Chris Abraham » New Jersey

Bridgewater, NJ, is Penny Wise and Pound Foolish

Chris Abraham — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 17:55:05 +0000

I consider Tom Coulter to be my hero. But then again, I am not a resident of Bridgewater, NJ. Here’s an example of where pride and arrogance gets in the way of doing the right thing or even being smart, Town Spends $17,000 To Defend $5 Fee It Charged Resident, Loses:

The town of Bridgewater, NJ, just spent $17,000 in legal costs to defend its right to charge a guy $5 for a CD recording of a town council meeting. The man had argued that he should only be required to pay for the actual cost of the CD. The case went to court and the town ended up losing. The kicker? They also had to pay him back a $4.04 refund for the overage.

I am so pleased that Mr. Coulter won and got back a $4.04 refund for the overage. I wish everyone was rich so that big business and the government didn’t have as much leverage as they do to intimidate most citizens out of litigating and actually winning their cases and paving the pathway of legal precedent towards better civil and legal protection for the rest of us. (Via the Consumerist, Gothamist, and NJ.COM)

Bridgewater spends $17K to defend $5 fee it charged resident

BRIDGEWATER — A Somerset County town spent more than $17,000 defending a $5 fee it charged a resident for a compact disc of a council meeting.
Tom Coulter filed a complaint with the New Jersey Government Record Council in October 2008, saying he should pay the actual cost of the CD to get the recording.
The state council this year sided with Coulter and found he should have paid about 96 cents.
Bridgewater paid more than $14,000 in legal fees defending the case. It had to pay $3,500 to Coulter for his legal fees and give him a $4.04 refund.
Coulter says the case shows a lack of common sense.
Township Attorney Alan Grant tells The Courier News of Bridgewater the legal fees would have been substantially lower had Coulter settled, as the township had offered.

Dentist Treats Patients in His Own Firetruck

Chris Abraham — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:36:30 +0000

Dr. Robert Grunstein

I am always amazed when I find stories like this. When I find the sort of story that shows that people like dentists, sadly known for having a high rate of depression and suicide, who are passionate about doing good for those of us who only have Medicaid or who cannot generally afford — or won’t spend for — good dental work. Kudos to Steven Eidman and especially to Dr. Robert Grunstein

May 3, 2009 by Steven Eidman — Dr. Robert Grunstein has always been a car and truck guy. So when he heard that an old municipal fire truck was up for sale (”the holy grail for car guys,” he says), he bought it. The fire truck cost him $5,000; converting it into a mobile dental unit and taking out the water tank set him back $50,000. “It had a new motor and perfect transmission,” Grunstein gushes. It’s the perfect vehicle, he says, for combating the “tsunami of bad teeth.”

For the past five years, Grunstein has hopped on the fire truck — the “Dental Rescue Unit”— two mornings a week and visited local schoolchildren in 60 schools in Paterson, Passaic, Clifton, and other Northern New Jersey towns. The kids join him on the fire truck, where Grunstein’s brother, Gabi, puts on a half-hour puppet show promoting good dental hygiene. Then Grunstein examines each child’s teeth, sending them home with report cards listing the number of cavities they have. The worst offenders — those with more a dozen cavities or more— are brought to the nurse, who phones their parents. Grunstein doesn’t receive a penny for his visits. “It’s worth it,” he says, “because it’s so satisfying.”
Often, the very next morning, Grunstein will find those kids with the most cavities seated in his dental chair. “My patients are really, really grateful,” he says. “Often, parents don’t know that children’s dental care may be covered by Medicaid.”
In fact, only 770 of the 7,000 dentists in New Jersey accept Medicaid. That’s partly because New Jersey’s Medicaid reimbursement rates for dental care are as low as a third of New York rates, Grunstein says. So there aren’t many other dentists willing to accept Medicaid.
“This is where I felt I was needed most as a doctor,” says Grunstein, who claims he took bioethics twice while studying at Yeshiva University. “It’s sort of like how a nurse in the ER looks at triage: you treat those who are most in need first.”
Dentistry runs in the family: Grunstein’s mom is a dental technician and has a home office located next door to his bedroom. “I grew up with the sound of the dental drill in my ear,” he says.
Love fire trucks? Visit the fire truck-shaped front desk at Grunstein’s new Passaic office, which features real tires and hubcaps. Side job: While in dental school, Grunstein rebuilt jeeps to make extra money.

Thank You Springtime Fresh Air Fund Bloggers

Chris Abraham — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:03:03 +0000

Thanks so much to everyone who blogged and Twittered about the Fresh Air Fund in the last two months, May and June. All-together, the Fresh Air Fund and Abraham Harrison has been blessed with at least 286 earned-media mentions. We appreciate your support, your words, your time, and your attention. We are much obliged.

Perfect Sunday Morning in New Brunswick, NJ

Chris Abraham — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:43:42 +0000

Starting the New York Times and a Venti Mild in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in northern New Jersey. Here for my uncle Jack’s wake in Highland Park, New Jersey.