| City tries to recoup firemen OT pay
A divided City Commission voted 3-2 Tuesday night in favor of reclaiming half of the $122,000 worth of overpaid wages to the Pittsburg Fire Department.
After nearly two hours of debate, Mayor Marty Beezley cast the deciding vote to recoup money that had been overpaid because of a payroll error in the city's human resources department.
"I think this moves the process along," Beezley said after the vote. "Nobody is a winner."
The payroll error, uncovered by auditors, was corrected in May 2006. Thirty firefighters received on average an extra $4,075 over the course of 2005 and the first four months of 2006. Salaried employees, including Fire Chief Don Elmer and the battalion chiefs, do not receive overtime pay and were not affected by the glitch.
Pet insurance an option
GRAND RAPIDS -- With their pets suffering from eating contaminated pet food owners are forced to make agonizing decisions regarding the future of their animals. Rat poison was found in the pet food manufactured and recalled by Menu Foods. Veterinarians say the poison can cause kidney damage in the long-term. Now, the pet owners are left not only left with an emotional burden, but left to decide how much they are can spend to ensure their pet's health. Vet costs can easily pile up in only one visit. An office call can cost $40, a blood test $60, add treatments and medications at between $100 and $200 and a night stay in the hospital at $40 and total costs can reach upwards of $300 for one visit. A biopsy or transplant for a pet can cost into the thousands of dollars.
Settlement improves children's access to treatment
AUSTIN -- Lawyers in federal court Monday outlined a settlement they hope will bring better medical treatment to millions of low-income Texas children, including thousands in El Paso, and end more than a decade of litigation. "Texas will make even more significant commitments in caring for our youth facing the greatest needs," said Ted Cruz, Texas solicitor general, an attorney representing the state. The settlement -- expected to cost Texas hundreds of millions of dollars -- could mean more doctors to treat the 106,000 children in El Paso County on Medicaid and more information about health care options to which those children are entitled. "It will help bring physicians and help retain them here along the border," said Dr. David Palafox, who practices at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and is medical director for El Paso First Health Plans.
UC Increases Pay for Low-Wage Workers
April 09, 2007 — The University of California has recently announced that it will offer $7.8 million to its 36,000 lower-paid employees in order to increase annual salaries.
These wage increases apply specifically to those paid $40,000 or less per year and took place April 1. However, negotiators for unions representing campus laborers are still holding talks with the university concerning the amount of money allocated to employees.
Caroline Buckmaster, president of the San Diego branch of the University Professional and Technical Employees and a staff research associate at UCSD, expressed reluctance about approving of the current agreement.
"The university received $3 million of surplus cash from the state," she said. "In the current agreement, only 0.31 percent of that money is being geared toward raising wages for the employees."
Buckmaster also said that the seemingly progressive wage increase was unimpressive.
Study Finds Lack Of Health Insurance May Be Associated With ...
The lack of health insurance prompts people to forego routine physical exams and have a reduced awareness of cardiovascular risk factors and is associated with increased rates of stroke and death, researchers have concluded.
A study in the April issue of the Journal of the Society of General Internal Medicine found people without health insurance are more likely to forego routine physical exams and had a higher risk of being unaware of a personal diagnosis of high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol levels - all risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Surprisingly, researchers say, the lack of health insurance did not translate into a higher risk for myocardial infarction, of heart attack.
"We speculate that this may relate to the relative importance of hypertension as a risk factor for stroke, says Angela Fowler-Brown, MD, MPH, the lead author, a physician in the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Business people in the news
Paul A. Suri, Danbury, Conn., a cardiologist, has joined the medical staff of Putnam Hospital Center, Carmel. Suri is a member of Cardiovascular Practice, which has offices in Carmel and Yorktown Heights. He has participated in a number of research studies and has published medical literature. Suri is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and clinical cardiac electrophysiology. Michael N. Gallina, a former executive at North Fork Bank, has been hired as senior vice president and chief commercial-banking officer for White Plains-based Northeast Community Bancorp Inc. Northeast Community Bancorp operates five branches in New York City and a mortgage office in Boston. Dawn Marie Dove, Haledon, N.J., has joined The Curry Rockefeller Group, Tarrytown, as program manager in the CRG connect division.
