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Welcome to 2008! In addition to the usual changes any new year brings, this year we also welcome many newly elected officials to counties. Every county in Pennsylvania participates in at least one of CCAP's insurance programs. Please let us know when you are ready to have our staff visit and review the programs in which your county participates.

The new year provides a chance to reemphasize safety in your county or entity. The Department of Labor and Industry requires employers who self insure their workers' compensation, and those in self insured pools (such as PComp) to have a written safety policy. The policy needs to be adopted by management, and when there is a change in management the policy needs to be readopted.

PComp will be sending its members a reminder about this, with a suggested model policy. We will need to collect each member's policy and provide these to L&I as part of our annual pool report.

The safety policy is a general statement about the priority and support management places on protecting employees. It is based on the idea that safety needs to start at the top. We encourage you not only to adopt the policy (and will no doubt bug you until we get a copy!) but we think it is important that you share this with your employees to show them the commitment being made. Perhaps a payroll stuffer would work, or some other method to distribute to all employees.

Let's hope this is just the start of a safe year for you, your county, or your entity.

Make sure you call us when you need help with something,

John Sallade

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2007 PCoRP AWARD WINNERS

At the November 2007 PCoRP Delegates dinner we honored some members and individuals for their outstanding efforts. Congratulations to these award winners:

Brady Koch PCoRP Award
This award is presented to a county official in recognition of their outstanding contributions to PCoRP and their county's risk management program. The award is named for former Carbon County Commissioner and founding PCoRP Board Member Albert "Brady" Koch.

Winner: Christine Gavazzi, Elk County Commissioner

Sherm Doebler PCoRP Award
This award is presented to a county employee in recognition of their outstanding contributions to PCoRP and their county's risk management program. (PCoRP Board Members are not eligible for this award.) The award is named for former Union County Commissioner and founding PCoRP Board Member and Vice Chairman Sherman Doebler.

Winner: Deborah McHugh, Centre County Risk Manager

Ron Shearer PCoRP Award
This award recognizes a current or former Board Member for their service to PCoRP. It is named for former Juniata County Commissioner and first Chairman of the PCoRP Board Ronald Shearer. The award was first presented in 2002.

Winner: Harold Hurst, Montour County Commissioner

Claims Reporting Award
This award is given to acknowledge outstanding claims reporting. Starting in 2006 the winner of this award is provided one registration to the PA Governor's Occupational Safety & Health Conference, including hotel arrangements.

Winner: Melissa Kerstermont, Cambria County

Loss Control Award
This award recognizes outstanding loss control efforts by a county or individual. Starting in 2006 the winner of this award is provided one registration to the PA Governor's Occupational Safety & Health Conference, including hotel arrangements.

Winner: Jeff Randall, Sullivan County Maintenance Supervisor

Loss Prevention Award
This award recognizes outstanding loss prevention efforts by a county.

Winners: Carbon County and Tioga County

Special Recognition Award

Colleen Shaner, Willis Pooling Practice

PCoRP Willis Pooling Best Experience Award
This award goes to the PCoRP member county with the lowest loss experience rating modification as calculated by the PCoRP actuary. The winning county selects one elected official or staff person to attend the upcoming PRIMA (Public Risk Management Association) Annual Conference, with conference registration, travel costs and hotel room paid for by Willis Pooling.

5th Place - Mifflin County .365
4 - Elk County .297
3 - Sullivan County .294
2 - Montour County .074

Winner: Fulton County .014

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PCoRP FLOOD ZONE PROPERTY REVIEW PROJECT

When a PCoRP member has a flood loss, one of the things we look at is the Flood Zone the building is in. The reason we do this is the PCoRP Coverage Document excludes buildings in Flood Zone A.

Each PCoRP member notes on their annual application whether or not each building is in Flood Zone A. However, we do not ask what specific Zone each building is in. We have seen other county pools have issues with this matter, notably when a damaged building which all assumed was not in Zone A is discovered to actually be in Zone A - and there is little or no coverage. Making this all the more problematic is that if the county does not think the building is in Zone A, it is unlikely federal flood insurance was purchased.

As a service to PCoRP members we are going to review each building PCoRP covers which is over $250,000 in value. Willis Pooling Practice, PCoRP's reinsurance broker, has software which can match building addresses with a flood zone database. As we conduct this project we will be advising PCoRP members if we discover a building is in a flood zone PCoRP cannot insure - this will allow the member to seek federal flood insurance for coverage. We may need assistance from PCoRP members and their local insurance producers if the address information on any buildings is not specific enough.

Unfortunately what we and other pools have discovered is there is no one perfect, updated national listing of flood zones - and the zones change from time to time. We will try to determine the current location of the buildings to the best of our ability.

We would rather resolve these issues before a claim arises, and help ensure all PCoRP member buildings are properly insured.

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2008 BOARD MEETINGS

Board meetings of the various CCAP insurance programs are open to all members of the respective program. If you would like to attend one of these meetings, we do request advance notice to make sure room and meal arrangements can be made to accommodate everyone. Please contact John Sallade at CCAP for more information.

BEST Flex Board
Employee benefits programs (health, dental, life insurance and more).

