News and Events

United Way of Bucks County Media Relations:
Gail Rubenstein , Director, Commuications and Volunteerism 215-949-1660 ext 110

SEPTEMBER 2007

AUGUST 2007

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA - Department of Public Welfare
Aug. 20, 2007

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE INVESTS IN COMMUNITIES TO PREVENT CHILD
ABUSE, NEGLECT

HARRISBURG - With a continued commitment to improving the safety
and well-being of Pennsylvania's children, Department of Public Welfare
Secretary Estelle B. Richman today awarded $1.5 million in Children's
Trust Fund grants to 11 community organizations that have developed
programs to prevent abuse and neglect.

"Our children deserve the opportunity to grow up safe and
protected from the devastating affects of abuse and neglect," said
Secretary Richman. "Through these grants, communities all across
Pennsylvania will be able to help children achieve their dreams."

Administered by the Department of Public Welfare through the
Children's Trust Fund, grants are aimed at strengthening families
through early childhood education. The grantees use a variety of proven
techniques to educate and support parents and early childhood education
providers to increase protective factors for families, build stronger
family ties and prevent child abuse.

Recipients are selected based upon their ability to implement
research-based methods that are proven to create positive outcomes for
children, families and the community, as well as their capacity to
leverage resources.

Since 2003, Pennsylvania has continued its commitment to keeping
kids safe by awarding $7.3 million in annual rounds of three-year grants
to 52 organizations.

For more information on the Children's Trust Fund or grant
opportunities, call (800) 833-5196 or visit www.dpw.state.pa.us
<http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/> .

The list of grant recipients is below. The grants cover the period
of Nov. 1, 2007, through Oct. 31, 2010.

Allegheny Intermediate Unit
475 East Waterfront Drive
Homestead, PA 15120
Allegheny County - Region 3
$150,000

Beginnings, Inc.
406 Main Street, 2nd Floor
Johnstown, PA 15901
Cambria County - Region 4
$150,000

Caring People Alliance
1819 JFK Blvd., Suite 220
Philadelphia, PA 19148
Philadelphia - Region 7
$150,000

Community Action, Inc.
105 Grace Way
Punxsutawney, PA 15767-1209
Jefferson County - Region 1
$29,501

Erie Homes for Children and Adults, Inc.
226 East 27th Street
Erie, PA 16504
Erie County - Region 1
$150,000

Family Pathways
100 Brugh Avenue
Butler, PA 16001
Butler County - Region 1
$150,000

Farrell Family Center
1901 Memorial Drive
Farrell, PA 16121
Mercer County - Region 1
$150,000

H.A.N.D.S. of Wyoming County
41 Philadelphia Ave.
Tunkhannock, PA 18657
Wyoming County - Region 2
$135,000

Institute for Safe Families
3502 Scotts Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19129
Philadelphia - Region 7
$150,000

United Way of Bucks County
413 Hood Blvd.
Fairless Hills, PA 19030
Philadelphia County - Region 7
$150,000

YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh
330 Boulevard of the Allies
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Allegheny County - Region 3
$144,940

###
The Department of Public Welfare (DPW) helps people meet their basic
needs by providing health care and other critical support services for
children, the elderly, people with chronic diseases, persons with
disabilities and low income families and adults in Pennsylvania. DPW is
dedicated to promoting, improving, and sustaining the quality of family
life; breaking the cycle of dependency while protecting and serving
Pennsylvania's most vulnerable citizens. Visit DPW on the Internet at:
www.dpw.state.pa.us <http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/> .

Recruitment begins for preschool program

By JOAN HELLYER and ALEEA SLAPPY
Bucks County Courier Times

Pre-K Counts helps children develop the social and academic skills they need to succeed in school. Some classes are expected to start in October.

Recruitment is under way at schools and childcare centers in Lower Bucks that have been awarded grant money in the Pre-K Counts initiative.

The effort is designed to help 11,000 3 and 4-year-old Pennsylvania kids who need academic support get a jump on their education, state officials said.

The state announced last week that it was awarding $75 million to the Pre-K Counts program to fund preschool classes during the 2007-08 school year in schools and daycare centers.
Grants totaling more than $1 million have been awarded to the United Way of Bucks County, and the Bristol Township, Morrisville and Neshaminy school districts to fund preschool classes for qualifying children.

