$2.15M allocated to coronavirus response
Thirteen agreements span several departments
NORRISTOWN >> Montgomery County leaders unanimously authorized more than $2.15 million Thursday for ongoing response effort as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact area residents.
The seven-figure allotments were dispersed among 13 agreements dedicated to servicing county departments including health and human services, information and technology solutions and public safety.
A $627,750 contract with several area providers secured ambulance services at a number of vaccination sites. Each participating company received $104,625 and they are as followed: Second Alarmers Rescue Association of Montgomery County, of Willow Grove, Gilbertsville Area Community Ambulance, of Gilbertsville, Goodwill Steam Fire Engine No. 1 Ambulance, of Pottstown, Lower Providence Community Center Ambulance, of Eagleville, Volunteer Medical Service Corp. of Lower Merion and Narberth, of Ardmore, and Plymouth Community Ambulance, of Plymouth Meeting.
A $582,289 agreement with Microsoft Corporation Enterprise Services, of Dallas, provided for the “development and implementation of a vaccine registration system.”
A $148,488.75 contract with Eastern Business Software Inc. of Media, Pennsylvania, covered three technical contractors to support county vaccination sites, according to documents.
A $169,171.22 agreement with ESI Equipment Inc., of Montgomeryville, supplied two Ford F-350 trucks to use for the county’s mobile clinics, according to the contract.
Another $72,000 was paid to Whitmoyer Ford Inc., of Mount Joy, Pennsylvania for two Ford F-350 trucks to use for mobile vaccine clinics. Funds for the vehicles were procured by way of a contract from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s cooperative purchasing program.
A $123,721 contract with Aloysius, Butler, Clark & Associates, of Wilmington, Delaware, was allotted to produce “an integrated media and grassroots campaign to raise awareness around the [county’s] rent and utility relief
program.”
A $118,280 agreement with Montgomery County Community College’s Blue Bell campus allowed the county’s health and human services office to continue renting space for the established vaccination site, according to the contract. The agreement, which lasted from January to April, also included security, custodial and hygienist fees.
A $71,775 contract with Safeware Inc. of Lanham, Maryland, supplied disposable gloves for the Montgomery County Office of Public Health.
A $41,351.57 agreement with S J Thomas Company Inc., of Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, covered the cost of construction at the county’s vaccination site in Willow Grove.
A $38,958 contract with OpenGov, of San Jose, California, arranged for a “cloud based financial tracking system,” according to the agreement. It retroactively took effect May 1, and will last until Dec. 31.
The California-based company’s “citizen services will be used to track, monitor and report ongoing federally funded COVID-19 recovery programs,” the agreement states.
A $25,944 contract with Comcast Corp., of Philadelphia, covered the cost of a “customized television campaign for older adults,” to meet established requirements of the The Tri-county Collaborative of the PA Aging & Disability Resource Center, according to the agreement.
The agency is made up of several jurisdictions across the region including Bucks, Chester and Montgomery counties.
According to the contract, grant funding for the television campaign was made available through a joint “partnership between the PA Link to Aging & Disability and APPRISE.”
Additionally, county officials amended some existing agreements during Thursday’s meeting.
SERVPRO, of Norristown, required another $13,393.63 for “added services” at the Montgomery Mall vaccination site, according to the contract. The initial agreement covered “cleaning and decontamination services at the vaccination sites.”
The contract’s total now stands at $149,788.63.
Johnson Controls-York Service, of Horsham, initially provided chiller and cooling tower maintenance at a county vaccination site at the King of Prussia Mall. The provider needed $8,475 more to remove and replace a filter from “air moving units,” which is required to make the “units fully operational.”
The revised contract value is $121,405, according to the agreement.
While ongoing campaigns continue in Montgomery County, Commissioners’ Chairwoman Valerie Arkoosh emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated.
“We just want to encourage anyone who’s still waiting to be vaccinated to find a location near you to get your shot,” Arkoosh said Thursday. “The quicker that we can get more people vaccinated, the quicker we can return to normal.”
Health and safety officials set up a number of satellite locations across Montgomery County where area residents can get a first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. For more information, visit www.montcopa.org/covid-19.
The clinics in King of Prussia, Lansdale, Norristown, North Wales, Pottstown, and Willow Grove, offer availability for appointments and walk-ins.
However, those under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult when getting a COVID-19 vaccine, she said.
Anyone with questions should email covid19@ montcopa.org or call the hotline at 833-875-3967.
Arkoosh noted that “more than 52 percent of the population received at least one dose” of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 96 percent of those 65 years and older getting at least one dose.
Additionally, Arkoosh said that Montgomery County has available second doses of the Pfizer vaccine for “anyone who needs one, even if the first dose wasn’t obtained through Montgomery County.”
As of Friday afternoon, Pennsylvania Department of Health data reported that 212,993 Montgomery County residents are fully vaccinated, while 229,720 are partially vaccinated.
Several area stakeholders will also hold another virtual COVID-19 town hall at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12. The forum will be held in Spanish with English translation available, according to Arkoosh.
Panelists are expected to discuss several topics surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine including “myths” and “facts,” Arkoosh said. Participants will be able to submit questions in advance or ask them during next week’s town hall meeting.
To learn more, visit www. pottstownfoundation.org/ townhall.