Rotary Informer

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey via the world wide web! Liz Ahrens, our President officiated the meeting. If you did not get the chance to attend you can watch it from this Recording Link

Pledge/Anthem:  America The Beautiful played by Howard Richards

Four-Way Test:  Recited by Everyone

Invocation:  Neil Bidwell

Our lives are in turmoil, our hearts are heavy, help us to cope with this modern plague.  We are worried for our families and we are concerned for our communities.

We ask for courage to stay strong.....for those in our care and for ourselves. Give us insight to act in loving ways to the vulnerable, isolated, lonely and the heroes leading on the front lines.

Quell our anxiety and keep us safe.......Bless us with strength. Amen

Rabbi Lisa Levine

Singing/Song:  We sang Happy Birthday for our birthday celebrants played by and led by Howard Richards and then we sang “Smile”

Calendar Winners:  Read by Bob Metzger

Calendar Winners April 22, 2020

Visiting Rotarians:  Thank you for joining us today:  Gary Voison, Cheboygan; Tom Oelke, Petoskey Sunrise Rotary

Guests:  Becky Philipp-Kranig - PM, Izabella Babinska, McLaren Northern Hospital Foundation, Karen Denbesten, Infectious Disease Specialist McLaren

Life Events: 

Rotary Care List:  None this week 

Birthdays:

Bill Collins

Bob Metzger

Anniversaries:

Joe Taylor - 2 Years

Announcements:

Member Check-In: 

To all members who could not make it we encourage you to do so next week and we also encourage all of you to continue to be safe so that we can see you in good health when we can next meet together at a regular Rotary meeting in the not too distant future.

Program:  Karen Denbesten, Infectious Disease Specialist McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital

Today we heard from Dr. Denbesten, an infectious disease specialist at McLaren Northern Michigan.

Dr. Denbesten ran through a timeline of coronavirus-related events around the globe, noting that McLaren Northern Michigan began to make preparations for this around March 1. They created an isolation unit, surge plans, etc. and have been able to say a few steps ahead of the virus.

Dr. Denbesten believes that our social distancing efforts are working. However, she feels that in rural environments the virus will have a different trajectory than it has in urban environments. In rural environments there will be more of a "roller coaster" of activity--cases up, cases down, cases up, etc. instead of experiencing a surge of cases as has been happening in urban environments like Detroit.

She noted that "we don't set the timeline for recovery. The virus sets the timeline."

Dr. Denbesten is concerned about "super spreaders" -- people who have COVID-19 but are showing no symptoms, so they are in public unknowingly spreading the virus to others. That's why it's recommended that people wear face masks, so that asymptomatic people can better-contain their germs.

Following Dr. Denbesten's remarks, there was a lively Q&A with Rotarians.

Next Week’s Program:  Greg Irwin, Salvation Army and Doug Beck, Chemical Bank

Parting Shots:  Howard Richards played Hank Williams, Jr.’s “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound.” The world is a much better place with Howard Richards in it.