The Board met today. We have a busy schedule of service projects for our 50th Anniversary year to meet our goal of 50 projects in our 50th year. We are also committed to growing the Club membership to 50 members in our 50th year. We have a number of really good prospects, but please invite your friends, neighbors, coworkers, or anyone who you think would like to join our Club. There is just one meeting date left open in July. It is the 7th. If you wish to book that date for a speaker or project let Mark know otherwise look at the Club calendar for open August dates. Thank you for helping invite great speakers. 

 

Last Friday we had 11 highway cleaners. The work went fast, it was hot, it is tick season so check yourself after walking in the grass, and a cool one sure tasted good at the end. Check the website for an action picture of the crew.      

 

Our guests last week were: David Norland, Fred Rouse from Harbortown, Dan Dock from Downtown, Rachel Theiste a guest of Alex Shult, and our speaker Dr. David Herman.

One of the benefits of being a Rotarian is the weekly education that we receive from our speakers. Last Friday's presentation by Dr. David Herman, CEO of Essentia Health was amazing.  Essentia has revenues of $6B. They are in talks to acquire the Marshfield WI Health System. The new $900M building will be completed and they will move from their old hospital to the new hospital on a Saturday this summer. The old hospital will be torn down and they are looking at possible uses such as housing, greenspace, or a U of M medical school. We learned that 40% of health outcomes are determined by social and economic factors. That St. Louis County's health ranking is 72nd out of the 87 counties in the state. The primary determinant of life expectancy is by zip code. People living in an impoverished zip code can expect to live 10 years less on average. We spend $4.3T on healthcare in the US. Hospitals are reimbursed $.40 on a dollar for Medicaid patients and $.80 for a Medicare patient. The medical workforce is not expanding to meet the needs of the aging population. For the first time in decades the average life expectancy in the US is decreasing. Dr. Herman stressed the need to take a more holistic community based approach to improving health.       

 

Next week Friday, June 23rd we are back at the YMCA and our presenter will be Interim UMD Chancellor Dave McMillan. Duties will be Invocation - Adam Daoust, Greeter - Kevin Kalligher, and Fellowship Hugo Hietapelto. 

 

June is Rotary Fellowship Month.

 

Thought for the Week

"The Fellowship of true friends who can hear you out, share your joys, help carry your burdens and correctly counsel you is priceless".

Ezra Taft Benson

 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88055955851?pwd=RUVVN1RkK2duMW5RWlgzTmxRLzhxUT09

 

WE WILL SEE YOU AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB ISLAND LAKE CAMP ON FRIDAY.