March 19, Penn Stater, State College
May 27, Penn Stater, State College
November 19, Penn Stater, State College

COMCARE Board
Managed care issues for human services.

April 1, Harrisburg Hilton
June 18, CCAP North
September 17, CCAP North
November 25, Hotel Hershey

COMCARE PRO SAC
Subscribers Advisory Committee (board) for captive insurance program providing behavioral health stop loss insurance.

January 24, CCAP North
April 17, CCAP North
August 20, Burlington VT

PComp Board
Workers' compensation insurance.

February 8, CCAP North
June 25 - 27, retreat and board meeting, Seven Springs
September 26, CCAP North

PCoRP Board
Property, liability, auto, crime insurance.

January 16 - 18, Board retreat and meeting, Hotel Hershey
April 11, Penn Stater, State College
September 12, CCAP North

PELICAN SAC
Subscribers Advisory Committee (board) for captive insurance program providing liability insurance for county owned and non-profit nursing homes.

February 1, CCAP North
June 17, CCAP North
August 19, Burlington, VT

PIMCC Board
Public institution medical cost containment program (prisons and nursing homes).

Meeting dates to be determined.

CCAP UC Trust
Unemployment compensation insurance.

February 22, CCAP North
October 24, CCAP North

With the elections and associated turnover, we are still working to complete the composition of all these boards. We hope to have a complete list in the February issue of Insurance Matters.

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PELICAN INSURANCE UPDATE
By: Stephen A. McDermott, CPCU, Captive Programs Director

PELICAN Renewal Underway
The PELICAN renewal applications for the upcoming March 1, 2008 renewal were provided to each PELICAN member's insurance producer on October 19, 2007. We have requested that they be completed and returned to us no later than Friday, December 14, 2008. We appreciate everyone's cooperation in having these renewal applications completed and returned to us by the due date.

MCARE Announces Reduction in 2008 MCARE Assessment
The Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Fund (MCARE), and the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, announced that the MCARE Assessment percentage for 2008 is being reduced to 20% from the 2007 MCARE Assessment percentage of 23%. This represents a reduction of approximately 13%. This assessment is collected by MCARE each year from all Pennsylvania health care providers (i.e., hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, etc.) to fund payment of catastrophic medical professional liability claims made against Pennsylvania health care providers.

PELICAN Insurance
PELICAN began writing business effective March 1, 2003. PELICAN Insurance now has a total of 31 members.

PELICAN Insurance provides primary General Liability and Nursing Home Professional Liability insurance. The PELICAN Insurance program is open to non-profit nursing homes who are PACAH members.

If you would like any additional information regarding the PELICAN Insurance program, or if you would like to request an application, please contact Steve McDermott, Captive Programs Director by email at smcdermott@pacounties.org or by telephone at 800-895-9039.

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2008 INSURANCE TRAINING PROGRAM
By Linda Rosito, Insurance Training Director

Welcome to 2008! The CCAP Insurance Programs is looking forward to another successful year. Workshops for the spring are being planned based on the feedback we have received from workshop evaluations and other information you have provided us. This spring will offer sessions on leadership, motivating staff, loss control and an HR Boot Camp, back by popular demand. Click here for a link to the dates for all of 2008 http://www.pacounties.org/commissioners/lib/commissioners/2008_Workshops.pdf.

Thank you for your continued support of the Insurance Programs workshops. Look for your copy of Glimpse to be mailed in early February. If you would like to receive a copy of the training catalog and have not in the past, please let me know and I would be happy to add you to the list.

As always, please feel free to contact us with any suggestions you have for future topics. I can be reached at 800-895-9039 ext. 3328 or by email at lrosito@pacounties.org.

I look forward to seeing you in the spring!

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NACO DEFERRED COMPENSATION INVESTMENT OPTION TOPS THE LIST
By Lisa Cole, Director, Enterprise Services for the National Association of Counties

NACo's deferred compensation program, administered by Nationwide Retirement Solutions, is a voluntary program that gives county employees the opportunity to save regularly for their retirement on a pre-tax basis.

One of the investment options available to participants is a fixed annuity that offers county employees the opportunity to earn an investment return at a fixed rate established quarterly by Nationwide. In addition, on an annual basis, Nationwide sets an investment rate minimum (or floor) for the year.

According to a study conducted by an independent consulting firm, the 2006 return on this investment option placed highest among its competitors. The report was released at the fall meeting of NACo's Deferred Compensation Advisory Committee, held in Monterey County, California. This study has been conducted every year since 1989. The NACo program has always come out on top.

The competitive interest rate test concluded that Nationwide met its contractual requirement to equal or exceed the top one-third of its competitors. This study reviewed the fixed annuity option offered by Nationwide and its nine largest competitors.

In addition to evaluating the competitiveness of the fixed option offered to county employees, the consultants also reviewed the credit worthiness of Nationwide Insurance and concluded that it is a strong, stable insurer. This part of the analysis provides assurance that participants' funds are being managed by a financially sound organization. The consultant study is only one feature of NACo's deferred compensation program that distinguishes it from others. As a result of NACo's Deferred Compensation Advisory Committee, the NACo program is the only one in the country that receives oversight and is advised by county participants. It also benefits from the oversight and endorsement of 41 state associations of counties, including the County Commissioners Association of PA.

