • A6

6A DAILY TIMES WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 6 2021 Share Your Condolences, Thoughts Memories Online Sign the guest book and post your personal message for obituaries listed in paper, and from the past year. Find the online obituaries listing and a link to the guest book at: legacy.com/obituaries/centredaily CENTREDAILY.COM Bartley, Paul 70 Milesburg Oct 03 Dean K. Wetzler Funeral Home Cremation Service, Inc. Hardy, Jerome E. (Jake), 50 Milroy Sep 30 Dean K.

Wetzler Jr. F.H., Mill Hall MacChesney, John B. 92 State College Sep 30 Koch Funeral Home Musser, Martha Lou Miller, 82 State College Oct 02 Koch Funeral Home Wells, Nancy 77 Spring Mills Oct 04 Daughenbaugh Funeral Home, Inc OBITUARY INDEX Bold listings indicate expanded obituaries View and place obituaries at centredaily.com Contact our obituary staff at 814-235-3938 or NAME, AGE CITY DEATH ARRANGEMENTS Milroy, Pennsylvania Jerome E. (Jake) Hardy, 50, Milroy, PA passed away unexpectedly September 30, 2021 due to complications from a brief illness. Born May 21, 1971 in Roaring Springs, PA he was the son of Dennis and Rebecca Col- petzer Hardy who survive in Alum Bank, PA.

Jake graduated from Ever- ett High School, Everett, PA in 1989 and served in the U. S. Marine Corps from 1989- 1993 when he was honorably discharged. He was also a graduate of Penn State Uni- versity, Altoona, PA. He was most recently employed as a Dairy Nutritionist for Wenger Group, Reams, PA.

He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. He always had a smile or an the comment for everyone he met. Jake loved anything doing with farming and cows. He is survived by: His Fi- ancee: Rebecca Walizer with whom he lived; 1 Son: Tuck- er E. (Becca) Hardy, Peters- burg, PA; 1 Step-son: Kyle (Megan) Heckert, Aspers, PA; 2 Sisters: Janice (Kev- in) Davis and Jill (Todd) Gordon, both of Alum Bank, PA; 1 Brother: Jim (Peg) Hardy, Williamsburg, PA; 1 Grandson: Reid Hardy, Petersburg, PA; also nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews aunts, uncles and friends.

He was preced- ed in death by 1 Son: Sterling A. Hardy and several other family members. A Celebration of Life will be held November 6, 2021 at 1 PM in the Milroy Fire House, with a meal to follow. In lieu of memori- als are suggested to an FFA program, a 4-H program or any dairy cow show of the choosing. Arrangements are entrust- ed to the Dean K.

Wetzler, Jr. Funeral Home, 320 Main Mill Hall, PA 17751 Online condolences www.wetzlerfuneralhome. org Jerome E. (Jake) Hardy May 21, 1971 September 30, 2021 State College, Pennsylva- nia John B. Mac- Chesney, 92, of State College, died Thursday, Sep- tember 30, 2021, at the Vil- lage At Penn State.

Born July 8, 1929, in Glen Ridge, NJ, he was the son of the late Samuel Burnette and Helen Bond MacChesney. On March 22, 1952 he mar- ried Janice Hoyt, who pre- ceded him in death on July 6, 2020. He is survived by one son, John B. MacChesney, Jr. and his wife Jean of Jersey Shore; one grandchild, Kasey; and two great-grandchildren, Ne- veah and Aria.

John was born on July 8, 1929 in Glen Ridge, NJ and lived in New Jersey for most of his life. He enjoyed skiing, playing Bridge and traveling with Janice, his wife of 60 years. He witnessed the end of the steam era and was fond of steam powered trains. He collected antique cars and spent countless hours restor- ing them. He received his B.A.

de- gree from Bowdoin College in 1951 and served in the U.S. Army during the Kore- an war. In 1959 he received his Ph.D. in geochemistry from Pennsylvania State University, and joined Bell Laboratories where he rose to the level of Bell Laboratories Fellow, the highest honor for non-management personnel. He engaged in research on ceramics and single crystals of interest for their electrical or magnetic properties.

In 1972, he foresaw the poten- tial of optical for com- munication technology and turned his attention to glass, a means to pro- duce vitreous silica of purity and needed for optical John invent- ed the Chemical Vapor Deposition (MCVD) process used worldwide to produce optical and is known as one of the forefa- thers of optical technol- ogy. As a materials scientist and innovator, John is credited with over a hundred publi- cations and a like-number of domestic patents for the processing of photonic com- ponents. HE has received national and international recognition which includes: The Tyndall Award by the Optical Society of Institute of Electrical Engi- neers, and The Charles Drap- er Award by the National Academy of Engineers. John was a member of the Nation- al Academy of Engineering and the World Academy of Ceramics. He was an adjunct professor at Gwangju Insti- tute of Science and Technol- ogy in South Korea.

