Main Line News in Brief

Two employers are honored

for family-friendly policies

MEDecision Inc. of Wayne has received a 2007 Best Employers for Working Parents Award from the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children.

The annual award honors two area companies for recognizing the importance of work and life benefits to the health of their business, employees and employees' families.

MEDecision, which provides collaborative care-management software, services and clinical content to health-care payers, received the award in the midsize-employer category. Holy Redeemer Health System, based in Meadowbrook, Montgomery County, won in the large-employer category.

Both organizations were recognized for offering a combination of flexible work arrangements and dependent-care assistance plans.

Bryn Mawr Hospital

finishes emergency entrance

The new entrance to Bryn Mawr Hospital's emergency department opened at 130 S. Bryn Mawr Ave. last month, marking completion of the first part of a three-phase, $20 million expansion project.

The entrance changes make it easier for patients and families to access the hospital's services, said Liz Younkins, director of business development and nursing operations.

The new entrance features a large, sheltered drop-off area for people arriving in private vehicles. The inside includes a reception area with sections for adult and pediatric patients, and a modern triage unit.

Patients and visitors coming to the new emergency department will enter from Bryn Mawr Avenue. The ambulance entrance for emergency vehicles on Lindsay Avenue, off County Line Road, will remain unchanged.

The other phases of the emergency department's renovations are scheduled to be completed by next fall. They include an increase in the number of treatment rooms from 23 to 36 for an estimated 50,000 patients a year.

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Historical society to run

Cynwyd Train Station

Lower Merion Township handed over the Cynwyd Train Station to the Lower Merion Historical Society earlier this month as part of efforts to restore the 1880s-era building.

Representatives from both organizations signed the final paperwork to sublease the property on Dec. 3, the birthday of Bruce D. Reed, president of the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners.

Reed has been involved with improving the structure since 1991, when he was a member of the Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd, said Jerry Francis, president of the historical society.

Earlier this year, township commissioners and Montgomery County Commissioners each pledged $225,000 for improvements, and SEPTA agreed to allow the township to lease Cynwyd Station and a nearby area for a proposed Cynwyd Trail.

The historical society plans to exterminate termites, fix basement walls, and oversee other basic repairs to make the place livable, the group hopes, in a year, Francis said.

The second and third phases of the project call for finding the station a resident caretaker and adding ornamental features, such as gas lamps, as well as as modern amenities, including two handicap-accessible bathrooms.

Yeadon's Nile Swim Club

seeks money to expand

A Yeadon organization that in 1958 became the nation's first private swim club for African Americans recently announced that it has launched a $5 million expansion program.

Plans include the construction of three heated pools, an 18-hole miniature golf course, a 150-seat banquet facility, a fitness center, and basketball and tennis courts.

The Nile Swim Club has a membership of 210 families and owns a 4.5-acre parcel of land. The new facility is scheduled to be completed in 2008.

The organization got its start almost 50 years ago, when African American residents were denied admission and membership at a now-defunct local swim club.

A group of African American business, professional, religious and political leaders has agreed to help raise funds for the project. Ambassadors, as the club calls these volunteers, include Jerome Mondesire, president of the NAACP's Philadelphia chapter; Romona Riscoe Benson, president of the African American Museum of Philadelphia; State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, and Yeadon Borough Councilwoman Jacquelyn Puriefoy-Brinkley, the club said.

Nonprofit in Media

wins public service award

Values Into Action, a Media nonprofit group that offers home and community support to people with disabilities, has received the 2007 Public Service Award from the Delaware County Transportation Management Association.

The company, started by Marian and Paul Saulino of Springfield in 2005, recently offered TransitChek to its staff and associates. The pre-tax voucher program enables commuters to purchase fare materials on all regional public-transit and van-pool providers.

Employees can save more than $400 a year in federal income taxes with the program, a Values Into Action spokesperson said.

The Delaware County Transportation Management Association, a Media-based nonprofit transportation-consulting organization, also presented the Chairman's Award to the Berwyn office of GAI Consultants Inc., the Community Service Award to the Broomall office of the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union, and the Partnership Award to Urban Engineers of Philadelphia.

- Ed Mahon