Posted on by Mike Sottak

8/18: Todd Gallati, Trident Health: COVID-19 and It’s Effects on Hospitals

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August 18, 2020:

A timely and informative update from Todd Gallati of Trident Health was the highlight of this week’s meeting. Todd gave us an update on the state of the Covid-19 situation here in Charleston.  And with heavy hearts, we heard the news of the passing of long time Rotarian and great community leader, Bill Hall. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the Hall’s team. We remain socially distanced through August with Zoom meetings scheduled at least until then.

Todd Gallati, President and CEO of Trident Health, spoke to us this week about “COVID-19 and its effects on Hospitals.” He shared some very interesting data that Trident and other local hospitals have compiled since the start of the pandemic.

Todd said that July was a very intense month was unlike any other that he and other healthcare professionals had seen in their lifetimes. Emergency departments and intensive care units in the region were extremely stressed by the volume of cases. In August, we have thankfully seen a significant decrease in cases. Todd shared a graph of SC new active cases that showed the rise after the re-opening of businesses, restaurants, etc. in May. It also showed the point when face covering ordinances were put in effect locally in early July and then a peak and decline at the end of that month. A graph of SC COVID-19 mortalities reflected a similar pattern with a peak at the end of July.

Todd then shared some of Trident Health’s data. A distribution by age group showed the largest number of cases in the 40-49-year-old group. The race/ethnicity breakdown was very interesting. The majority, 51%, of Trident’s positive tests were African Americans.  And while whites were next highest at 25%, Hispanic/Latino rate was significantly higher than their proportion of population, at 17%.

Tridents mortalities by month were highest in July at 44, and there have been 8 deaths to date in August. The age group with the highest mortality has been 80-89 years old with 21 deaths, 27% of total.

Todd shared some insight on the impacts on hospital staff. One of the major challenges has been nurse staffing. Trident and other local hospitals have had to go outside the region to bring in additional nurses. The pandemic has caused some positive changes as well. The local hospitals, who normally compete with each other, have been unified in their response with a shared messaging campaign.  Telemedicine has been proven to be effective and, in many cases, preferred by both patients and healthcare providers. Also, Hospitals have adapted, and now masking and limited visitation may be the new normal, and ultimately make Hospitals safer in the future.

To access the Zoom recording of this meeting go here.

Submitted by Jeff Webb,  Keyway Committee

IN OTHER MEETING NEWS 

      • Lisa Van Bergen gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
      • President Lisa welcomed all visiting Rotarians & guests.
      • President Lisa presented Health and Happiness.
      • Program Chair, Tom Leonard, welcomed and introduced our keynote speaker, Todd Gallati, President & CEO of Trident Health, discussed ”COVID-19 and it’s effects on hospitals”.         

MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY

August 25, 2020 | Issue 4975| President: Lisa Van Bergen

COMING EVENTS
    • Aug. 25 – Lieutenant Chris Hulbert, SC State Guard
    • Sept. 1 – Winslow Hastie, Historic Charleston Foundation 
    • Sept. 8 – NO MEETING  (Labor Day)
    • Sept. 15 – Networking
NEWS BRIEFS

ZOOM Happy Hour Social

 Members are invited to attend a ZOOM Happy Hour Social on Thursday, August 27 from 5pm-6pm. Additional details to come, but please mark your calendars to attend this fun, festive event.

 

Join the fun by logging on here
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88559219017

 

IMPORTANT Meeting Update – ZOOM Thru August

With the continuous spike in COVID cases in our area, the Board decided this past week to cancel our in-person meetings through the end of August. We will continue to meet on ZOOM during this time with plans of returning to in-person meetings at Hall’s Signature Events after Labor Day – Tuesday, September 15th. 

We hope members will continue to log in to ZOOM and enjoy meetings from the comfort of their home or office. No yummy lunch by Hall’s or the in-person camaraderie of your fellow Rotarians, but it is the next best thing to stay engaged and be connected to your Rotary family. And as we know, the impact of Rotary is felt through our volunteerism and support of one another and the community, especially during trying times.