Memorial service will be Friday, October 8, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at First Presbyte- rian Church 326 Avenue Caldwell, NJ. Burial will be in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Caldwell, NJ. Memorial contributions may be directed to Pennsyl- vania State University or Pets Come First at 2451 General Potter Highway, Centre Hall PA 16828. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College.

Online condolences may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome. com. John B. MacChesney, Sr. July 8, 1929 September 30, 2021 State College, Pennsyl- vania Martha Lou Miller Musser, 82, of State College, died Saturday, October 2, 2021, at Mount Nittany Med- ical Center.

Born December 3, 1938, in Newton Hamilton, she was the daughter of the late Paul E. and Esther Boas Miller. On October 19, 1963 she married Glenn L. Musser, who preceded her in death. She is survived by four siblings, Betty Waite and her husband, Lewis, Stan- ley Miller and his wife, Caroline, Nancy Waite and her husband, Richard, and Donald Miller and his wife, Roseanne, and three siblings- in-law, Joan Kovalchik and her husband, John, David Musser and his wife, Gabri- ele Stauss, and Nancy Cody.

She is also survived by many nieces and nephews. She graduated high school in 1956 and worked as an Administrative Assistant for numerous employers, including a realty business and Schlow Centre Region Library, where a room has been dedicated in her hon- or. Martha was a member of Grace Lutheran Church and a Charter Member of the Soroptimist International of Centre County. She was also involved with the Penn State Wrestling Club. In her early years she was an avid bowler.

A visitation will be held November 6, 2021 from 1-2 pm at Grace Lutheran Church, 205 Garner St, State College, with a Me- morial Service immediately following at 2 pm with the Reverend Schul and the Rev- erend Hetrick officiating. Inurnment will be in Cen- tre County Memorial Park. In lieu of memo- rial contributions may be directed to Grace Lutheran Church, 205 Garner St, State College, PA 16801, Schlow Centre Region Li- brary, https://www.schlow- library.org/donate, or the United Methodist Church of Newton Hamilton, 176 Church St, Newton Hamil- ton, PA 17075. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.

com. Martha Lou Miller Musser December 3, 1938 October 2, 2021 Obituaries Obituaries Obituaries Sign an online Guest Book at www.centredaily.comExpress your condolences and share fond memories. Online Guest Books LEGACY.COM IS THE LEADER IN ONLINE OBITUARIES, PARTNERING WITH OVER 700 NEWSPAPERS WORLDWIDE. CENTREDAILY.COM Obituaries To place an obituary in the Centre Daily Times call 814-235-3938 or email Hours: Monday-Sunday: 9am-5pm CENTREDAILY.COM Most people believe every reason for health care workers to get vaccinated against CO- VID-19, with protecting the people they care for as well as themselves topping the list. That would seem espe- cially true for nursing home workers, who care for the people most likely to die if exposed to CO- VID-19.

Yet those arguments have failed to sway much of nursing home workforce, whose vaccination rate of 67.4% remains less than the overall rate of Pennsylva- nia adults, which is near In early August, Gov. Tom adminis- tration began pushing the 700 skilled nursing facilities to get their work- forces vaccinated. To add public pressure, the state launched a dash- board showing the vacci- nation rate at each facility. The state further said it would withhold govern- ment funding for the extra testing that will be re- quired for unvaccinated workers. The state set an Oct.

1 target for facilities to have at least of workers vaccinated. At the time, of the nursing home workforce was vaccinated. Moreover, only of skilled nursing homes had vaccinated at least of their workforce, which a state official called barrassing and, quite frankly, very frightening to residents and their loved Yet two months later, the situation changed much, with only 67.4% of nursing home workforce fully vaccinated, accord- ing to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention. Another 2.5% are partially vaccinated, meaning they have started the process and may in- tend to become fully vac- cinated.

According to the dashboard, many homes remain far short of the goal, with many reporting vaccination rates of well below Right after Pennsylvania began its push, President Joe Biden announced a national mandate for vaccination of nursing home employees and all health care facilities. Homes that fall short will lose funding from Med- icaid and Medicare losses that would put most facilities out of business. Biden set a date, with officials saying spe- cifics will be announced around the beginning of October. going to get to whether we like it or said Zach Sham- berg, the CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, which repre- sents for-profit long-term care providers. fear it will be at the expense of thousands of workers when we afford to lose Medicaid and Medicare account for about of revenues for Pennsylvania nursing homes.

No facility can stay open without those funds, according to Shamberg. Therefore, facilities will eventually be forced to fire unvaccinat- ed employees. But that threatens to shrink the workforces of facilities already strug- gling with staffing short- ages, hurting the level of care for residents and putting more stress on remaining workers, he said. Shamberg predicts homes will have to turn people away; he says the staffing shortage has al- ready caused some Penn- sylvania facilities to close wings and put people on waiting lists. SEEING SOME SUCCESS Still, there are new signs vaccination mandates for health care workers are effective and drive away an excessive number of workers.