Morrisville, which received a $241,000 grant, will operate two half-day classes at the YMCA in the borough and the district's M.R. Reiter Elementary School, officials said. The YMCA will house the program for 3-year-olds. The program for 4-year-olds will be located at M.R. Reiter.
Pre-kindergarten can provide students with social, emotional and academic development they may not receive at home, said Kate Taylor, principal at Morrisville's Grandview Elementary School. This development is necessary for children to succeed in kindergarten, she said.

“If they don't have a solid foundation by kindergarten, each year, as they get exposed to more work, they get further behind,” Taylor said. “A pre-K program is important in Morrisville because there are many single parents and many working parents who can't afford to pay for pre-K.”
The pre-K program is closely connected to the kindergarten program at M.R. Reiter, said Kimberly Kane, the YMCA community events director. Morrisville's pre-kindergarten classes will use the Creative Curriculum for a guide, she said. It is designed for children up to age 5.
Bristol Township school district will split $517,200 in state grant money between an in-house preschool program and pre-K classes at local daycare centers.
The in-house, half-day classes for 36 students will be held at Harry S Truman High School, where the district has established a preschool program to help high school students learn the ins and outs of early childhood care.

District representatives are contacting families on the waiting list of the federally funded preschool program at Maple Shade Elementary School to see if they want to take part in the Truman initiative, district spokeswoman Eileen Kelliher said. Classes are expected to start in October, she said.
Bristol Township's grant also will fund classes in 2007-08 at A Child's World in Middletown, the Radcliffe Learning Center and the Pennco Institute in Bristol, Kelliher said. The centers will provide 48 full-day slots for district preschool children, she said.

Neshaminy, which received a $79,000 Pre-K Counts grant, is working out the details of its initiative with the Oxford Valley Learning Center to serve 20 preschool students, spokeswoman Sandra Costanzo said.

The United Way was awarded $316,000 to help eight childcare centers in the county implement the pre-K classes as part of its “Success by Six” initiative, said Sharon Barker, senior vice president of community development.

The centers include: the Sunshine Preschool in Bensalem; Fairy Tales Inc. in Penndel; the Jolly Toddler in Upper Southampton; the Rainbow Academy for Little Scholars in Ivyland and four childcare centers in Middle Bucks and Upper Bucks.
As with the school districts' initiatives, class instruction will center on research-based curriculum and the students' progress will be charted throughout the class, Barker said.
The pre-K classes will have priority enrollment for children with economic, cultural, language or other disadvantages, state officials said.

Joan Hellyer can be reached at 215-949-4048 or aslappy@phillyBurbs.com. Aleea Slappy can be reached at 215-949-5740 or aslappy@phillyBurbs.com.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Childcare centers participating in the Pre-K Counts initiative might be able to provide additional morning or afternoon care for the preschool students for a few, center representatives said. Contact your child's center for more information.

August 16, 2007 4:58 AM

Looking for help with drug costs

Bucks County Courier Times

Looking for help with drug costs By JO CIAVAGLIA Bucks County Courier Times A dozen people greeted the traffic-cone orange RV as it pulled into the Bensalem library parking lot Thursday morning, even though it would be an hour before anyone could climb aboard.

But they were desperate. The bus was their last resort. Some like Kim hadn't taken their medication in three months, keeping just enough for an emergency dose. She has a disorder that keeps her blood from clotting. A bad cut could hospitalize her, maybe kill her. The drug Kim takes costs $800 for a 30-day supply. She is 18, a recent high school graduate who lost the health coverage she had through her mom. Kim's story was only one of many heard by trained specialists on the bus.

The Help Is Here Express is one of two buses traveling across the United States offering drug assistance to the uninsured, underinsured and low-income people who need affordable prescription coverage. They help eligible people get free or nearly free medications through public and private programs. The bus made its first Bucks County visit as part of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, a national effort sponsored by America's drug research companies.

More than 45 million people in the United States lack prescription drug coverage, according to national statistics. In 2003, more than 14 million American adults with chronic conditions — over half of whom were low income — could not afford all of their prescriptions, according to a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change, a healthcare policy group. Between 2001 and 2003, the proportion of privately insured, working-age people with chronic conditions who reported not filling at least one prescription because of cost concerns increased from 13 to 15 percent, the study also found.

