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The La Cawañian La Cañada, CA – August 15, 2001 OPENING: Jim Edwards called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m., and, although exalted tones reverberated through the Van de Kamp Hall with an a cappella rendition of "America the Beautiful," the headliner of the hour was not today's glorious music, but Bob Slattery, whose natural stage presence made him the star of the day, and who stole the show from just about everyone. Jim Reynolds delivered the invocation. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Tempestuous, and displaying a bit of attitude, Slattery made his return to the group following surgery and his first words were an act of defiance toward President Edwards. "Do you have a guest you'd like to introduce?" asked Edwards. "No," said Slattery, casting a sidelong glance at his wife, and smiling wryly as he explained, "Because she's chewing." His Eminence, his Honor Mayor Anthony Portantino introduced daughter, Sofia, and finally Slattery relented and presented his wife, Wealthy. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Ed Moulton asked for volunteers to drive senior citizens to this year's upcoming Kiwanis Travelogue Fundraisers so that he can list transportation as a service to seniors in a promotional brochure now in preparation. Howard Backer announced he had presented a Tom Smith Memorial Fund $2100 check to the Tournament of Roses to provide electrical equipment for the float. The earmarked funds commemorated Smith's career in electrical contracting. The chapter also received a note from Barbara Smith in thanks for the generous gift. Additionally, he noted that the Nancy Palermo fund at the Y will be called the La Cañada Kiwanis Association Nancy Palermo fund. It's a permanent fund for scholarships to Y camp. Frosty Boyd was full of medical announcements noting that Lou Roberts was hospitalized for the removal of steel rods from his arm. Boyd also revealed that medical researchers have discovered a new disease with no symptoms and that is impossible to detect. So far, there have been no cases reported, and there also is no known cure. (Frosty, I wonder if the cure to that illness is a glass of Chardonnay prior to dinner.) Slattery thanked all who visited him in the hospital or sent notes, commenting that he received many letters, and some people wrote several times. "It really made me feel welcome," he said. Pat Anderson, who will be president in 46 days, delivered an extensive and detailed report from the Sparks, Nevada, Fall Conference of the Kiwanis Cal Neva, District 3: Delegates passed a variety of resolutions including measures to support Nelson Tucker as the district's International trustee; to reaffirm the objects of Kiwanis; to support the Pediatric Trauma Prevention Program; to reaffirm support for sponsored youth programs such as K Kids; to show support for International President-elect, Dr. Ito Torres, an energetic man who has been appointed as a liaison between our district and International. She also presented statistics noting that of the 546 clubs in the Cal Neva district, 403 clubs were represented. There were 830 registered delegates representing 18,000 Kiwanians in the Cal Neva district, which is among the biggest in the world. Pat Liddell, a Glendale Kiwanis Club member, will be lieutenant governor, replacing Vic Legerton. Governor-elect is Mark McDonald, from San Diego. The year's theme will be "Service, Key to the Future." And sea otters will be the mascot of the year. Next year's International Convention will be in New Orleans in mid June. Pat's report was so detailed there isn't room for all the resolutions, all the statistics, or all the names she provided, but she said she'd love to discuss it further with anyone wanting to hear more. HAPPY BUCKS AND CENTURY CLUB: Phil Hammons, back from two back-to-back vacations within a month, was a big spender with $2 for his trips to a national Boy Scout jamboree and a Scout ranch, plus a long series of other happy and sad bucks related to missing everyone, attending an Arizona Kiwanis Club meeting, and not being victimized by a hungry campsite bear. Moulton tossed in $10 for failing to get club pins, and $10 for welcoming back Bob Slattery. Glen Petit joined the Century Club to celebrate his 47-year anniversary with wife, Caryl. Hal Backer tossed in a sad buck when his niece mistook him for being 92 years old instead of 72. Sandy Senstrom gave a happy buck in commemoration of being able to work soon with an incoming female president whom she said, "acted like she'd always known me and that we would be good friends for ever" from the first moment that they'd met. Tom Slaughter gave a happy buck on behalf of quick Bulletin transmissions to him that enable him to post them on the website post haste. Program: Former USC Health Sciences Campus Dean Bob Tranquada discussed the McKane-Kennedy Patients' Bill of Rights, which was approved by the Senate in June. Tranquada's talk explained why federal intervention was needed to ensure Americans could receive fair and adequate medical treatment in the wake of soaring health care costs and correspondingly severe cost-cutting measures taken by insurance companies. Some provisions of the bill include: visits to certain specialists without HMO approval (obstetricians, pediatricians, etc.), use of specialists who treat continuing illnesses as "primary" doctors (i.e. an endocrinologist treating a diabetic), that patients be informed of all medical options regardless whether the HMO will pay for them; use of physicians outside the plan if none on the plan can meet patients' needs, mandatory provision of drugs not on the list if those drugs are necessary for treatment, that doctors and nurses can report health care quality problems without fear of reprisal by the HMO. Tranquada cited statistics showing that 2.8 million L.A. County residents lack health insurance, but those who do receive health care subsidized by the County. The United States is the only industrialized nation without nationalized health coverage. This country is superceded by 16 nations with lower infant mortality rates, and California ranks 23rd in the country with life expectancy. He called the bill "a step in the right direction." Next week: Invocation:
Matt Regan.
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