 

July Dues Now Past Due  

If you haven’t already, please be sure to pay your July-December 2020 dues.  Statements were distributed via email the last of June and are now considered past due.  As a reminder to those with an outstanding balance, a statement was emailed this past week. Please note that we have expanded our payment options and you now have the ability to pay via ACH and PayPal. Also of note, a 3% convenience fee is added to all credit card dues payments. 

The below policy was approved by the Board this past Spring and went into effect on July 1, 2020.  Our club’s operating budget depends on members paying their dues as we incur various expenses based on our membership count and we cannot continue to pay for Rotarians, who do not fulfill their commitment of paying semi-annual dues.

Failure to Pay Dues Policy (effective 7/1/20)
“Any Rotary member with dues past 90 days must either pay in full or develop a payment plan, which includes making a minimal payment. If this is not in place by 120 days, then membership in Rotary will be terminated. If a member wishes to return, they must pay all outstanding dues prior to resubmitting an application.”

Another IMPORTANT change …. When we start meeting in-person in September, meal fees will increase to $30 for both excused members and guests. We will also ask that meal fees (Excused & guests) be paid at the door. We will no longer bill.

 

RCCF Grant Applications Being Accepted Through Sept. 1

The Rotary Club of Charleston Fund (RCCF) is accepting requests for grants.  Interested organizations are required to submit a Letter of Inquiry and complete a grant application prior to September 1 to be considered.  The application and other details regarding the grant process can be found on our club’s website — www.charleston-rotary.org.  For more information, please contact RCCF Chair, David Burt at [email protected].

 

Important COVID-19 Message from the District

We wanted to share the below from outgoing District Governor, Johnny Moore. This will be part of our club’s COVID procedures going forward. We do not have any scheduled in-person Rotary gatherings until August, but please keep this in mind when we begin in-person meetings.

It has come to my attention that we need to set some ground rules for dealing with Rotarians who contract COVID-19 and how we deal with this in our clubs.  First, for the Rotarians themselves. We MUST maintain absolute confidentiality for ANYONE who tests positive for COVID-19 unless they give us permission to share their information.  That said, we MUST also ask, even require, that any Rotarian who has been to an in-person Rotary meeting or other function and later suspects they have COVID-19 report this to their Club President as soon as possible.  This could be due to being in close contact with a person who tests positive or that they show symptoms. And, they absolutely must let the Club President know immediately if they test positive.  Then, keeping confidentiality, the Club President MUST let all who attended that event know that there was someone at the event or meeting who came down with symptoms or tested positive.  This will, at least, give all those notified the option of being tested immediately.  And, it gives them warning that maybe they should limit their contact with others until it is proven that they are not infected.

With the increased number of cases being reported, this becomes even more critical to the health and welfare of our fellow Rotarians and their families.  Please, join me in helping stop the spread of this nasty bug.  If we are all vigilant and responsible, it can and will make a difference.

Official Rotary Club of Charleston Statement on Racial Inequity and Business Support

The Rotary Club of Charleston Board of Directors has adopted an official statement on Racial Inequity and Business Support in light of the recent unrest in our community and across the nation and the world. Rotary International had adopted an official statement on June 1, and we felt it was important for our Rotary Club to take a stand to condemn racial injustice and also show support for our small businesses who were affected during the recent rioting. While this has been a very challenging year for our community and our members with this pandemic and the resulting economic effects, we feel hopeful that a shift is occurring for the pandemic that has plagued our country for 400 years. In both our words and our actions, we have a chance to be a part of changing our future to one that allows all of our citizens to have a chance to live up to their fullest potential. With all the amazing and transformative impact the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston has had on our community and milestones that we have celebrated throughout this 100th anniversary year, you can be proud to be a part of an organization that lives up to our vision of uniting to create lasting change in our world, our communities and in ourselves.

The statement in its entirety can be found on the lead page of our club’s website.

Global Grant Scholar – Madison Davis

Our Club is sponsoring Madison Davis, a junior at the College of Charleston, for this year’s Ambassadorial Global Grant Scholarship.

