Author: Dave Siebert

 

Watch today's meeting here:   https://youtu.be/_z8uCPL2dPk

 

Our Meeting was called to order by President Ryan Bell.

 

The attendees sang “America the Beautiful”, led by Rtn. Aaron Schaeffer accompanied by Rtn. Devin van Holsteijn on the mandolin.  To be perfectly honest, they led all the singing today.

 

 

President Ryan Bell again reminded the assembled to complete the opinion survey by next Friday, January 27, and also about the upcoming District Conference set to kick-off on April 22.

 

Rtn. Tara Minetos made another plea for help in unravelling the current problems we are experiencing with the revamped Club website.

 

Rtn. Heather Croskrey announced that online registration is now open for the 2023 RMH Golf Tournament is now open.

 

Rtn. Thais Winkleblack announced that this Saturday will see the first Iowa Most trip since the pandemic shutdowns began.

 

Rtn. Marc Pries thanked Rotarians for their support and work on the Rotary Heartsafe project. 

 

Today’s meeting offered a special treat with newly-inducted Rotarians Lisa Mills and JJ Hardy Riding the Goat.  On a day of swift rides, JJ must have set a new club record when he completed his in what must have been under sixty-seconds!

 

 

Rtn. Julia Winter introduced today’s speaker, Ryan Dickson, Director of the “988” Suicide and Crisis Help Line.  His topic today was entitled “988 Expansion: Improving Access to Mental Health Care”.

 

Ryan described how the 988 service formally opened in July, 2022, replacing the established “Suicide Prevention Hotline”.  The center employs a specially-trained staff to provide direct-contact suicide prevention intervention, information referral, follow-up support, and third party referral assistance by phone, chat and text.  All 988 callers are automatically switched to the 988 center nearest their geographic location.  Ryan described the intervention method as a triage attempt based on a three-step process of 1) empathy and validation, 2) identification of feelings and issues, and 3) wrap-up, referral and follow-up.

 

Iowa’s 988 centers are funded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHS), relying on the VIBRANT umbrella organization and the State of Iowa to work with individual local centers.

 

Rotarians are encouraged to help spread the word about 988 in the community, to avoid stigmatizing suicide, to donate time and resources and to lobby for increased support from the government.  Q&A followed, expanding on the speaker’s remarks.

 

The meeting ended with P Ryno leading the assembly in reciting The Four Way Test.

 

 

Visiting Rotarians: Nary a one.

 

Guests: Chip Reeves (Bill Bywater); Ryan Dickson (Julia Erickson); Marc Hall (LaDonna Wickland); Jim Jackson (Heather Croskrey); and David LaMere (Verne Folkman).  

 

Program: Devin van Holsteijn; Attendance: Nancy Droll; Greeter: Ron Ettinger, doing a great job flying solo.