JeffNEWS Online
May 2000

News Briefs

Soon Jeffersonians Can Purchase Parking, Transpasses, Trailpasses, Commuter Tokens on Pre-Tax Basis
Recent changes in tax legislation make it possible for Jefferson to offer a new qualified parking/transportation fringe benefit plan to Jefferson’s non-bargaining employees. 

This plan will allow employees to purchase parking coupons, transpasses, trailpasses and commuter tokens from Jefferson’s Commuter Services Office through payroll deductions on a pre-tax basis. 

The new tax legislation makes it possible for employees to enroll for pre-tax salary reductions up to a maximum of $240 per month ($175 for parking and $65 for mass transit). The gross pay of participating employees will be reduced by the parking/transportation salary amounts before taxes are calculated, in a manner similar to current payroll reductions under the OPT Flexible Benefits Program. This means that employees utilizing the services of the CSO will not pay taxes on the money spent for qualified transportation expenses.

Specific detailed information is being finalized and will be distributed through Jefferson shortly. It is anticipated that this new Jefferson benefit will become effective during July.

For additional information on this new benefit, please contact the Commuter Services Office at 5-6417 or call Employee Benefits at 3-8100.

International Matrix Biology Symposium to be Held at Jefferson, June 14-17
The first symposium of the Lennox K. Black International Prize for Excellence in Medicine will take place at Jefferson Medical College (JMC), June 14-17. The event is co-sponsored by the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology, JMC, and the International Society for Matrix Biology. Two recent awardees will be honored: Leena Peltonen, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Human Genetics, UCLA, and Rupert Timpl, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Protein Chemistry, Max Planck Institute. 

For further information, call conference coordinator Eileen O’Shaughnessy at 3-3136.

S.T.A.R. Tip – Communicating More Effectively with People Who Have Disabilities
Do you hesitate when interacting with someone who has a disability out of concern you are doing the right thing? It is always appropriate to ask if someone appears to need assistance. Following are some additional suggestions that can make the encounter more comfortable for both of you:
• With people in wheelchairs, try to chat eye to eye, sitting down if possible. Treat the wheelchair like their personal space and refrain from touching it.
• For people with speech impediments, be patient, listen attentively and resist the urge to finish their sentences.
• When addressing people with hearing loss, speak clearly and slowly. Face them – not an interpreter if one is present.
• When you see a visually impaired person, offer your arm to help, rather than grabbing him or her. 
• When you see a working animal such as a guide dog, don’t distract it from its job by petting or playing with it.

‘An Evening with Peter Nero’ Benefits Jefferson’s Digestive Disease Institute
“An Evening with Peter Nero,” featuring popular entertainer Peter Nero with Michael Barnett, bassist, and Steve Pemberton, drums, along with Tonia Tecce, soprano; Stuart Neill, tenor; and Richard Raub, piano, raised funds for the Digestive Disease Institute, a new venture initiated by the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. The Hospital has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as among the nation’s best hospitals providing gastrointestinal and hepatology care.

“This evening was very special because it helped raise community awareness as well as funds for education and research,” says Anthony J. DiMarino Jr., MD, Director of the Hospital’s Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Chief of its Digestive Disease Institute. “We appreciate the generous support we received from foundations, corporations and private donors, which will enable us to make a difference in the lives of more than 18,000 patients annually, regardless of their ability to pay.”

Josh Gold and James Beasley, Esq., were the preeminent sponsors of this gala reception and concert. Supporters included Frederick W. Anton III, The Binswanger Foundation, Nevis and Peter DePaul, Friends of Dr. A. J. DiMarino, Patricia and John Imbesi, Robert W. Keller, and Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. Donors included Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth L. Adelberg, Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Asher, Joyce and Anthony Costanza, Crown Cork & Seal, The Farber Foundation, Mr. and Mr. Edward L. Frampton, GlaxoWellcome, The Hamilton Family Foundation, Ernest L. Ransome III, Claire and Bob Reichlin, Mr. and Mrs. Saul Robbins, Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Stamatakis, Bonnie and John Sylvester, and Mr. and Mrs. Frederick C. Tecce.

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