(above) Rotary International District 7475 Foundation Committee Chairs
Rotary International Service Above Self
Submitted by Rotary International District 7475
Rotary International District 7475 has donated much needed critical care equipment to Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ to help with the COVID 19 Pandemic.
Overlook Hospital renovated two additional floors to become ICU units, andsought funding to help purchase the equipment. They have ordered 20 Critical Care Beds, model Hillrom Progressa Bed System. The beds can be upgraded in the future and cost $34,000 each and have technology to help patients breath. The hospital does not like to transfer patients between beds, because it increases the risk of nonsocomial infections, which means getting an infection in the hospital. Therefore, these beds are designed to be used in other therapeutic modalities. They are designed to be mobile- you can wheel them down the hall to other departments.The useful life of one of these high tech beds is 12 to 15 years. Each bed could potentially save thousands of lives.
The Rotary District 7475 consists of 82 Rotary Clubs representing 2000 Rotarians in 9 counties of northern New Jersey including Berkeley Heights, Madison, Mountainside, and Westfield. Rotary is a business networking and service club of successful business men and women who want to give back to their community. There are 1.2 millions Rotarians in 166 countries around the world. Most of the Rotarians in the District donate to the International Foundation, which circulates the funds back for use in our local communities. Past District Governor Dr. D. Michael Hart is the Foundation Chair for the District. He was able to write a grant proposal which was matched by The Rotary International Foundation totaling $34,000 to purchase one bed for Overlook Hospital.
Rotary Global Grants require an international partner. District 7475 has done many Global Grants, typically 10 grants per year with many clubs and districts around the world. This is one of the first few grants done in the United States in the last 20 years. For this particular grant, the Rotary Club of Berwick, Victoria Australia is our international partner. Last year our New Jersey District raised $20,000 to help them with their wildfires which were out of control.
Dr. D. Michael Hart stated “The rest of the world thinks Americans are rich and do not need any help. This program is a good example of how Rotary International can help people right here in a time of crisis.”
Dr. Hart recently wrote two other grants totaling $100,000 to purchase 10 ventilators for Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth, NJ and RWJ Barnabas Hospital in Somerset, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas is the largest health system in New Jersey with 15 hospitals. Overlook is part of the Atlantic Health System with 5 hospitals. Hospital chains share equipment as needed, or divert patients to open hospital wards as needed, so these donations will help the two largest health systems in New Jersey.
Rotary International is one of the premier charitable institutions in the world. They have been rated 100% for 11 years in a row by Charity Navigator, an organization which rates charities. Since 1985, Rotary has been working to eradicate Polio worldwide. Rotary raises $50 million per year for the effort, and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation matches Rotary’s fundraising efforts at a rate of 2:1. In other words, Gates contributes $100 million per year. Rotary works in conjunction with The World Health Organization which can deal with the political issues in each country; Rotarians are the “boots on the ground” actually vaccinating the children; and the CDC and UNICEF help with funding. Polio has no cure and no treatment, but it does have a vaccine. The virus only lives in humans, so once it is eradicated, it will be gone forever. It predominately strikes children under the age of 5 years old and causes paralysis. FDR had polio as a child and was paralyzed for life. He started a charity to fight this disease in 1938. After his death, in 1946, his likeness was put on a dime and the slogan and name “The March of Dimes” was started for the fight against polio. Rotary has eradicated 99.9% of the cases in the entire world since 1985. There were 94 new cases of polio in 2019, mostly in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Only one other disease has been completely eradicated worldwide which is smallpox.
The Rotary Club of Berkeley Heights meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 12:15 p.m. at Chimney Rock Inn, 342 Valley Road, Gillette, NJ. If you are interested in becoming a member please contact Mike at 908-803-5747, or email mickydel@gmail.com.
Locally, the Rotary Club of Madison is an enthusiastic engaged network of ordinary people providing “Service Above Self”, in our local and global communities. They have 90 members and are inviting individuals to join their successful and vibrant club. Rotary President Liz Parker invites you as a guest to learn more about Rotary by attending one of two weekly meetings held Thursdays; 7:47 a.m. breakfast at the YMCA; or lunch 12:15 p.m. at the Madison Hotel. Please contact Barry Kroll, at barrykroll@aol.com or 973-476-2772 to RSVP. The club has been meeting virtually due to Covid19. For more information visit www.madisonrotarynj.org.
The Rotary Club of Mountainside meets for lunch weekly. To attend a meeting, or for more information, please contact Rose Marie Sinisi, rotaryrose@yahoo.com, 908-625-8308.
The Rotary Club of Westfield meets for lunch weekly. To attend a meeting, or for more information, please visit westfieldrotary.com.
