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Coatesville, PA. – The Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Legislative Roundtable; bringing together business owners and elected officials to discuss and analyze current events taking place in the 24 municipalities that make up the western portion of Chester County. The panel discussion opened on Friday morning at Pope John Paul Regional Elementary School.
The large topic of discussion was the recent closure of Brandywine Hospital. Businesses in the audience expressed their growing fears and operational challenges present after the closure. James Logan, Manager of the City of Coatesville, expressed the exacerbation of resources and increased response times in emergency services that the city and surrounding municipalities are currently facing. The panel explained the legislative barriers that have presented themselves as obstacles in the response to the hospital closure. The state and county elected officials on the panel discussed their joint efforts and collaboration that is still underway to facilitate quality healthcare for our region.
Senator Comitta reported that the Pennsylvania Department of Health has recently issued new guidelines on Innovative Hospital models; including micro-hospitals which is a model that can be used in Chester County. This at least opens a possible new option for health services in our region. Representative Danielle Friel-Otten commented, “We are at a pivotal moment in healthcare, where the delivery of healthcare is changing.”
Lisa McNamara of Octorara Area School District encouraged attendees to look at Chester County’s unique program, the Homeland Security and Protective Services Academy, that creates a pipeline of workforce for our emergency services.
The agriculture industry was brought to attention by Jodi Gauker from CCEDC Ag Connect. Jodi asked the legislators how they’re supporting our local farms. Representative John Lawrence discussed his efforts in drafting legislation and advocating for farms to the General Assembly. Representative Lawrence said he is moving a package of 5 bills currently that are specific to dairy. “We have to make some decisions, as a nation and as a state- do we want to eat food that is grown locally or from who knows where. I know- I want to drink milk from Pennsylvania dairy farms.”
Business owners inquired on how the Infrastructure Law will impact Pennsylvania, specifically Chester County. The discussion touched on the need for state and local governments to jump on the new expanded competitive grant programs to secure funding for projects in western Chester County. The Infrastructure Law includes things such as upgrades and repairs to roadways and bridges, climate change mitigation, improvements to the safety of transportation systems, modernization and expansion of passenger rail, among others.
Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce takes pride in providing our business owners with a platform to address legislative concerns in our community. The Chamber will continue to facilitate communication with our elected officials and serve as a voice for the businesses in ChescoWest.
The panel was made up of the following elected officials: Senator Carolyn Comitta, Senator Katie Muth, State Representative John Lawrence, State Representative Danielle Friel Otten, State Representative Dan Williams, State Representative Tim Hennessey, Commissioner Moskowitz, Commissioner Kichline, Commissioner Maxwell, and Scott Nelson from U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan’s Office.
About WCCCC:
The Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1916 and is the oldest chamber of commerce in Chester County. WCCCC currently has 380 members and serves 24 municipal areas in the County’s dynamic and growing western region. WCCCC’s mission is to connect our members to new ideas, resources and
relationships to achieve their goals. Visit www.westernchestercounty.com
