The good news is that swine flu vaccine is arriving in Lawrence County.
The bad news is that there still doesn’t seem to be very much of it.
Local pediatrician Dr. Carlos Flores reported this week that his office has received about 1,200 doses of the vaccine. But with that amount, he is restricting distribution to his regular patients.
So far, there is no word of any other vaccine reaching the county, and 1,200 doses isn’t going to satisfy public demand.
The county is hardly alone in that regard, as a delay in vaccine production is limiting supplies throughout the United States. Supposedly, that problem will be resolved in the next few weeks, but with local doctors and school officials indicating an upswing in swine flu cases now, the vaccine may be too late for a lot of people.
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Word that some swine flu vaccine had reached the county prompted a call to the Pennsylvania Health Department.
But what the New Castle News found was virtual silence. The department was not confirming how much — if any — of the vaccine was in the county and where it had been sent. Making that information available is up to the individual physicians’ offices and medical facilities that receive it.
We presume this is the health department’s response to having the vaccine in such short supply. Doling the vaccine out in this fashion with a layer of secrecy, however, strikes us as odd.
Absent official information, people seeking the swine flu vaccine are likely to make repeated calls to various offices, wasting time and staff resources. And inevitably, there will be suspicions of favoritism as to how the vaccine is distributed.
The vaccine shortage makes things difficult, but this system needs work.
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Considering state budget cuts, it’s no surprise to learn that the New Castle public library is reducing staff and hours.
That’s a basic financial reality. Although the library receives money from various sources, none was likely to step up and replace what Harrisburg had taken away.
Especially in the current economic climate.
As we have observed previously, libraries typically receive short shrift in Pennsylvania when state budgets are tight. The irony is that any librarian will tell you that during times of high unemployment, demand for library services increases.
We would expect a state that claims to push for improved education would recognize the role libraries play in that process and give them higher priority.
Editorials
EDITORIAL: Odds and ends
- Editorials
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Postal service’s financial woes not of their own making
It’s no secret that the U.S. Postal Service is experiencing financial troubles. One of the consequences of a deficit in the billions of dollars soon will become apparent in New Castle, when the city’s mail processing facility on Cascade Street is shut down.
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Our Opinion: UPMC, Highmark tangle for dominance. But what about the public?
Health insurance recipients in western Pennsylvania received some good news recently. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Highmark Inc., the two local behemoths of the insurance and health care industry, reached an agreement to extend their contract with each other. The 18-month extension will be good through 2014.
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Our Opinion: Annual Jack Butz Award honors community involvement
During his lifetime, Jack Butz was known as someone who donated much to the community. And even now, years after his passing, Butz continues to give. We refer to the annual Jack Butz Award, where a local citizen is recognized for his or her contributions to New Castle and the surrounding area.
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Our Opinion: Why would New Castle weaken architecture standards?
There are times when communities must decide what they want to be. For New Castle, one of those times is arriving later this month. New Castle City Council is considering changes to the municipal zoning ordinance that will have the effect of seriously weakening standards for the North Hill Historic District.
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Our Opinion: A box from 1914 says something about the past — and today
The former Elks building in downtown New Castle was demolished months ago, but one bit of business remained. And city officials addressed that last week, when a time capsule from 1914 was opened.
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Our Opinion: Awareness campaigns protect generations of children
The first step in solving a problem is recognizing that it exists. That was a major factor behind the recent Walk for Justice at Cascade Park, organized by the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County.
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Our Opinion: Secret Service scandal symbolizes breaches of public trust
There are a couple of pieces of good news regarding the Secret Service sex scandal. The first is that an investigation has determined the women hired as prostitutes by Secret Service agents in Columbia apparently were just that.
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Our Opinion: Municipalities save money with shared services
In difficult financial times, finding ways to use tax dollars more efficiently is an essential government task. That’s why we were pleased to learn that Shenango Township and South New Castle Borough have agreed to share police services.
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Our Opinion: State politicians use campaign funds in criminal cases
If you want to wage a spirited defense against criminal charges, you need money. A good attorney, after all, isn’t cheap. But if you are an influential elected official in Pennsylvania facing trial, this problem comes with a ready solution. All you have to do is tap into your campaign funds.
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Our Opinion: Resignation in Neshannock highlights leadership issue
With Neshannock Township now seeking a new manager, we hope the supervisors have learned something from their experiences so far. That’s because their efforts to date on selecting a manager for the municipality haven’t gone very well. Ironically, the questionable practices and decision-making displayed by the supervisors demonstrate the need for sound management in the township.
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Postal service’s financial woes not of their own making
