Rotary District 5650, which includes clubs in Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa, is seeking to gather much-needed medical supplies for hospitals and medical clinics in Ukraine. District Governor Carol Horner is urging members of the clubs in the district to contact medical centers, hospitals, emergency personnel (such as fire departments and police departments), and any others that Rotarians can think of and ask if there are any medical supplies available that could be donated and shipped. We have learned from doctors and medical professionals in Ukraine and those connected to them in the United States that they need the following:
- Bandages
- Gauze
- Neosporin or other topical creams
- Slings
- Combat action tourniquets
- Israeli gauze compression bandages
- 14 gauze at least 2 inches long
- Angiocatheter needles
- Quickclot gauze
- Chlorine tablets for clean water
- SAM splints
- Emergency kits
In an emergency meeting on Monday evening, March 21, club presidents and other district officials gathered to consider the need and discuss how they could help. Those present began to talk of medical connections, transportation connections and other people who were members or knew people in their communities who could help with this project.
District Governor Horner has asked for volunteers to respond not only to the very specific list of medical supply needs, but for people in Lincoln and Omaha to identify possible collections sites where supplies could be gathered, trucking connections to help transport those supplies to Chicago and anyone with worthwhile suggestions to contact either her or district administrator Nicki Klein.
This project came as the result of a much broader undertaking involving ten Rotary districts throughout the Midwest seeking to raise funds to help pay for the transport of medical supplies from Chicago to Poland and Ultimately into Ukraine. The Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA) which is based in Chicago has worked with the Rotary International offices and ultimately with a number of Rotary districts in the central part of the country to help transport medical supplies. The UMANA members have managed to pull together more than 30 tons of supplies and they’ve arranged for the transportation of an initial shipment of 10 tons. Ten Rotary districts in the Midwest have each pledged $25,000 toward this initiative, with the involvement of people in the main offices of Rotary and the Rotary Foundation in Chicago and members of Rotary in Poland and Ukraine.
Rotarians, show your neighbors, show the people across the United States, show the people of Ukraine that you really mean it when you say Service above Self. Respond to Carol or Nicki with the following:
- Contacts you are making with medical, health care and emergency professionals to ask for the list of supplies above.
- Lincoln and Omaha, let them know if you have a place as large as a garage or warehouse space where supplies can be pulled together.
- Transportation equipment, personnel, and arrangements to get the supplies from Lincoln and Omaha to the UMANA warehouse in Chicago.
During our workout this morning, Kathy Rieger came up with the name for our project: OPERATION SUPPLY WHEEL! Let's get this wheel rolling! The magic of Rotary is real!
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