In October, the Health Care Committee received a briefing on the upcoming legislative session by the health care and mental health issues chairs. We also discussed the state League’s civic education project on Public Hospital Districts. The report can be found on the LWV WA
website.
In a time with so much bad news, here’s a good news story. In the 1980s, Rotary International funded a project to eliminate polio. Many of us remember polio piggy banks for us to deposit coins. Rotary partnered with organizations including UNICEF, the World Health Organization, US-CDC, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Today, all but two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, have eliminated wild polio.
When this goal was established, it truly was a big, hairy, audacious goal (a phrase coined by a consultant) – BHAG. Since that time, countless children and adults have been spared the devastating consequences of contracting polio. Global health care systems have been spared the costs and tragedies of this disease. Children are saved one vaccine at a time. October 24th was World Polio Day. This is an accomplishment of immense pride that started as a BHAG.
The Health Care committee meets over Zoom on the second Thursday of most months. The meeting link is on the events calendar. If you would like to be added to the list to receive meeting notices and agendas, contact
Tressa Kentner.