Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The cost of colonoscopies, MRIs, CT scans and mammograms cost significantly more in Montco than the city.
It costs $740 more to get a colonoscopy in Montgomery County than Philadelphia. That's according to data from New Choice Health, a private company that encourages people to become smarter healthcare consumers. In fact, the cost for a colonoscopy in Montgomery County is also higher than the state-wide average by $80. But the costs for other procedures measured in the data such as a CT scan, MRI and mammogram are below the state average. These big regional differences have been in the news lately: As the Washington Post wrote on Wednesday, "One hospital charges $8,000 - another $38,000." Using the same data as the Post, The New York Times listed out the prices of a series of procedures in hospitals across the country. The Times and the Post…
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Many city dwellers trek to Montgomery County daily for their jobs.
Rush hour in the Greater Philadelphia area feels like anything but a "rush." For some, however, traffic isn't so terrible. They happen to go against the grain, as it were. Instead of heading into the city in the morning, and out in the evening, they're trekking into Montgomery County. And, saving some time in rush hour traffic isn't the only perk. According to a recent report on NBC10, more and more city dwellers are heading into Montgomery County for employment. In fact, more are "reverse commuting" now then driving to the city for work. "'Philadelphia 2013: The State of the City' report by the Pew Charitable Trusts shows that 68,986 Philadelphians head out to Montgomery County for work, surpassing the 64,575 Montgomery County workers who…
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Constellation NewEnergy Inc. to help courthouse reduce uses of water, electric and gas.
Every house could use ways to "go green," including a Courthouse. The Montgomery County Commissioners agreed, and recently voted to hire one local business to help make their "house" get more ecofriendly. Constellation NewEnergy Inc., based in Fort Washington, was awarded a contract recently via an unanimous vote, to help the Montgomery County Courthouse go green by reducing uses of water, electric and gas, according to a WFMZ post. The courthouse currently spends more than $600,000 per year on energy. "Ultimately, we will realize significant savings right away," said Commissioner Chairman Joshua Shapiro told WFMZ. "As time goes on, our dollar savings will grow as we pay off the project." For the full story on the new contract and changes…
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The move would transfer the responsibility for $17-18 million in needed repairs from taxpayers to a private owner. The county could then lease the building back from its new owner.
Montgomery County could sell and lease back its primary office building as it seeks to avoid spending tax dollars on needed repairs to the facility, the county announced Thursday. The county purchased the One Montgomery Plaza tower, which sits across Swede Street from the county courthouse in Norristown, for $26 million in 2006. The building houses the bulk of Montgomery County's government offices, but needs as much as $18 million in repairs. "There is significant cost to fixing this building and putting it in a condition that, frankly, it should have been put in several years ago, but that maintenance need was ignored by the prior administrations," Board of Commissioners chairman Josh Shapiro said. By selling the building, the county …
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Keep your family's smallest safest with help from Montco.
Do you have questions about car seats? It is hard to keep track of what age, weight, height or size your child needs to be to switch types of safety seats. From baby carriers, to booster seats, seats with backs and seats without, parents can have total confusion about which seat can keep your child safe. Thankfully, the county's Department of Health is here to help. Child safety seats save lives, but only when they are installed and used properly. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages one to thirteen according to crash data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Association. In 2011, nine children, from newborns to age 8, lost their lives in vehicle crashes in …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
County Republicans say the interim Voter Services director's involvement with a Democratic political committee is evidence of 'cronyism.' Castor: 'Everyone associated with this process has acted honorably.'
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on Thursday continued to face questions regarding the recent dismissal of Joseph Passarella, the former long-time head of the county's Voter Services department, as the county's Republican committee pointed to his interim replacement's erstwhile role in a Democratic political committee as evidence of "Philadelphia-style political cronyism." Passarella was dismissed April 17 after almost two decades in the post. Commissioner Bruce Castor led off Thursday's meeting of the Board of Commissioners with a statement directly addressing the "public controversy," saying that he believed "everyone associated with this process has acted honorably and in the belief that they were doing what they thought …
Local mothers exchange childhood toys, clothing and accessories using social media.
Moms have to do it all. From getting the kids to soccer practice, to scheduling every doctor, dentist and eye appointment, from school homework to dance recitals, it just never ends. Moms over the years have developed some unique ways of organizing it all. Thankfully, with tools like smartphones, Google calendars, and alarmed reminders, there are multiple tricks of the trade these days. Some mothers in Montgomery County have found a way to even use social media to their advantage, too. With Facebook, some 502 moms have found a way to consign online. It can be difficult to get around to all the sales, find clothes and toys on a budget and make the family dollar stretch, but with Montgomery County Kids Online Yard Sale, the sale is always in…
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Montgomery County Asset Building Coalition hosted its 2013 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.
"You can write that off, did you know that?" It was a phrase used quite often by those that volunteered their time to prepare taxes for Montgomery County residents that could not afford assistance. The Montgomery County Asset Building Coalition hosted the 2013 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which in total saved residents over $5 million, according to a report in the Times Herald. “Our total federal refunds totalled $3.4 million; our state refunds were $950,000, so the total refunds to taxpayers were $4,360,000. That’s a lot of money,” Harriet Winokur, MCABC’s coordinator, told the Herald. “It gets better. Our services saved taxpayers approximately $675,000 in fees, which is not additional money into their pockets, but it’…
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The entire East Coast will hear the sounds of the long-gestating bugs when they hatch in the coming weeks.
They don't bite, suck or pose any real physical threat to humans, but darned if cicadas are not downright big and scary-looking. The Montgomery County area is about to get an earful from the winged nuisances after they hatch and swarm the sky. "It's hard to predict exactly what the outbreak will look like," said Dr. Chris Tipping, an entomologist in the Biology Department at Delaware Valley College. "They'll emerge from the south first, and what happens there will be a good indicator of what we can expect. We should get some pretty decent numbers." The last time the area saw a heavy outbreak of cicadas was in 2004, but that was a different brood. The insects are classified in separate broods, depending on their gestation period. Brood II, …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Joseph Passarella had led the county's Voter Services department since 1994. He reportedly was terminated Wednesday.
Last updated 4:45 p.m. Thursday Montgomery County officials were tight-lipped Thursday about the circumstances surrounding the apparent dismissal Wednesday of Joseph Passarella, who had run the county's Voter Services department since 1994. Passarella's termination was first reported Thursday morning by The Intelligencer, which cited unnamed sources who said Passarella was called into a noon meeting by unspecified county administrators on Wednesday and informed he was being immediately removed from his post. County Commissioner Leslie Richards, who also serves as chair of the county's Board of Elections, cited the county's policy of declining to comment on "personnel issues" when asked Thursday about both Passarella's departure and whether…
Doreen Kelly
5:38 pm on Thursday, May 16, 2013
The rates medical facilities charge is based on their credentialing. If you are only certified by the Board of Health, you can't charge as much as a facility certified by the Joint Commision, or one that has Magnet status. Many of the suburban hospitals have at least JCHAO certification if not Magnet. Which means they go beyond the minimum they have to for safety, and their staff is higher … more ›