Rotary Foundation Global Grants are used to fund scholarships with sustainable, high impact outcomes in one of Rotary’s six areas of focus: peace and conflict resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, and economic and community development.  Madison is planning to attend the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine pursuing an MSc in Nutrition for Global Health.  Madison will be in competition with a number of other candidates within District 7770 vying for a cash grant of up to $50,000 to attend graduate study for one academic year abroad.  Good luck Madison!!!

 

Volunteers Needed for Club Committees 

Interact Club – This club meets at Charleston Charter for Math and Science, and helps promote Rotary values and volunteering with high school students.  We co-sponsor the club with the Charleston Breakfast Club.  The club meets Wednesdays from 11-11:30 am, and will continue to meet in the coming year, though as sponsors we might Zoom in depending on CCSD guidelines.  The volunteer usually attends meetings once or twice a month.  There is a Teacher sponsor who does the bulk of the work.  I personally have volunteered with this group, and truly enjoyed the young people.  Jack Mitchell was doing this but has moved to Atlanta.  One to two volunteers needed.  Contact Lisa Van Bergen at [email protected]

Social Committee – This group coordinates social events for the club.  We need 1-2 people to chair the committee, and more volunteers are always welcome.  Contact Lisa Van Bergen at [email protected]

Zoom Committee – Past President David Burt has done an outstanding job serving as our Zoom host and bringing you our meetings via Zoom each week.  We will continue to offer meetings on Zoom for the foreseeable future.  In order to do this, we need a few additional “Zoom-savvy” Rotarians to assist David with this task as there will be meetings that he will be unable to attend. If you are interested, please reach out to David at [email protected].

Club/District Emails

As a Rotarian and a member in District 7770, you are receiving emails from our club and the District.  Both the club and the District try to minimize the number of emails being sent, but in today’s world of staying at home and no contact, emails are the main way to get information out and keep Rotarians connected. Please do not unsubscribe from District emails as this also effects your ability to receive club emails. If you unsubscribe from the District emails,  then you are also unsubscribing from receiving club emails.

Contribute to The CART Fund On-Line

It is now easy to contribute and support The CART Fund electronically. The CART Fund has just rolled out a new portal www.mycartfund.org, which you can easily access. As a Rotarian and a DACdb user, you automatically have an account already set-up in your name. Your user name and password are the same as it is for the DACdb.

Our Club is on Social Media

Members are encouraged to follow all of our social media channels and share posts with their followers too!  We also need members to send us picture of anything they do that relates to Rotary – service projects, meetings, events, etc.  We would love to keep our accounts full of smiling Rotarians! Photos can be send to Mike Sottak, [email protected], or Rob Byko, [email protected].

 

MEMBER NEWS

Long-time Rotarian Bill Hall passed away suddenly this past Wednesday morning.  Bill, founder of Hall’s Chophouse, was a dedicated Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow for over 34 years joining our club in 2010.  Bill was a community leader, great friend to all and huge supporter of Rotary throughout his time in Charleston. He was a true gentleman, who lived his life by our motto “Service Above Self”. We will be forever grateful for his generosity and assistance in making Hall’s Signature Events (5 Faber) our current “home”.  Bill will be greatly missed by all of us and the entire Charleston community!  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the staff of Hall’s Restaurant Group.

Congratulations to Virginia Lee and her fiancé, Greg Lawrence, who recently were engaged!  We wish them both all the best!

Proposed New Member

The following membership candidate has submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:

Nick Wackym, III – sponsor:  Past President Alex Dallis; classification:  Investigative Agency/Mgmt

In the event you know Nick, please tell a member of the Board how he will serve the ideas of Rotary.

Best wishes for all of us to stay safe and continue to stay connected as we help those who are most vulnerable in our community.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to fellow Rotarians if we can help you in any way in the days and weeks to come!

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

    • Rotarian:  Chloe Tonney
        • JOINED: 8/11/2020
        • SPONSOR: Tom Leonard
        • MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: New Member;  International Service Committee – Global Grant Chair
        • CLASSIFICATION:  Eleemosynary/Executive
        • PROFESSION: President & CEO, Trident United Way
        • SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF:   My great-Uncle was Vice President of the United States under Harry Truman, Ablen W. Barkley. He served in both houses of Congress and as the 35th VP of the US; Another of my uncles invented car headlights and sold the rights to Henry Ford; Chloe is a master gardener and has a love of being outdoors and playing in the dirt.

