12:30 PM “Ring the Bell”
Today’s meeting started with the National Anthem as our patriotic song compliments of Tom Strode. Our inspirational message today, about Spring, was from one of our newer members, Maggie Williams.
The name of this season was always called Spring. Initially, the season was called Lent, with the association of the Christian religious calendar. The evaluation of the name was then called Springing time, then shortened to Springtime, and eventually to Spring. The promise of Spring which is rooted in not only the change of the weather but also in colors and new life – all good reasons to be optimistic about Spring!
Our musical selection today was sung by Shelley MacMillan, with Tom Strode accompanying, to the tune of ‘Give our Regards to Broadway’ with an added chorus of thanks to Rotary for support of the recent Wine, Women & Song concert.
We welcomed a few visiting Rotarians and guests, including a guest visiting from Nigeria, who was introduced by the
Director of UM’s Center for the Education of Women, Tiffany Marra. President Mark also offered thanks to the members helping with today’s meeting. Bill McPherson announced this week’s birthdays. No anniversaries this week, but we did pause for a moment of silence for member Barbara Bryant who passed away recently.
Emeritus presentation: Ingrid Sheldon gave a lovely presentation of her good friend Terry Foster, who is being honored with the Rotary Emeritus status.
Terry has a long history of service in Ann Arbor with her work in numerous nonprofits, the local school community and local hospitals to name just a few of her extensive list of accomplishments! Terry has 32 years of membership to Rotary serving in numerous ways including the Allocations Committee, Rotary Readers Program, and Board of Directors. Terry has also earned the status of a Paul Harris Fellow and Distinguished Member. Congratulations to Terry Foster, a shining example of UM’s motto of a leader and the best!
John Sepp announced an upcoming Happy Hour on March 16. This is a St. Patrick’s Day Happy Hour, but without the craziness of the true St. Patrick’s Day (on the 17th). The happy hour will be at the Session Room, 5:30 – 7:30pm, Thursday, March 16.
John Barrie spoke to us regarding the RCAA’s upcoming international humanitarian trip to Guatemala from July 22-30, 2023. The group will be visiting RCAA projects such as various solar projects that our club has set up or sponsored. John also mentioned that the club is currently applying for funding for a water and sanitation project (for a future trip). The group will also visit Mayan ruins for a side trip of local history. If you are interested to learn more about this trip, email John Barrie.
Norman Herbert introduced today’s speaker, Alonzo Lewis, CEO of Trinity Health. Mr. Lewis was born in Detroit and raised in Southfield, MI. He has a long history of hospital administration starting with Trinity in 1993, then working at Henry Ford, then Root, Inc., consulting at Beaumont Hospital, and then to Trinity Ann Arbor and Livingston Hospitals. The hospital in Ann Arbor was formerly St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Mr. Lewis’s talk today centered on the Role of Health Equity in Health care. He began his talk by reviewing the hospital’s mission statement and values which includes topics such as reverence, commitment to those who are poor, safety, justice, stewardship and integrity. Trinity’s Health Promise is to be a mission-driven, faith-based health organization who has a focus to provide accessible care.
While Washtenaw County has many great factors (#1 in Michigan for health factors, most educated city in US, lots of tech grads, hot housing market), some sobering statistics for our county that were mentioned include life expectancy – which is 8 years less for Black residents than White in Ann Arbor and 7 years less for those living in Ypsilanti. 14% of county residents live in poverty and people of color are 2 times more likely to live in poverty. Numerous factors influence how long and well you live: social/economic factors, physical environment, clinical care, and health behaviors.
These stats drive how Trinity Health focuses on its strategic framework: People, Portfolio, Performance, Purpose. Within purpose lies the focus of their mission statement: catholic mission, community health, eliminate racism and embrace diversity. Some ways in which the organization is addressing these topics are the development of Community Health and Well Being strategic priorities. Through this they’ve determined that community leadership and engagement are essential, such as partnering with community-based organizations to reduce disparities in care and deliver care to vulnerable populations.
They are also making strides to address poverty/labor and workforce challenges including how to promote jobs and careers in health care. Five Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) priority areas for their organization include:
- Diversity in governance
- Diversity in talent
- Culture of inclusion and belonging
- Health equity
- Supplier diversity
During the Covid pandemic the organization made significant efforts to promote vaccinations in communities of color and specifically committed more than 10% of vaccination supplies to people of color. They set up a testing center in Detroit and invested in community health workers to address vaccination hesitancy and the mistrust of the health care system among minority populations. Lastly, Mr. Lewis spoke of the organization’s efforts towards addressing food insecurity by supporting operating farms in Ann Arbor, Pontiac and Muskegon. The farms will produce, supply and supplement fresh food to local communities who would otherwise not have easy access to such food.
A reminder that our meeting on March 15 is ZOOM ONLY!
Our meeting ended with a nod to International Women’s Day with the quote: “Reputation is what others think about you. What’s far more important is character because that is what you think about yourself.” – Billie Jean King
Meeting ended with ringing of the bell at 1:30pm
