Four Seniors Win Rotary Scholarships

May 11, 2010: Four top Charleston high school seniors received $1,000 scholarships from the Rotary Club of Charleston for their commitment to serving the community.

“Today we will honor students from Ashley Hall, Burke, First Baptist and Porter-Gaud who have not only excelled academically, but who through their service have demonstrated that they are already acting on the ideals of Rotary,” said Rotarian Jeremy Cook, who heads the club’s scholarship committee.

Winners of the scholarship were:

Marjorie Hanger, Ashley Hall. Principal Mary Schweers, who introduced Hanger, said the student once said, “With education comes opportunity and responsibility, and she has taken that message to heart.” Hanger developed a volunteer program in Charleston, Dining with Women, to raise money and awareness of global issues. She said she learned through the project to try to make a difference in small ways – and that if a lot of people did that, there would be bigger change. She plans on attending DePaul University in Chicago.

Kimberly Bowman, Burke High School. Guidance Counselor Debra Woods outlined scholarship and other achievements by Bowman at the local school, including earning scholarship offers totaling $700,000. Bowman said in recent years she has valued working in the community in after school and programs to help the elderly. “I consider my time spent in the community my most significant experiences,” she said. “Devoting time to others’ lives is the most amazing contribution.” She will attend Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

Allie Hiott, First Baptist School. After counselor Sheree Bridges highlighted Hiott’s service as senior class president and design editor for the school yearbook, Hiott shared how she volunteered on two trips to a depressed West Virginia coal-mining town to help rebuild homes and learn new skills. Through the group projects, she said she learned that helping families made a big impact. “Serving others blesses me more than the people I help,” she said. Hiott will attend Wofford College in Spartanburg.

Katherine Smith, Porter-Gaud School. School coordinator Gretchen Tate introduced Smith as “one of the most dedicated and selfless student volunteers I have ever been associated with.” Over the past four years, Smith gave more than 120 hours of volunteer service with an emphasis on helping sick and elderly people. She said she planned to continue to volunteer, particularly in the Relay for Life program. She will attend the European Business School, an international college in Germany.

Cook summed up the scholarship presentation with a quote from Muhammad Ali: “Don’t count the days. Make the days count,” which it was obvious that all four students have done.

Submitted by Andy Brack, Keyway Committee

HEALTH CARE REFORMS IN SOUTH CAROLINA

May 5, 2010: David Dunlap, CEO of the Roper St Frances Hospital, spoke about Health Care Reform. The Roper system has 5000 employees in 90 locations in 7 counties. Locally, the company includes Roper Hospital, St. Frances in West Ashley and the soon to be completed hospital in Mt. Pleasant.

While no one ever asks for the cheapest services when faced with a cancer operation, those same people will dub the hospital bill “outrageous”. The system is broken, but the opinions on how to fix it are varied. Currently, health care in SC is provided in three ways: 2.2 million people receive it by employer based plans, which came into being during WWII when employers could not raise wages so they offered health benefits instead; 1.2 million get government sponsored plans through Medicare, Medicaid, Tri-Care or VA [military retirees]; 178,000 people buy private plans in the market. This leaves 760,000 in SC with no coverage: 557,000 are working taxpayers who have no job benefits and cannot afford plans, 357,000 people at the poverty level and the remainder who are poor single folks without children who are not eligible for anything.

The final group are covered by the EMTALA act of 1986 by the Federal government which forbids hospitals to deny medical services to those in need. In the last year SC hospitals spent 1 billion dollars on those people who paid nothing for their care. This cost is simply passed on to the bills of those who do pay. In 1999 the premiums for those with work related plans cost about $1500, with the employer share being $4200. In 2009 the employee share had gone to $3500 with the employer now paying $9800 per policy. This astronomical escalation of costs in simply not sustainable. The system as we know it, though medically superior, is broken.

This brings us to the new Federal Health Care Law of 2010. First David discussed the myths, which are false: there will be no choice in providers, there will be death panels, illegal immigrants will get free health care, there will be federal funds for abortion, health care will be rationed, according to Mr. Dunlap the above statements are simply not correct. Here are the facts:
coverage will not be denied due to pre-existing conditions; children can stay on parents’ policy until age 26; no higher premiums based upon gender or past medical history; no annual or lifetime limits to coverage; ability to shop among private carriers for policies [no public option]; there is an individual mandate, i.e. all must participate and not just wait until sick to start paying for medical costs; tax credits for employers with small businesses; state’s share of Medicaid paid for by the Federal government starting in 2014, with a declining assistance after 2016. There are other changes associated with the new plan for employers, physicians and patients. Employers will pay less for their share of an employees coverage, hospitals should have less debt, doctors will be paid for performance not volume of tests, see an increase in volume, and receive less compensation on specialty care. Patients and tax payers should see an increase in the populations coverage and perhaps a tax increase down the road.

Mr. Dunlap’s predictions – There will be continuing evolving changes. Many people will still delay getting medical care when they need it. Mental Health care is still not receiving improvements in coverage. Doctors may receive less reimbursement per patient. Intermediate medical service personnel such as nurse practitioners and physicians assistants will increase in number.