In New York, for example, an Oct. 4 vaccination deadline af- fecting most health care workers has greatly boost- ed rates, resulting in vaccination among nurs- ing home workers, accord- ing to Bloomberg. More- over, the fear of being unable to sufficiently care for people as a result of workers quitting has di- minished. North Carolina-based Novant Health lost 175 workers because of the mandate. But out of 35,000, giving it a vaccination rate, accord- ing to Bloomberg.

According to Pennsylva- dashboard as of last week, vaccination rates at Harrisburg region skilled nursing facilities ranged from at Bethany Village Retirement Village near Mechanicsburg to about at Fox Sub- acute near Mechanics- burg, dropping to 29.5% at Forest Park Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Carlisle and only 20.8% at Stoneridge Poplar Run in Myerstown. None of the facilities with low rates responded to requests for interviews as of several days after messages were left. Shamberg attributed the low rates to factors such as the nursing home work- force including a large number of younger wo- men who may wrongly believe vaccination will interfere with having chil- dren, and one that in- cludes a large proportion of racial minorities who are historically skeptical of vaccines and treatments pushed by the govern- ment. Further, many work in rural counties where vac- cine resistance is high and, as many health care executives have noted, community resistance tends to include local health care workers. He said homes are working hard at addressing misin- formation and persuading workers to get vaccinated.

The most successful ones, he said, are using tactics such as having their nurs- ing directors hold one-on- one discussions with staff- ers. Shamberg noted that unvaccinated nursing home workers are being tested twice a week in an effort to make sure they carry the virus into the homes. He said the low vaccina- tion rate mean that any provider has necessarily let down their Henri Lively, the admin- istrator of health services at Bethany Village, said helped the facility reach a vacci- nation for a staff of 281. Early on, he said, the facil- ity connected with a local pharmacy which came to the facility several times to give shots before they became widely available at other locations. Moreover, Bethany leaders made a point of being present during vac- cinations and when staff- ers were being tested for COVID-19.

They provided information, addressed misinformation and sought to show employees their work and the risks they face is appreciated. think we maintained a certain level of trust and Lively said. people had been reluctant, you started to see a corporate parent also imposed a mandate, making vaccina- tion a condition of em- ployment. The original deadline was in Novem- ber, but it was moved up after Pennsylvania an- nounced the Oct. 1 target.

parent further provided funding for five weekly raffles, with the winners, who had to be vaccinated, each receiving $1,000. Bethany added to the by putting top administrators on the receiving end of pies in the face and water bal- loons. It showed ap- preciate our staff and we wanted to have fun with Lively said. As of the middle of last week, Lively said, 31 out of 281 staffers remained unvaccinated, including 11 who qualified for medical or religious exemptions. He noted the unvaccinat- ed include only about seven who work in skilled nursing at Bethany, which also has residents living more independently.

He said Bethany accepts that it might lose some long-time employees who are very good at their work. know of at least two who continue to wres- tle with this and are telling me it could mean the end of their days as a caregiv- he said. tell every- one we are lovingly en- couraging them to Another factor likely helping Bethany achieve a high vaccination level is that, according to market- ing and public relations director Cathy Canning, it strives to provide the best wages and benefits in each local market. Lively said the number of appli- cations to work at Bethany has gone up recently. THE RESIDENTS Diane Menio, an ad- vocate for nursing home residents, said alarmed by the low vacci- nation levels among nurs- ing staff and believes responsible for new out- breaks.

are dying again because of this the only people that are bringing in are probably the she said. Menio notes the many Pennsylvania facilities with high staff vaccination rates prove doable. Facilities must double down on efforts to provide good information and address misinformation and offer incentives such as paid time off following vaccination, she said. Menio, the executive director of the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elder- ly, favors vaccination mandates at nursing homes, regardless of whether some staffers might quit. should put the residents first.

the purpose of being in this business to take care of the she said. Maggi Barton, a spokes- woman for the Pennsylva- nia Department of Health, said the state has been reaching out to the low- performing homes as well as the ones with high rates, in order to share successful tactics. Referring to the target set by the state in August, she said percent was the minimum. The time- line is aggressive, but lives are literally depending on staff being fully protected from the COVID-19 vi- Barton said the state hopes people will continue to contact facilities caring for their loved ones if they feel the level of vaccina- tion is too low. She stressed that vacci- nation works, with the latest state data showing that of COVID-19 deaths and of hospi- talizations involve un- vaccinated people.

JESSIE WARDARSKI AP Sister Rose Nellivila checks the blood pressure of Lorraine Catney, a resident of Villa Angela at St. Anne Home nursing facility in Greensburg, in March. COVID vaccinations of Pa. nursing home workers still low BY DAVIDWENNER PennLive.