President Marv Edelstein welcomed members to the meeting and apologized for the lack of a functioning microphone.  Bruce Baumberger offered a Thought for the Day from Mark Twain: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sales.  Explore.  Dream. Discover.”  From Bruce, “Ravinia ends in about a month.  Do it now.”

 

 

President Edelstein explained that information about upcoming meetings and events will be appearing on the screen at the front of the room during the business portion of the meeting. This is being tried as an additional way to inform members about club activities.  If you have an announcement that you’d like included in the coming week’s “event loop,” please email Marv or Helen Oloroso by Monday afternoon prior to our Tuesday meeting. 

 

Don Gwinn has a small amount of Guatemalan coffee available for sale, as part of the “Good Coffee for Good” project, benefiting The Rotary Foundation. If interested, please contact Don or provide payment -- $12/bag -- to Treasurer Susan Prout. 

 

John Searles announced that our fall Beach Sweep will take place at Evanston Lighthouse Beach on Saturday, Sept. 16, 9 a.m.- noon.   More details will be forthcoming.

 

Helen Oloroso, Club Service Chair, explained that our club would be revisiting – via a paper ballot – how we begin our weekly meetings.  At a September club meeting (specific date TBD), we will be polling members on their interest in saying the Pledge of Allegiance, singing America The Beautiful, doing neither, or trying something else.

   

Fran Caan has again generously agreed to host our ELRC picnic at her home.  Helen Oloroso will be sending an email to all members, allowing them to select their preferred picnic dates in late August or September. 

 

Following up on his email message, Marv encouraged members to contact Membership Chair Jean Saunders or Facebook Manager Marisa Naujokas to suggest prospective members or post new content.

 

Marv presented Steve Carlson and Steve Steiber with additions to their Paul Harris Fellow recognition.  Steve received an impressive PHF+7 pin, while Steve received his PHF+2.  Thank you to these generous Rotarians for their support of the Rotary Foundation.    

 

 

Marcia Kazurinsky finished her blue badge requirements and shared a banner she obtained while visiting Rotary Clubs in her home state of Michigan.  Marcia visited the Rotary Club of Hillsdale (which boasts only two women, one of whom was President!) and the Rotary Club of Jonesville.

 

 

Albert Menard boasted Ann Searles & Bruce Baumberger for organizing last Sunday’s enjoyable Ravinia fellowship event.

 

Bill Vernon boasted his son who was inducted into the Boy Scout’s Order of the Arrow last week.

 

 

 

Linda Gerber explained that she suggested today’s program as a way to acknowledge our club’s important financial support of the efforts of Smile Train in the Philippines and Mexico.  Linda introduced the guests from Smile Train, focusing in particular on our speaker Dr. Alvaro Figueroa, member of the Medical Advisory Board for Smile Train.

 

A “rock star” in the Smile Train world, Dr. Figueroa is highly experienced and credentialed in the fields of orthodontics and craniofacial anomalies. Educated at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, the University of Rochester (orthodontics) and the University of Illinois (pediatric dentistry), Dr. Figueroa was recruited by Smile Train to expand on orthodontic/dental services, especially those that facilitate surgical procedure and improve outcomes.

 

A global leader, Figueroa teaches and provides clinical demonstrations to improve the knowledge of local orthodontists supporting Smile Train plastic surgeon partners. Last spring Linda traveled to Mexico with today’s attendees to see Smile Train in action.  Collaboration across borders, mutual respect, and deep appreciation were evident throughout that trip. 

 

Smile Train works globally to resolve problems associated with the conditions of cleft lip and palate (CLP).  CLP is a separation of the structures of the nose, lips, and roof of the mouth.   As detailed photos illustrated, proper repair and reconstruction of these defects require the services of a team – surgeons and plastic surgeons, dentist/orthodontists, speech and language pathologists, and ENT (ear nose and throat) specialists.

 

The most common birth defect in the U.S., cleft lip or palate affects 1 in 800 infants.  Incidence rates are higher among Asians and American Indians, and lower among African-derived populations.  The causes are varied: genetics (family history or chromosomal defects), race, sex (males experience higher incidence of Cleft Lip and Cleft Lip/Palate, while females experience Cleft Palates more frequently), environmental exposure (smoke, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, malnutrition – in particular a lack of folic acid).

 

There is great variability in the severity of cleft lips and palates, from modest deformities to bilateral clefts with extensive facial involvement.  Treatment models also vary extensively.  Cleft sufferers, particularly in rural areas, may receive no care at all.  Others are treated sporadically by local surgeons without specialized training. 

 

Mission trips have historically tackled cleft issues, but they are not – by their nature – able to provide ongoing care. Most successful is the comprehensive team treatment model (embraced by Smile Train) that is common in developed nations and in major cities in many countries.   The Smile Train model of partnering with local medical teams means that they are able to treat more children safely and efficiently.  They are able to provide year-round surgical, nutrition, speech and orthodontic cleft treatment.

