Meeting Opening
Returning to Meredith Bay Colony Club after a long hiatus from the event space caused a great deal of confusion; however, eventually, President Wendy found the bell and opened the meeting. She then located the flag, and we proceeded with the Pledge.
Dan said a prayer with special reference to our speaker.
Visitors included Connie Dehnel, Reneé Speltz, Bob Maloney, and Visiting Rotarians Bill and
Julianne Gilcrest. We eventually found chairs for everyone!
Announcements, Etc
Wendy passed around Thank You notes from scholarship recipients, and Fred presented Gary Dehnel with his perfect attendance pin for 36 years [Wowzer!]. Gary had missed the
presentation at the Changing of the Guard … no doubt making up elsewhere.
Heidi announced that there will be a meeting next week, July 19th, at which time the updated and revised By-Laws will be reviewed and voted upon. They will be emailed to the membership before the meeting.
Happy $
- Daniel Whitney had #5th place in the Duck Race and won $350
- Gary – named to the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians, is hosting a group of 8 from parts of the world; they hope to be able to fly to Rutland Friday to visit the Little Red Schoolhouse.
- Fred welcomed Fitz (!) and thanked to Jim for the venue change.
- Erin – her daughter placed 1st in her category and 2nd overall in Nationals (!!).
- Tom – all his kids from around the country came in for his 80th (we missed our chance to sing Happy Birthday).
- Farmer John for the summer and a commitment to pay $50 if we have 50 days
- of sun. (Is that 50 consecutive days or cumulative days, John?).
- Carl for Teddy taking the afternoon off to keep him from killing himself with a chainsaw. (Did I get that right, Carl?)
- Kevin promotes Handyman Dan and boasts that his grandson won the Cal Ripken Award.
- I missed someone selling 155 of something.
- Chuck marveled that one of the MBCC servers worked for Annaleea a decade ago.
- Fred won 50/50
Future meetings at MBCC
Change of Routine Announcement by Wendy – going forward, the chef requests that we place our food orders no later than Monday before the Wednesday meetings. The menu will be sent out the previous Friday. There will be no buffet servings.
Program Speaker
Michelle McEwen, President and CEO of Speare Memorial Hospital. The hospital
is based in Plymouth and is in the process of completing a new facility here in Meredith. The hospital is a Critical Access Care [CAC] hospital, meaning it is limited in size and services a rural area. Specifically, Speare has 25 beds which have been defined in the past as “small.” With the changes in our healthcare system and with technology, in-patient care is only 20% of the business. Even though they are measured by “beds” [read: small], they are a full-service community hospital. There are 26 Acute Care hospitals in the state.
What makes Spear unique is that:
- They are one of the few that remain independent – not part of a larger hospital system,
- They are still offering services that other small hospitals no longer offer – e.g., obstetrics, ICU, comprehensive wound program, and hyperbaric chambers.
Other services: 24 Hour Emergency Room, full capacity imaging – basic X-rays, CT scan, MRI, nuclear med, digital mammography, bone density; infusion therapy, relationship with Dartmouth Oncology. A full array of physician services, minimally invasive surgeries, endoscopies and colonoscopies, bariatric surgery, and an acid reflux center. OB/GYN, pediatrics, ophthalmology,
Orthopedics – specifically, they have a partnership with Concord Orthopedics, bringing services directly to Plymouth. Strategically, they look to partner at the clinic level to bring specialists to the area.
Urgent Care has seen phenomenal growth everywhere. Speare opened their facility several
years ago in Hatch Plaza. It has provided an alternative to tourists, Plymouth State students, and residents and helped alleviate the volume in the ER.
Meredith Plan is an Urgent Care facility with six exam rooms with imaging capabilities. For
employers in the area, they do Worker’s Comp injuries, post-offer physicals, and DOT physicals. The building has an additional three exam rooms dedicated to clinical specialists – with the thought that OB/GYN, pediatrics, and general surgeons will populate the space. Right now, Concord Orthopedics is moving from Laconia and will be using this space until they can find a home of their own here in Meredith. Once they relocate, specialized services will be available.
GRAND OPENING – hoping for the end of August - tbd
Meeting adjourned.
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