2009 News

December 3, 2009

Health Department’s H1N1 Efforts Praised
Commissioners Approve Contracts with 16 Departments

Inside the familiar commissioners’ meeting setting known as the Courthouse community room, Charles H. Martin, chairman, Jim Cawley, and Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW discussed and approved 29 items involving 16 departments. Before the business portion of the meeting began, commissioners recognized the 2010 Bucks County Poet Laureate, Bernadette McBride, who recited her poignant poem, “Intersection.” McBride, the county’s 33rd Poet Laureate, is a professor of literature and writing at Bucks County Community College and Temple University. Accompanying her was Dr. Allen Hoey, professor, author and program director. Also recognized were representatives from the Perkasie Olde Towne Association on the 100th anniversary of the borough’s Christmas tree lighting. Many residents claim that Perkasie became the first town in the United States to boast a lit, outdoor community Christmas tree – one that predates the White House tree-lighting ceremony by 14 years and New York City’s Rockefeller Center tree by more than two full decades.

Calling upon David Damsker, MD, MPH for comment on a Health Department agenda item, Chairman Martin praised the efforts of Dr. Damsker and his staff in vaccinating more than 41,000 of the county’s school-aged children during two weeks of clinics. Marseglia echoed the commendation.  Damsker pointed out that three more clinics for Bucks County residents only, in all of the CDC priority groups, are scheduled as follows:

Thursday, December 10	4 to 9 p.m.	Pennridge High School 1228 North 5th Street Perkasie, PA 18944
Monday, December 14	4 to 9 p.m.	Central Bucks High School South 1100 Folly Road Warrington, PA  18976
Tuesday, December 15	4 to 9 p.m.	Pennsbury High School East 705 Hood Boulevard Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania 19030

 

Other agenda items discussed included interpreter services for the Court of Common Pleas. Administrator Doug Praul explained that in addition to a full-time Spanish-speaking interpreter requested in the 2010 preliminary budget, a variety of other languages need to be accommodated in the courts via a contract. Praul cited Chinese, Korean and Cambodian among the languages spoken within the county’s courtrooms.

Human Resources Director Meredith Dolan explained to the commissioners that she was presenting five policy updates or additions for their approval. Highlights of those changes include a $35,000 annual savings as a result of switching the Employee Assistance Program provider to the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. Services remain unchanged. Dolan also credited Marseglia for the introduction of a whistleblower protection policy that mirrors the state’s language.

Acting Chief Operating Officer Brian Hessenthaler updated those gathered on the status of the 2010 preliminary budget, highlighting a $7.1 million gap that can be plugged via several options: enacting further cuts to expenditures, investigating additional sources of revenue, drawing down the county’s general fund balance, raising taxes, or some combination thereof.  Hessenthaler announced a public hearing will be held on Thursday, December 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Bucks County Courthouse in the community room on the first floor.  Other items in the acting COO’s report included positive news about Neshaminy Manor Nursing Home’s zero-deficiency state inspection, and the success of the Area Agency on Aging’s caregiver conference calls, where participation tripled on the second call. He dubbed it a “productive effort.”

Hessenthaler also commended General Services for reaching $200,000 in surplus sales this year.

Marseglia abstained from a vote on uniforms for tipstaff and minute clerks, as she would like the courts to explore further cost-saving options. The commissioner also voted nay on medical malpractice coverage for a doctor providing treatment in the county’s juvenile detention and prison facilities, and on a contract with Bucks County Council on Alcoholism, Inc., to provide administrative case management services.

For a full audio account of the meeting and a copy of the business agenda, please visit www.BucksCounty.org. The next meeting of the commissioners will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, December 16 at the Bucks County Conference and Visitors Bureau on Street Road in Bensalem.