Lancaster General Health Compensation: Plenty, But Not Out Of Line

For the guy who just opened a $300 bill from Lancaster General Health for five minutes worth of blood work, the six- and seven-figure compensation for top LGH officials may be enough to get that blood boiling.

But LGH’s compensation appears to be in line with industry standards.  In fact, you might make a case that Lancaster General President and CEO Tom Beeman is underpaid.

To put LGH compensation in context, Lancaster Newspapers compared it with compensation at five regional hospitals or health systems about the same size as Lancaster General: Wellspan Health, in York County; Pinnacle Health, in Dauphin County; Reading Health, in Berks County; Lehigh Valley Health, in Lehigh County; and the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, also in Dauphin County.

The figures show that Beeman got less than the top executives at four of the five comparable institutions.

In 2010, Beeman made $1.35 million in total compensation.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/791279_LGH-compensation–Plenty–but-not-out-of-line.html#ixzz2EfKsV6QH

Harrisburg’s Cultural Enrichment Fund (CEF) Exceeds Fundraising Goal

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The Cultural Enrichment Fund (CEF) gives money to many worthy Central Pennsylvania arts and cultural groups.  This year the CEF saw an increase in fundraising donations to the tune of $15,000.  The group exceeded its $500,000 goal.  This was the first time in several years that the CEF was able to exceed their fundraising goal.

The top recipients are:

Harrisburg Symphony – $77,008

Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet – $45,903

Whitaker Center- $29,252

Open Stage of Harrisburg- $19,647

Theatre of Harrisburg – $19,609

Susquehanna Art Museum- $18,760

Thirteen groups will receive funding this year.

City Of Harrisburg Switching To Dauphin County Police Dispatch Services

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Mayor Linda Thompson announced that the City of Harrisburg will move their emergency police dispatching to Dauphin County.  Dauphin County has been courting Harrisburg for months now trying to get the city to commit to a switch.

If all goes well, it will take Dauphin County about six months to ramp up before the switch.  The county feels this transition of services can be accomplished seamlessly.

Fortunately, Dauphin County Commissioners included money in their 2011 budget in the event Harrisburg decided to use the county dispatch services.

Harrisburg officials feel they can save an estimated $400,000 a year if they make this change.

Montgomery County has been slowly taking over these services for many municipalities in our area.  Centralization of services usually makes sense from a cost saving perspective.

Update!  And informed reader has supplied this information about Montgomery County dispatch centralization:

There are currently seven departments who have not made the switch: Abington, Lower Merion, Narberth, Upper Merion, Lower Providence, Upper Dublin and Pottstown.  Horsham and Montgomery are planning to switch in the next couple weeks.

 

Lower Providence did switch but was unhappy with the results and resumed their own operations. 

Harrisburg Authority Plays Tooth Fairy To City

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The Harrisburg Authority has unanimously approved a payment to financially distressed Harrisburg City in the amount of $3.8 million dollars! 

The Authority, you may remember from earlier posts, created the $288 million dollar debt on the incinerator which has all but sent the capital city of Pennsylvania to the poor-house.  By some stroke of luck or Divine Intervention, the Authority has funds a-plenty in its water division.  The Authority is assuring the public that their “gift” to Harrisburg will not raise water rates for 2011, exhaust reserves or threaten capital projects

Seems only fitting that the Authority comes up with the money.  This infusion of capital reduces the city’s year-end deficit to a more manageable $1 million dollars. 

The $3.8 million dollars will be used toward city payroll and a big stack of unpaid bills!

Kudos to The Authority for doing the right thing by the citizens of Harrisburg!

Check Out This Road Rage Story

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This problem appears to be on the way to becoming an epidemic….

Some clown from Dauphin County was driving his ATV on the road while in the Weiser State Forest.  The forest ranger, Nicola Zulli, tried to stop this bozo from driving his ATV on the road.  His response was to accelerate and hit the ranger, breaking her leg.  Then our hero leaves the scene of the accident with the ranger lying in the road with a broken leg.  WTH is wrong with people?????????????????

Police found Mr. Michael Matter, III at a Jackson Twp. residence and took him into custody.  This smacked ass is in the Dauphin County jail because he could not post the necessary $250,000 bail.  He confessed to hitting Ranger Zulli and is charged with a laundry list of crimes. 

Go to jail.  Go directly to jail.  Don’t pass Go!

Unbelievable!