Dear METS Representatives:
Thank you for agreeing to serve as your club’s representative to District 6920 Medical Equipment Transport Service – METS. Several of you know more about METS than I do, others of you have heard of us but aren’t sure exactly what we do nor are you clear about what I hope you will do as a METS Rep (MR). When you finish reading this letter, I hope that you will:

Know why we exist and what we do
Understand the METS restructure plan that you are a part of and have a personal interest and enthusiasm for METS’ work
Begin to formulate ideas and plans for how you want to help
Be able to tell others what we do and enlist their support

Why METS? The United Nations reports that 11 million children under the age of 5 die each year of curable, preventable disease. Project CURE reports that in Ecuador, a 350-bed hospital has no clean suture so stitches are removed from one patient, dipped in alcohol and used in another. The World Health Organization reports that in Kenya, an area of growing HIV/AIDS infection, nurses boil used needles over a fire before reusing them. In the United States, every year literally thousands of pounds of useable medical equipment and supplies end up in landfills.

A brief history: METS began in late 2003 when founding Rotarian, Dr. Robert Ashley (Savannah Sunrise), collected surplus equipment and supplies, stored them in borrowed warehouse space, then shipped our first 40-foot container to Guatemala. By early 2004, Bob had garnered financial support and commitment from District 6920, assembled a Board of Directors composed of District leaders, incorporated METS as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, leased warehouse space in Savannah and established a donor base to provide a steady flow of surplus supplies.&nb sp; Bob and Alan Usher (Pooler) have been the main-stays of the project. Supplies are packed and documented by Rotary clubs on scheduled Saturday mornings. To date, METS has shipped sixteen 40-ft. containers to 6 different countries – that’s approximately 250,000 lbs of medical equipment and supplies valued at over $5 million. METS continues to be staffed entirely by volunteers.

In 2006, Bob decided to leave Savannah for his next humanitarian project. METS was slated to close when I learned about it and applied for the job of Director. In October, 2006, the BOD appointed me Managing Director, Bob Ashley Director Emeritus, and Al Wieners Asst. Director. Alan Usher continues as Warehouse Manager. Over the past few months, I’ve come to believe the work is far too important to end in the event that the position of METS Managing Director should be vacated. To that effect, the BOD approved a restructure plan that distributes responsibility thro ughout District 6920 by involving more people from the district and, generally, raising our profile with all District 6920 Rotarians. METS will always require a Managing Director but the demands of the position should be more readily assumable by an actively employed Rotary volunteer.

The Restructure Plan places YOU, your club’s METS Rep (MR), as the basis for the stability and continued growth of METS. Always open to suggestions, I envision your responsibilities as (but not limited to):

Be a METS ambassador in your community. Educate your club and community about METS.
In urban areas with large medical facilities (***see below), work with other MRs and Rotarians to establish area collection and storage programs with local medical providers, including local hospitals, clinics, physician and dental offices, supply and equipment distributors.
In smaller towns, establish relationships with local healthcare providers to obtain surplus supplies and retired equipment. Is there a medical supplies warehouse in your community?
Promote Sort Days at the METS warehouse – that’s 4 hours on a Saturday morning, 10-14 people – with your club, your church groups, even with (forgive me) other civic organizations.
Provide additional warehouse manpower for special needs cases.
Inform Regional Rep (“RR” see definition below) of any paperwork required/requested by donors.
Provide RR with accurate donor contact information.
Watch for potential recipient organization contacts through local and personal connections.

I’d like to see the restructure develop into a two-tiered plan, with MRs coordinated by a Regional Rep. To accomplish this, I’ve sub-divided District 6920 into 8 regions by geographically combining the existing sixteen Assistant Governor regions into 8 METS Regions (see accompanying chart). A Regional Rep would be selected from among the METS Reps of each region. Regional Reps (RRs) will:

Work with all the METS Reps in their region and coordinate pickup and storage programs between clubs. For instance, depending on the geographic size of region, RR might arrange for one central storage facility while the MRs arrange for actual product pickup from providers and delivery to storage. The RR would also let the Director know when storage is nearing capacity and needs to be picked up and taken to the METS warehouse.
Assist and encourage METS Reps in establishing relationships with local healthcare providers who will donate surplus equipment and supplies, in preparing pickup schedules, etc. – all aspects of pickup and storage project. METS Director will help RRs understand process for establishing program and provide collection bins, etc.
Assist METS Director in acquiring specifically requested equipment and/or supplies.
Make METS program presentations to regional clubs and organizations.
Communicate donor requests for tax related documentation to Director.
Periodically, communicate appreciation in writing to area donors.
Provide Director with accurate list of donor contact information.

Medical contacts are definitely an asset to us but some of the other functions we need assistance with are newsletter publishing (hard-copy and electronic), web-site design, corporate partnering, volunteer recruitment and coordination, product and financial donations, and capital campaign assistance. Experience in warehousing will be valuable as we move through the capital campaign to purchase larger warehouse space and develop procedures for processing more product and for warehouse organization. Transportation, both domestic and international, is another area where expertise will be advantageous as we broaden both our donor and recipient base. Time requirements will vary depending on how much a particular Rep wants to do.

In summary, I hope that expanding the overall District knowledge and support for METS will cause our District 6920 to become a breeding ground for new ideas and strategies for accomplishing the goals of METS. Responsibilities as defined above will change as we implement the proposed plan, adding what we’ve not thought of and removing what is superfluous. Time requirements will curtail significantly once the pickup and storage programs are in place. I also think this will be an excellent way to identify potential Board Members as well as broaden our support base in general. Please always feel free to offer suggestions and critiques. The goal here is to help those in need, not build fiefdoms or shield sensitive egos.

There is far too much information about METS to cover in one letter so I will try to communicate en masse every week or so, keeping you informed about what is going on but also relating stories from our past, hopefully encouraging you as you become part of our METS family. I hope the METS mission will capture your hearts and minds as it has mine.

Again, thank you for joining us at METS. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

Patti

3 attachments:
            METS Organizational Chart
            METS Reps as of 7/29/2007
            Summer Newsletter 2007

*** District Urban Medical facilities in METS Regions 1,2,3, 7, and 8:
Macon(1)         Coliseum Medical Center – 258 beds
                        Medical Center of Central GA – 603 beds
Brunswick(2) Brunswick Hospital – 316 beds
Valdosta(3)     Valdosta Hospital – 335 beds
Savannah(7)    St. Joe’s/Candler – 615
                        MMC – 530 (adults), 85 (children/Backus)
Augusta(8)      Univ. Health Care Syst. – 581 beds
                        Doctor’s Hospital - ?
                        MCG – 478 (adults), 154 (children)
                        St. Joe’s – 231 beds
Total Inpatient Beds: 4,186