 

Dr. Figueroa stressed that “the first time is the best time” to correct cleft issues.  Additional surgeries cause increased scarring and less favorable healing.   Addressing cleft problems in infancy is critical to both the long term success of the surgery and the overall development of the child.  It’s important to get it right the first time, minimizing the number (and cost) of surgeries.   One person simply can’t do it all!  The best outcomes result from working as a team.  

 

Dr. Figueroa explained – and showed with photos -- the importance of Infant Naso/Alveolar Orthopedics or NasoAlveolar Molding (NAM) in cleft work.  This pre-surgery technique uses appliances to better prepare the infant for eventual surgery, improving the shape of the nose and the infant’s ability to eat.   While the benefits of the technique are obvious, it is time-consuming and requires the skills of a trained dental professional, with additional costs for devices and more frequent dental visits.

 

Charles Wang, a Chinese businessman, philanthropist and the founder of Smile Train, took to heart a Chinese saying:  “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”  This has become the philosophy of Smile Train.  By working with local doctors, Smile Train empowers them to provide continuing care to patients in their home communities. 

 

Smile Train has had a huge impact on the global care of cleft patients.  Every 5 minutes a Smile Train surgery take places around the world by one of 2,100 Smile Train partner surgeons. More than 1,100 Smile Train partner hospitals adhere to very high safety and quality standards.  Since 1999, Smile Train has provided more than 1 million free cleft surgeries for children in 85+ countries, both rural & urban.  The majority of surgeries have occurred in Asia (India, China and the South Pacific), followed by Africa and Latin America.  Smile Train’s reach is truly worldwide. 

 

Dr. Figueroa shared an interesting graph, illustrating Safety and Sentinel Event (i.e. complication) trends over time.  An initially high complications rate (due to inexperience) has given way over time to very high success rates with minimal complications.  Today, only 1 in 10,000 Smile Train surgeries involves complications compared to 10 in 10,000 surgeries generally.  Smile Train achieves excellent outcomes very safely.

 

Smile Train Express, a sophisticated global database, records all surgeries (supplementing them with pre- and post-surgery photos, data recordings of speech and other important info) and allows them to be scored by Smile Train experts.  Scores are automatically compiled and evaluated regularly to target those in need of additional training.  This open access database allows Smile Train to monitor progress and offer help in a collegial, non-punitive way with training exchanges and other teaching tools.  (Smile Train has even developed a virtual surgery simulator which can be accessed anywhere in the world.)   

 

At a minimum, Smile Train communicates with its partners on a yearly basis, systematically receiving feedback and analyzing data to keep programs effective.  The relationship between Smile Train and its corps of trained surgeons is a true partnership.

 

Global quality is important at all levels.  Smile Train provides hands on training for partner surgeons (including cross-country exchanges, fellowships, and virtual video training).  The Cleft Teams benefit from anesthesia courses, speech & language pathology training, and orthodontic and dental training.  And lastly, communities can avail themselves of a free cleft help line, free library resources, town hall meetings, health worker training, feeding resources, speech therapy camps and paraprofessional training.   Smile Train also consistently supports national cleft associations.

 

During the past club year, the ELRC funded cleft-specific training of 10 ENT physicians in the Philippines.  To date, these newly trained surgeons have each completed more than 15-20 cleft surgeries, providing more than $50,000 of cleft care. 

 

With the continued financial support of our club, similar training will take place in Mexico.  Selected surgeons from underserved areas will be trained by a Mexican master surgeon, creating a pool of well-trained professionals.   Thank you to the ELRC for this support!

 

Dr. Figueroa urged our club to think about the rest of the world.  There are health care providers in every country, eager for new techniques to improve the lives of cleft patients.  A plastic surgeon from Chile fashioned a hook out of a paperclip and Teflon that mimicked NAM techniques, lifting and reshaping the nose prior to surgery, on an extremely low budget.  A pilot program in Brazil is taking this further. 

 

A World Journal of Surgery article used Smile Train data to project a $20 billion boost to the worldwide economy as a result of cleft surgery.   Costing as little as $250, each cleft surgery makes possible many years of individual productivity.  

 

Dr. Figueroa also shared the story of Smile Train’s One Millionth Patient – Osawa Owiti (Tanzania) -- who underwent cleft surgery at 6 years of age.   In his mother’s words, he received “not only a new smile, but a fresh start at a life with opportunities.”  

For more information, please visit the Smile Train website.

 

 

 

 

Jeff Gardner, ELRC

 

 

Alvaro Figueroa, DDS, speaker, Smile Train Medical Board of Advisors

Ellyn Harris, Smile Train Director of the U.S. Central Region

Peter Huften, Smile Train Chicago Advisory Council

Jason Lersch, Smile Train Chicago Advisory Council
Karen Segura-Medina, RI employee, guest of Kristin Brown and prospective member

Stephanie Katz, RI employee and guest of Kea Gorden

 

 

Harold Bauer - 11 years

Marisa Naujokas – 2 years

 

 

August Team Captain: Barb Miles

August Team Members: Harold Bauer, Gerry Baumann, Bruce Baumberger, Dale Bradley, Fran Caan