From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!
Gov. Josh Shapiro visited Temple University this week where he promoted his $5 million program to address Pennsylvania’s nursing shortage. The initiative, aimed at bolstering the state’s healthcare workforce through tuition assistance and hospital partnerships, is part of the governor’s 2025-26 budget.
The Nurse Shortage Assistance Program would provide funding to hospitals that collaborate with nursing schools, helping cover tuition costs for students who commit to working in Pennsylvania hospitals for at least three years after graduation. The goal, state officials say, is to increase nurse retention and expand the “pipeline” of professionals entering the field.
“We need to take action now to address Pennsylvania’s nursing shortage, and my budget makes strategic investments to do just that,” Shapiro said. “By expanding education programs, providing tuition assistance and strengthening workforce pipelines, we can ensure hospitals have the skilled professionals they need to deliver high-quality patient care.”
Advertisement
The proposal comes as hospitals across the state report staffing challenges. A recent survey by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania found that 14% of nursing positions remain unfilled. The shortage is projected to grow, with an estimated 20,000 additional nurses needed in the state by 2026.
Shapiro was joined at the event by Nancy Walker, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, who said the effort is coming “at a crucial time.”
“This is really a crisis right now,” Walker said. “We have an aging population in Pennsylvania, so these numbers are just going to continue to go up over the next 10 years.”
The nursing shortage in Pennsylvania reflects a broader national trend. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing projects that 900,000 nurses, or about one-fifth of the registered nurses in the U.S., intend to leave the workforce by 2027. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that jobs in the field will additionally increase by that number over the next 10 years, as well.
The governor’s plan appears to build on existing efforts at schools like Temple Health, which launched their Nurse Scholar Program last year. That initiative offers students up to $40,000 in tuition assistance in exchange for a two- to three-year commitment to work at Temple Health after graduation. To date, the program has received nearly 200 applications from students at 18 partner schools.
More than $22 million in “Money Match” checks were mailed to nearly 100,000 Pennsylvanians, the treasury said.
In a news release on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Treasury said people should be on the lookout for the checks, which are part of the Pennsylvania Money Match program. Treasurer Stacy Garrity said to cash or deposit the checks “promptly.”
The first Pennsylvania Money Match checks, totaling more than $1.7 million, are now on the way to Pennsylvanians’ mailboxes. Pennsylvania Money Match is a new program that allows Treasury to return certain unclaimed property to rightful owners automatically, which was approved unanimously by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor last year.
Advertisement
SC
“I want Pennsylvanians to know that this is a real check, it is real money, and it belongs to them,” Garrity said in the news release. “And as always, I still encourage everyone to regularly search for unclaimed property online, as many claims will not qualify for the Money Match process.”
With the mailing of the year’s last batch of checks, more than $50 million will have been returned automatically to Pennsylvanians.
What are Money Match checks?
The program allows the state treasury to automatically return unclaimed property valued up to $500 owned by a single individual. Before the program was created in 2024, residents themselves had to seek out unclaimed property.
“I’m thrilled to continue this program as we work hard to get more money back to its rightful owners,” Garrity said in the news release.
Advertisement
However, if the property has multiple owners or is valued higher than $500, Pennsylvanians still need to file a claim.
What is unclaimed property?
Unclaimed property includes dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, rebates and insurance policies, among other things. It can also include the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.
According to the state treasury, more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed some of the $5 billion in unclaimed property in the treasury’s care, and the average value of a claim is more than $1,000.
Unclaimed property scam
On its website, the state treasury has a warning about scammers using text messages to target potential unclaimed property claimants.
The department “never reaches out to people in regard to any program, including unclaimed property, via unsolicited text messages.”
A special weather statement was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 10:06 a.m. until 1 p.m. for Warren, McKean, Elk, Cameron, Clearfield, Cambria and Somerset counties.
“Temperatures will drop below the freezing mark through midday with rain showers quickly changing to snow showers. Blustery winds may dry off roads and other paved surfaces, but any residual water from previous rain or melting snow could freeze up and result in slick spots through the afternoon,” explains the weather service.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Pennsylvania editor. You can send feedback using this form.
