Welcome to Rotary District 6580!

District Governor Sue Wright

"April is Maternal & Child Health Month"

Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. While many women associate pregnancy as a time of happiness and anticipation, others associate pregnancy with suffering, ill health and death.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has rated the United States as having the worst rate of maternal deaths in the "developed" world. I decided to look up the meaning of a "developed country." The Cambridge English dictionary defines a developed country as: a country with a lot of industrial activity and where people generally have high incomes.

Pregnancy related deaths in the United States were 26.4 per 100,000 births in 2017. The United Kingdom comes in second with pregnancy related deaths at 9.2 per 100,000 births. It is estimated that 20-50% of these deaths are due to preventable causes. (NPR News)

One of the top controversial topics in the United States is vaccines. There are those who see vaccines as life savers and guardians against communicable diseases. Opponents argue that vaccines can be dangerous and create side effects such as Autism to their children. Even though we may not have children or grandchildren who need vaccines, we ALL know someone who has their opinion about the flu shot.

A healthy child needs a healthy mother. Good health means both mental and physical well being.

Nearly 6 million children (worldwide) under the age of 5 die each year because of malnutrition, poor health care and inadequate sanitation. (rotary.org)

Rotary provides education, immunizations, birth kits, and mobile health clinics throughout the world. Women are taught to protect themselves, their children and community from diseases.

Rotarians understand the parental responsibility to provide a healthy and safe environment for our children but this responsibility also includes the entire public's health and safety.

We must continue our pursuit to expand access to quality, affordable health care for everyone; reduce the alarming rate of deaths for pregnant mothers; and support vaccinations to stem the outbreak of communicable diseases.

"Service Above Self"

~Sue