Florida Company - First Care Colombia- Provides More Medical Care ...
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla./EWORLDWIRE/March 23, 2007 --- Health care innovator, First Care Colombia, LLC offers savings of up to 80 percent on medical and dental care in Colombia. First Care Colombia lends much needed credibility to a burgeoning industry with its staff of medical professionals and managers who are affiliated only with internationally certified clinics that meet rigid standards of certification. First Care Colombia's clinics located throughout Colombia offer a variety of services, with more popular procedures such as orthopedic surgery, heart surgery, transplant surgery, cosmetic surgery and dental care. A price comparison chart reflects dramatic price differences for health care in Colombia. Catalina Gomez, a spokesperson for First Care Colombia, notes that persons considering medical tourism should have realistic and complete price estimates that include all the associated fees with a given medical procedure.
Doyle: Expand birth-control plan
Gov. Jim Doyle's budget would provide free condoms to low-income males as young as 15 by expanding a federal program designed to reduce pregnancies and lower Medicaid costs. The Family Planning Demonstration Project provides birth control, family planning counseling, treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, discussion of abstinence and other services to low-income girls and women ages 15 to 44. Now Doyle says the program could save even more money in pregnancy-related and child- rearing costs if the federal government lets Medicaid pay for boys and men to receive similar counseling and services. "Analyses and studies show men can play significant roles in preventing unplanned pregnancies and preventing the spread of disease," said Matt Canter, a spokesman for Doyle.
No rat poison in pet food, FDA finds
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it has not found rat poison in pet food that has been killing animals, but that it has found melamine, a chemical commonly used to make plastic cutlery that is also used in fertilizer. Hours after the announcement, the nationwide pet food recall, which had involved only so-called wet foods -- all manufactured by Menu Foods Inc. and sold under a variety of brand names -- was expanded to include one brand of dry cat food, Prescription Diet m/d Feline, made by Hills Pet Nutrition. The brand was found to have been made with a batch of wheat gluten shipped to the United States from China that the FDA said was laced with melamine. Scientists found melamine, which is used as a slow-release fertilizer in Asia, in the urine of cats sickened by the recalled pet foods made by Menu Foods, officials said at a news conference The recalled pet food has been blamed for at least 16 deaths of pets.
Islamic bank income soars to £8 million
"We can be justifiably satisfied that in last year we have substantially delivered on all the product and business milestones we set ourselves at the time of our launch," said bank chairman Adnan Yousif. "We have not only put in place the infrastructure needed to support the business growth, but we enter the New Year with products that are ready for marketing and a robust deal pipeline that will deliver a sustainable revenue stream for this year and beyond. "We have a highly motivated team of professionals whose wide range of capabilities positions us to be the 'Islamic investment bank of choice' in Europe. "The team can feel proud in what they have achieved during the year, effectively pioneering the establishment of a domestic Islamic investment bank in the UK and demonstrating that London can be the gateway to bridging the European and Islamic financial markets.
25 towns, 25 plans
If God helps those who help themselves, why should taxpayers be expected to do more? On Sunday, John C. Drake's enterprising lead story in the Globe reported that 50 communities are considering property tax hikes to close growing local budget gaps. Of 25 towns that have scheduled Proposition 2 1/2 overrides this year, the average request for new tax money is $1.9 million -- about triple the average request of a year ago. The state's cities and towns are all facing the same problem -- with, ironically, the same solution. Rising healthcare and pension costs for municipal employees are the problem; consolidation should be part of the solution. The 25 communities seeking tax hikes are like the worst dysfunctional days of the Red Sox, when the team was defined by 25 guys and 25 cabs.
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