During its two hour local stop, roughly 75 people had climbed inside the air-conditioned bus in Bensalem, where experts helped them navigate through more than 475 patient assistance programs. People like Janet. The Tullytown woman has been without health insurance for five years since losing her job as a security officer after undergoing surgery, she said. She takes five prescription drugs, including ones for a psychiatric condition. A one-month supply of just one of the drugs is $189. So far, Janet has managed by seeking out low-cost generics, asking doctors for samples or drug discounts. “A lot of times, I can't take my medications,” she said. “You suffer. It's pure hell.”

Since its launch in 2005, the Help Is Here Express program has served more than 4 million people, including 400,000 in Pennsylvania, said Mark Grayson, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. For the people who filled out applications Thursday, their prescriptions should arrive in two or three weeks, Grayson said.

Bill Schofield, president and CEO of the United Way of Bucks County, helped get the bus tour to stop in Bucks County. United Way is trying to get the message out about the assistance program. Rising healthcare costs are one of the top issues cited in the agency's annual community needs assessment, Schofield said. But it's one many county residents may not see as a problem in their own backyard. “Anyone who doesn't have the problem finds it difficult to truly understand what the issues are,” Schofield said.

Stephen Grow understands all too well. He recently started a new, seasonal job without health benefits. When a chronic foot wound worsened, he ended up in the hospital, where physicians determined he has diabetes. The hospital is helping Grow apply for public assistance, but he paid for his first prescriptions himself. A 30-day supply for his foot antibiotic costs $380, so he's filling it in 10-day doses, he said. The insulin costs $70 for a four-week supply, sugar test strips run $1 each, $18 for a box of 100 syringes. His sister-in-law Joyce Grow, who accompanied him, believes the true cost of drugs would shock most people. “The average Joe on the street has no clue,” she said. “We think our $30 or $40 co-pay is a lot.”

THE HELP IS HERE EXPRESS Patients in need of prescription drug assistance can visit the Partnership for Prescriptive drug coverage Web site www.pparx.org or call the toll-free phone number 1-888-4PPA-NOW where trained operators field calls in more than 150 languages. More than 75 people with no health coverage were able to get a little closer to affordable prescription drug coverage after climbing aboard the Help Is Here Express Thursday.

Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at 215-949-4181 or jciavaglia@phillyBurbs.com

APRIL 2007

Commissioner Miller Pushes Support for Statewide 2-1-1 Service
Bucks County Commissioners Support HB 539, PA 2-1-1 Telephone Service Act
At today’s bi-monthly meeting, Commissioner Sandra A. Miller called for the board of commissioners to support of a piece of legislation at the state level that would establish a 2-1-1 line.  According to Miller, 2-1-1 serves approximately 196 million Americans in 41 states, and provides critical information about health and human services. CLICK FOR MORE

Click for Bristol Pilot Article Covering Bucks County Commissioner 2-1-1 endorsement.

FEBRUARY 2007

211 HUMAN SERVICE LINE RELEASE
SENATORS CLINTON AND DOLE CALL FOR NATIONWIDE 2-1-1 HUMAN SERVICE LINE
Pennsylvania United Ways and over 200 Organizations Urging State Legislators to adopt 2-1-1.
CLICK FOR MORE

FREE TAX PREPARATION RELEASE
United Way Offers Free Tax Filing on Its Website
February 23, 2007 – Bucks County, PA – Beginning today, residents of Pennsylvania whose annual income is $52,000 or less can file their state and federal tax returns for free at the website of United Way of Bucks County. The e-filing program, developed by Solutions for Progress, has been designed specifically to help working families file for tax credits and refunds that they have earned, but may not be aware of or know how to claim. CLICK FOR MORE

JANUARY 2007:

CONNECTIONS HUMAN SERVICE DIRECTORY RELEASE
When people need it, United Way Makes Connections
January 26, 2007 – Bucks County, PA – Today, free copies of the New United Way Connections Human Service Directory will be distributed free of charge to hundreds of providers of service in Bucks County. The initial distribution is being done as a service to the community by United Way of Bucks County, with additional copies available for sale at cost. (CLICK FOR MORE)

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