Program: Year 84 Week 9 February 24, 2012 February 29, DoubleTree Hotel. 555 W. Foothill Blvd. Claremont, CA Fridays, 12:10 PM.

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1 Year 84 Week 9 February 24, 2012 February 29, 2012 DoubleTree Hotel 555 W. Foothill Blvd. Claremont, CA Fridays, 12:10 PM Website Full Color editions of this newsletter and back issues are always available on our Clarifier Committee Nancy Thum Cameron Troxell Suzanne Hall Sam Mowbray Karen Sapio Steve Schenck, Photographer Jack Schuster Carley Haro Buff Wright Sergeant John Allen Program: Arman Ariane introduced Dr. Walt Johnson, a board certified Neurological Surgeon and former member of the faculty at Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Dr. Johnson was born and raised primarily in the Far East, where he developed a keen interest in international affairs. He serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including Uncommon Good and Trauma Resource Institute here in Claremont, Montessori in Redlands, and Angel View Crippled Children s Foundation in Palm Springs. He lives with his wife Adele and son James in Redlands. Walt explained that when problems with his dominant hand led him to change his career, he began working on a Master s degree in Public Health at the School of Global and Community Health at the Claremont Graduate University. His studies have focused on surgery as a global public health issue. Worldwide, two to three billion people lack access to surgical care. 10% of adults and 20% of children die prematurely due to ailments that could easily be resolved by surgical intervention. He provided a very interesting overview of the scarcity and inaccessibility of surgical care particularly in sub-saharan Africa. Approximately 85% of the African population lives hundreds of miles from a big city, where 85% of the surgeons are found. 75% of surgeries in the world are done in rich countries; only 3% are performed in sub-saharan Africa. There hadn t been much attention to this issue until recently. The first book on surgery as a public health issue was published just last year. Because measures are now being introduced to convert illness into economic terms, surgery is coming to be viewed as cost-effective public health. Infectious diseases are decreasing; chronic diseases that require surgical care are increasing. Yet NGO funding has skewed medical training in Africa away from surgery. More on Page 2

2 the Clarifier Page 2 M ORE FROM DR. JOHNSON: Dr. Johnson noted that 42,000 surgeons need to be trained for service in Africa to bring the continent up to the per capita level of surgeons in Canada. Africans trained in medicine tend to migrate to the US, Europe and Australia. A third of U.S. doctors come from the 3 rd world. Walt has worked with the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons, which trains African surgeons and teachers of surgery. The group currently has 39 residents, 19 graduates, and all but two are working in Christian hospitals in Africa. 38% are in general surgery, 32 in OBGYN. This 5-year program which is similar to residencies in the US has a goal of training 100 surgeons by Most of the hospitals are in remote locations. The culture of community encourages big wards for mutual support. Even so, infection can result from the fact that wards are often overcrowded, combined with typical requirements that patients and their families launder linens and provide their own food. Operating rooms are poorly equipped. Cataract or hernia surgery is not something extraordinary in the US but is often a very big deal around the globe. Very treatable maladies such as cataracts and hernias are simply not treated in the areas he has studied. Dr. Johnson summarized by reminding us that Americans on average have 9 surgeries in their lifetime. G UESTS AND VISITING ROTARIANS: GUESTS Buff Wright Nancy Mintie, Executive Director of Uncommon Good, guest of SUZANNE HALL No Visiting Rotarians C LUB NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: BONITA RAMOS introduced Miriam, Sarah and Kianna from El Roble Interact and Hajar from CHS Interact, who are supporting a CMC Rotaract trip to Panama to refurbish a building into a performing arts center for youth. They are sponsoring a Bowling fundraiser on Sunday, March 4, from 3:30-5:30 at Brunswick in Upland for $15 per person. Half of the proceeds will go to the Panama trip. There will also be a Bake sale. This is the first time the three clubs have collaborated. Nancy Mintie suggested that Rotarians would be welcome to donate tickets to Uncommon Good to distribute to youth. Mike Lapadot, Rotaract President at CMC, said that 17 students are going to Panama. The basic costs have now been covered. They are now seeking funds for the building project itself. They are sponsoring a fundraiser on Tuesday from 6-9 at Bert and Rocky s on Yale and Bonita. Four men wearing black hoods and ski masks stole Rolex watches from the Ben Bridge Jewelry Store at the Montclair Plaza on Thursday, so BOBBY HYDE is not with us today. No employees were injured. We ll hear the inside story next week. Volunteers are sought to be the second Bunny at the Easter Egg Hunt. More on page 3

3 the Clarifier Page 3 M ORE ANNOUNCEMENTS: A Fiesta Community Fundraiser for CLASP will be sponsored by Rotaract at Casa de Salsa Sunday, March 11 from 4-7. $15 supports CLASP and includes a buffet dinner and music by Remember When. Rotarians are encouraged to attend the June 1-3 District conference at Lake Arrowhead Resort and particularly the special event on Sunday as SYLVIA WHITLOCK is installed as District Governor. TIM HARRI- SON has some space at his cabin, and discounts are available at the resort. BETH EDWARDS had a stroke and is at Pilgrim Place in room 20. She will require therapy, but is doing well and welcomes visitors. MARLA LEFLER homestay hosts for the visit of the GSE group from Chile, May 27-June 1. They come to the US for a month to study their profession. Lifelong relationships are formed from their experiences with host families. Please consider being a host family RON COLEMAN reported that his daughter s teacher at Sycamore, Ann O Connor, the recipient of Best Bet grant, will be presenting a Native Indian California experience presentation at the Redwood Grove near the school. Ask Ron about it. RICH LAUGHTON reported that nearly all slots are filled for Together We Prepare next week, though ten opportunities are still available to participate, particularly in the zero period at 7 am. Rotaract students will participate. Come 10 minutes early if possible Two longtime Rotarians passed away recently. Joe Lee,and Sal Giuliano. Joe Lee was Claremont Rotary president from M EETING NOTES: Sergeant John Allen provided a round of gentle teasing for deeds and misdeeds of club members. Paul Brisson was chided for riding his bike around town without protecting his most valuable asset his brain by wearing a helmet. P ICTURES FROM FRIDAY S MEETING: Buff Wright

4 the Clarifier Page 4 P ICTURES FROM FRIDAY S MEETING:

5 Page 5 U PCOMING PROGRAMS & EVENTS March 2, 2012 March 9, 2012 March 16, 2012 March 23, 2012 March 30, 2012 April 6, 2012 Together We Prepare-Lunch at El Roble Four Way Test Speech Contest Stover Music Awards How Singapore Delivers the Best Healthcare in the World While Spending 80% Less than We Do Acupuncture, An Alternative Good Friday and Easter Egg Hunt Mark Winter Claremont Rotary President 2011/2012 Bacon Bits Let s keep it up! Sergeants committee meets every Friday at 11:30 AM in the Orchard Lounge at the DoubleTree Hotel and anyone with information to share is welcome!! John Allen