Birthdays

    • August 26 – Rudy Gill

By the numbers

    • Attendance on August 11, 2020:  50
    • Not in attendance:  Altman, Berry, Bickley, Bini, Brack, Ceccato, Clark, Cole, Cook, Cooper, Cooper, Coxe, Crouch, DeGraff, Diminich, Donaldson, Dopp, Drafts, Echols, Fink, Finniff, Frume, Gill, Gionvanniello, Goxhaj, Holmes, Husser, Imam, Jones, Jones, Kaynard, Lietzow, Loredo, Lucy, Minson, Miracle, Moring, Morse, Oswalt, Palmer, Patrick, Peters, Ravenel, Raver, Rust, Savage, Seguer, Shahid, Sidebottom, Smith, H., Smith, P., Staley, Strickland, Taylor, Tecklenburg, John, Teller, Thomas, Tonney, Uram, Vanek, Walters, Weston
    • Out of Town Make-ups: None
WELLNESS TIP

Stavros Triantafyllidis, who is our club’s new Wellness Chair, has compiled a Wellness Guide for our Rotary club.  In upcoming issues of The Keyway, you will find some illustrations, innovative ideas and tips for exercise at home. The information provided was inspired by the Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP) at The Citadel.

Cardiovascular Endurance

  • Walking, Running, and Biking: Going for a walk, jog, or run is a simple and extremely effective way to maintain your cardiovascular fitness during this trying time. Many of you do this already and should continue to do so as long your area allows you to leave your home.
  • Sustainable Mobility: The latter activities are also considered as sustainable, because they do not emit any Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) in the atmosphere.
  • Indoors: Some of you may have a stationary bike or a treadmill at home. Here are some tips:
AREA CLUB MEETINGS

Mondays

  • Summerville – Oakbrook: 7:30 a.m., Monday, Westcott County Club, 5000 Wescott Club Drive, North Charleston
  • North Charleston: 12:30 a.m., Monday, Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Blvd, North Charleston.
  • Summerville Evening: 5:30 p.m., Monday, Montreux Bar and Grill, 127 W. Richardson Ave., Summerville

Tuesdays

  • East Cooper Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Cooper River Room at Waterfront Park, Mount Pleasant
  • Charleston: 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Hall’s Signature Events, 5 Faber, Charleston
  • Goose Creek: 12:45  m. Tuesday, Gilligan’s, 219 St. James Ave., Goose Creek

Wednesdays

  • Daniel Island: 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Daniel Island Club, 600 Island Park Dr., Daniel Island
  • St. John’s Parish (John’s Island): 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, 2817 Maybank Highway, Unit 1, John’s Island
  • Mount Pleasant: 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Harbor Breeze Restaurant, 176 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant
  • Summerville: 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sticky Fingers, Summerville

Thursdays

  • North Charleston Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Embassy Suites, 5055 International Blvd., North Charleston
  • Moncks Corner: 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Gilligan’s Restaurant, Moncks Corner
  • St. Andrews (West Ashley): 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Bessinger’s BBQ, 1602 Savannah Highway, Charleston.

Fridays

SOCIAL MEDIA 

Our Rotary club actively uses social media — and we encourage you to interact with us through social media.

  • We’re on Facebook.  Take a look at our page and be sure to “like us”.
  • We’re on Twitter.  You can follow us @chasrotaryclub.
  • We’re on Instagram.  You can follow us @ChasRotaryClub.
ABOUT THE KEYWAY 

The Keyway has been published weekly as a newsletter for the Rotary Club of Charleston for more than 90 years.

  • President: Lisa Van Bergen
  • Keyway editor: Don Baus [email protected]
  • Executive secretary: Carroll Schweers, [email protected]
  • Mailing address: Rotary Club of Charleston, P.O. Box 21029 ,Charleston, SC 29413-1029
  • Copyright 2018, Rotary Club of Charleston. All rights reserved