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President Courtney called our meeting to order promptly at 12:30. Linda Lynch gave the reflection which was followed by “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”. Before we sat, we recited the 4 Way Test. Since this was the last meeting we will have at the Lansing Center, President Courtney thanked all those who have served us there. A round of applause was given as a demonstration of our appreciation. Andi Earl handled the microphone duties for the introduction of guests, and there were quite a few in attendance. President Courtney let us know that the health of the Club was particularly good since Dave O’Leary was back after an extended absence. Doug Wiesner introduced Jacque Liebner with WAI-IAM Inc and RISE Recovery to talk about the grant they received from our Foundation. This organization was born out of personal experience after Jacque’s son conquered his own heroin and alcohol addictions. Together they developed resources targeting students. They began making presentations in area schools and soon her son was collecting people in recovery. That led to the first RISE Recovery Home in 2014. Today, there are 9 home serving 65 people with a staff of 15. Homes include living quarters and a 24-hour hangout area for young people in recovery. Staff is comprised of peer recovery coaches. All the homes are in the same area. The grant that we awarded is being used to paint the exterior of one of these homes, a historic structure located at 217 N Sycamore. Jacque thanked our club for our donation. Sandy Draggoo reported that the July birthdays raised $535 with 76% participation and two more individuals to approach. When asked what they hoped to achieve before their next birthday, Ralph Shaheen provided a story about preferring a talking frog to kissing it. Julie Thomasma let us know about a need that Child and Family Charities needs assistance with. It is back to school time, and they are being flooded with requests for shoes and back to school clothes. If you would like to donate gently used clothing or shoes, or purchase specific item for these kids, including 49 who are homeless, contact Julie at CFS. President Courtney introduced our special music, a violin/cello duo. Musicians Ji Hyun Kim and Imjeong Choi played three very enjoyable selections. Katie Krick is Chair of the Month for August and was also Chair of the Day. She thanked Janet Lillie who lined up our speaker but was not in attendance and then summarized Kirk Ray’s significant experience prior to coming to McLaren Greater Lansing. When Kirk assumed his role at McLaren, there was no concept for a new campus. Under his leadership, an initial $450 million plan was developed and begun. Along the way, additional facilities were added to the campus, resulting in a larger $600 million investment. This represents the largest investment made by McLaren and the largest single investment in Lansing until the recent battery plant announcement.  The new facility features a 240 bed, all private, acute care hospital. The site was chosen for its accessibility – it can be reached in 15 – 20 minutes from anywhere in the Lansing area. The projected included working to improve the roads in the area and working with CATA to identify drop off spots. There is also an Outpatient Care Center, Karmanos Cancer Institute and a Health and Wellness Pavilion. The Karmanos Cancer Institute was designed by patients and caregivers. Resident physicians were also involved in the design of the resident lounge and other amenities. McLaren experienced its best resident recruiting class this year, thanks in part to the features of the new facilities. The project employed over 3000 construction workers and some construction has yet to be completed. This project was unique in Kirk’s experience because it was a replacement project. To facilitate the move, there were no elective procedures performed at the old locations for 5 days prior to cutover. That lowered the number of patients that needed to relocate to about 100. The transfer process took 18 months of planning and included 19 touches per patient. Each patient had a dedicated nurse that moved with them. After shutting down emergency services and making sure that any incoming emergencies were being routed to the new campus, patient transfers began. The transfer was expected to take 12 hours but was completed in six. A quick virtual tour showed a lobby full of natural light and highlighted the onstage/offstage features that were included in the design. Care occurs offstage to protect patient privacy. An additional building will open in summer 2023, including a children's hospital, imaging center (an MSU partnership) and OB services. Despite 4 years of planning, there were several things that did not go as planned. Obviously, there were challenges due to the pandemic and that led to staffing challenges. There were also design challenges, wayfinding issues, parking and charging station challenges. Recognizing that a beautiful facility will not necessarily lead to effective health care, the organization worked with the Disney Institute to make sure that they can ‘Deliver the Extraordinary.’ During the Q&A session we learned: • The Greenlawn campus is becoming a mental health center. Child and Family Services will relocate to the west side and Community Mental Health will be in the southeast where the Breslin Cancer Center was previously. Conversations are underway with other organizations. • The Pennsylvania campus is currently for sale. If it is not sold, McLaren will demolish and/or donate it. • When asked about handling disasters, Kirk let us know that they perform two tabletop drills each year to be sure they are prepared for the most likely disasters in our area. • Partnerships with several medical and nursing schools exist; the largest is with MSU. The most successful partnerships are with schools in this region versus offshore schools. Work is ongoing to strengthen those relationships. The new facility enhances relationships. President Courtney thanked Kirk for speaking and let him know that we would donate to our Foundation in his name in lieu of a speaker’s gift. Our meeting next week is at the Lansing Country Club. Schedules of upcoming meeting dates and locations were on the table. If you don’t have a schedule, be sure to check the Rotogram to make sure you know where to go. Next week’s speaker is Jason Nemecek with the Michigan State Police. Linda Lynch's email is: linda.j.lynch@gmail.com |
Inspector Nemecek is an 18-year veteran of the Michigan State Police and has been a law enforcement officer in Michigan for over 23 years. He has worked in several different assignments to include canine unit, undercover narcotics, detective bureau and internal affairs.
nesday. Rotarians are welcome to join the upcoming rides on August 31, September 7 and September 21.