Meeting of March 21, 2019
Announcements
1. Chef Mark Vogelmann announced that this would be his last breakfast for us. After 20 or so years with Spring Hill he is going to another restaurant in Derry, NH effective immediately. Rosalie will make sure we have some coverage for the next week or two but we need to figure out how to proceed. Put on your thinking caps...
2. Robin Wheeler reminded us to help her fill her Bucket of Brew and her Basket of Wine, items to be auctioned off at the MEF/Rotary dance on April 27th.
3. Next on deck is the Geography Quiz Night on April 5th. Be ready...be very very ready... We need most hands on deck. And raffle items, if you've got 'em.
4. Got blood? April 13th at the South Berwick town hall you can give yours. Or you can help if help is still needed.
5. Got junk? If it's electronic, save yourself the transfer station fees and bring them to our tractor-trailer truck that will be parked at Eliot Commons on May 18th. Free-will donations of cash to Rotary for this service will benefit our scholarship fund which is running on fumes. Plus, you are doing the environment good because the folks who collect our stuff will recycle components and harvest useful materials from them. Spread the word so we can fill the truck!
6. The next board meeting was rescheduled to the following Monday.
7. The speaker at our next meeting will be Theresa Tozier from Lydia's House of Hope, a fabulous program that is doing wonderful things.
Program
We are grateful to Carol Chapman for inviting her friend and fellow pickle ball player (what is pickle ball - I was too embarrassed to ask - is it played with pickles or balls or both?), retired anesthesiologist Robert Andelman. He retired after 34 years, having worked at Portsmouth Regional Hospital and Wentworth Douglas Hospital, but he still had plenty of interests and the energy to pursue them. He volunteered at Families First out of Goodwin Health and also serves as a marine docent. What piqued his interest was the suboxone treatment for substance abuse. As a long-time Portsmouth resident he is well aware of the alarming rate of overdoses we are seeing. He researched the suboxone program and wanted to get involved. To do so, he needed his medical license, a federal narcotics license, and a waiver course, in order to be able to prescribe suboxone to patients. The clients at Families First have many life problems and part of the program is to get to know the patients and then take part in team meetings to address their issues. Suboxone is another narcotic, but it's weak and it is almost impossible to overdose on it. However, it stops the craving for other narcotics. It is administered as strips placed under the tongue. Robert is impressed with the safety profile of it and its role as an inhibitor. Whereas methodone programs are 3 strikes and you're out, this one treats the addiction as a chronic illness. He recounted stories of ways this program has restored people to being productive citizens again without the terrible stigma of being categorized as an addict. And most of all, this program saves lives.