For more information contact Lisa Cole at 202-942-4270 or lcole@naco.org. Additional information on the NACo Deferred Compensation program is available online at www.naco.org.

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MRSA- METHICILLIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS
Greg Cunningham, CCAP Loss Control Specialist

It seems as if we can't get through a whole year without the threat of some global-scale sickness befalling us. While MRSA is nothing new it's definitely the 'flavor of the month' sickness we should all watch out for. Please read further to learn more about MRSA and how you can protect yourselves and your family.

What is MRSA?
MRSA, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or most commonly, 'staph', is a bacterium responsible for difficult-to-treat infections in humans and has developed an ability to survive treatment by such antibiotics as penicillin, methicillin and others; one of only a few germs to outwit these drugs. MRSA was initially discovered in the UK around 1961 and is generally harmless unless it enters the body through cuts or other wounds.

Causes:
Unfortunately, humans bear the majority of fault for the emergence of this new 'superbug'. Decades of excessive or unnecessary antibiotic use for common colds and other viral infections which don't respond to these medicines are partly to blame. A much more sinister sounding emergence is also responsible for the spread of MRSA, germ mutation. Sometimes, even when antibiotics are used properly, they don't kill every germ they encounter and these germs soon learn to not only resist that antibiotic but others as well. These new germs mutate much faster than our ability to generate drugs to fight them and become resistant to just about anything we can throw at them.

Risk Factors:
The following list contains some risk factors to keep in mind:

• A current or recent hospitalization
• Older adults/Young children and those with weakened immune system
• Long-term care facility residents
• Recent antibiotic use
• Participation in contact sports
• Sharing towels, uniforms etc.

• Keep your personal items personal-don't share towels, shaving razors or athletic clothing.
• Wash your hands-simple steps like humming the 'Happy Birthday' song will assure you are washing your hands long enough. Using hand sanitizer is also a good idea.
• Cover any open wounds-both to aid in healing and prevent the spread of MRSA.
• Use antibiotics appropriately-when prescribed an antibiotic take all the medication until your doctor advises you to stop. Also, never share medications or save unused antibiotics for later use.

Should you need further information on this or any other Safety/Health issue please don't hesitate to contact us. Resources for this article and further information on MRSA can be found at the following sites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MRSA

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735

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STAFF NOTES

We would like to welcome Jennifer (Jenn) Carey who will be joining CCAP staff as Meetings Coordinator on January 7. She will work with both the Insurance staff and the Education & Information staff. Jenn will be the primary contact for workshop registration of events sponsored by CCAP Insurance Programs and website registration.

She can be reached by phone at 800-895-9039 ext. 3364 or via email at jcarey@pacounties.org.

As some of you know, Dave Harman's wife Lori passed away suddenly on December 10. As CCAP staff struggled with this terrible news, the support and concern shown by CCAP members was overwhelming and much appreciated. Dave was very appreciative and asked us to include this note of thanks to you all.

I wanted to take a minute to just thank everyone for the kindness that has been shown to my family and myself over the past few weeks. While this has been a trying time for me, knowing that I have such good friends around the State has made it much easier to bear. Thank you all for the cards, the prayers and the hugs that you have sent my way! A special THANK YOU to all those who took time from their Holiday schedule to be with me at the Memorial Service!

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season and thank you again for helping to make mine a little bit better. I will remember this for the rest of my life.

Thank you all again!

Sincerely,

Dave Harman

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CCAP Insurance Programs
2789 Old Post Road, Harrisburg, PA 17110
Phone 800-895-9039 - FAX 717-526-1020
Claims Fax 888-692-2368
Click here to go the Insurance Section of the CCAP Website.

email:jsallade@pacounties.org

Insurance Matters is published monthly by CCAP Insurance Programs for the use of members
of CCAP's UC Trust, PCoRP, PComp, PIMCC, COMCARE, COMCARE PRO, BEST Flex,
PELICAN and other insurance programs, and insurance producers of these members.

Advice contained in this publication is not legal advice and members are encouraged
to seek the opinion of their solicitor.

Click here to send feedback, add new recipients to the list or discontinue subscription.

The information provided in this publication is not intended to take the place of professional advice. Readers are encouraged to consult with competent legal, financial, or other appropriate professionals. Statements of facts and opinions expressed in this publication, by authors other than Association staff and officers, are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent an opinion or philosophy of the officers, members and staff of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP). No endorsement of advertised products or services is implied by CCAP unless those products or services are expressly endorsed, or are owned or managed by the Association programs, or our affiliates. This publication may not be reproduced, modified, distributed, or displayed in part or in whole, by any means, without advance written permission of CCAP. Please direct your requests to John Sallade, Managing Director, CCAP Insurance Programs, jsallade@pacounties.org.

Note: As part of its copyright agreement the CCAP grants the author the right to place the final version of his/her manuscript on the author's homepage, subject to CCAP's standards, or in a public digital repository, provided there is a link to the CCAP website.

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