Reported by Fred Sales, Keyway Committee

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF SOUTH CAROLINA

April 27, 2010: Vice Chairman John E. “Butch” Howard of the Public Service Commission told us that the commission began in 1878 as a Railroad Commission, followed by the PSC in 1919 and the two groups became one in 1934. The mission is to regulate the state’s investor owned utilities. Today the PSC regulates Electric: Duke Power, Lockhart Power, Progress Energy and SCE&G. Also Natural Gas: Piedmont Natural Gas and SCE&G, Water and Sewer, Telecommunications, For Hire Transportation, Household Goods Movers, and Hazardous Waste Transportation and Disposal.

Act 175 of the SC Legislature moved the regulatory functions to the Office of Regulatory Staff making PSC a Quasi-Judicial Body. The PSC can no longer handle complaints but encourages settlements by adversaries. Hearings have involved Telecommunications 30%, Transportation 28%, Electric 20%, Water/Wastewater 17% and Gas 5%.

In two cases before the U.S. Supreme court standards were set entitling utilities to earn a reasonable and sufficient rate of return, and to fix just and reasonable rates to balance both investor and consumer interests.

Among the issues facing PSC:
– Rate Requests
– Energy Efficiency Programs
– Demand Side Management Programs
– Renewable Energy
– Nuclear Energy Production
– Emission Control
– Quality of Service

On response to a question about nuclear power, he noted that the projected cost of 18 billion dollars to build a new plant has made such construction virtually impossible.

Reported by Fred Sales, Keyway Committee

Pathways Program Helps Students, Businesses

APRIL 20, 2010: A statewide Internet-based workforce assessment and development tool is helping South Carolina high school students improve their performance and transition better to college, according to marketer Bill Barlow.

Barlow, who is the state’s spokesman for a program that schools, parents and job seekers to businesses, told Rotarians that the Kuder Connect 2 Business program is positively impacting how students prepare to enter the workforce.

Starting in the eighth grade, every South Carolina student, in coordination with school counselors, uses the C2B Internet tool from the state’s Personal Pathways to Success program to develop an individualized graduation plan. Not only does the program help students target career clusters and plan their high school education, it is flexible enough to change as students’ interests mature.

So far, 97 percent of students in grades 8-10 have an Individualized Graduation Plan, Barlow said. “It’s an ongoing process – a living document that helps students prepare for a post-secondary education.” Among the results of the program:

School performance. For 20 percent of the students involved in the program, there is a demonstrable increase in school performance, Barlow said.

To college. Some 91 percent of students in the program go beyond high school to post-secondary study – quite a difference from the 67 percent of students nationally who move forward to college.

Better picks. The program is believed to help students complete college more quickly as 60 percent don’t change their major, compared to 40 percent nationally.

While students reap big benefits from the C2B program, South Carolina businesses can too, Barlow said. The program seeks to add business partners to its database so that students can learn of career possibilities. Businesses that create profiles on the C2B program also can use it to recruit candidates, get publicity and give back to their communities.

“We are scratching the surface of opportunities for businesses right now,” Barlow said. Learn more online at: http://www.scpathways.org/.

Submitted by: Andy Brack, Keyway Committee

Charleston Navy Week

April 13, 2010: Today’s speaker, Rear Admiral John Goodwin began his presentation with a little comic relief as he gave newly engaged Ken Caldwell the same advice his father, a Navy Chief in World War Two, gave him years ago: “Marriage is an institution. Are you sure you want to live in an institution?!” As laughter ensued, Goodwin was sure to credit his “Mrs. Always Right” with his success in life and naval achievements.

Goodwin’s naval achievements began upon his graduation from the University of South Carolina and commission in May of 1975. He was designated a naval aviator in February 1977. Goodwin’s naval career spans from a flight instructor in the TA-4j Skyhawk to flying the FA-18 for the Strike Fighter Squadron 25. He jokingly compared the aircrafts as a Volkswagen to a Corvette.

More recently, following Naval Nuclear Propulsion training, Goodwin served as executive officer of USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) until April 1998. He assumed command of USS Rainier (AOE 7) in June 1998. Goodwin assumed command of the Pre-Commissioning Unit Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and became the first commanding officer, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in July 2003. His most recent assignment was Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic.

His decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, as well as numerous unit commendations and awards.

During his Rotary presentation, Goodwin answered the question “what is the Navy doing and why does it matter?” in three parts: Full Combat, Humanitarian Relief and Piracy. He discussed the Navy’s role in the Middle East and how their commitment to fighting terrorism is evident in the number of sailors on the ground versus at sea. The commitment is focused on “playing the away game and not the home game;” a dedication clearly focused after September 11th.

Goodwin discussed the Navy’s recent humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti and Indonesia and their commitment to providing fresh water. While he applauded Water Mission International’s local efforts, Goodwin noted the Navy’s impressive ability to provide 400,000 gallons of fresh water a day.

During Goodwin’s remarks on piracy and their efforts to disrupt commerce, he emphasized the important role the ocean plays in our world and its vast size, covering three-fourths of the world. In order to protect our waters and defeat modern day pirates, Goodwin explained that the Navy is part of maritime strategy and national defense.

In addition to Goodwin’s three-part Navy review, he discussed the events of the upcoming Charleston Navy Week:

– The Blue Angels will fly over Charleston Harbor on Saturday and Sunday.
– Divers will demonstrate bomb dismantling in a dive tank at the Aquarium.
– Sailors will volunteer time at Habitat for Humanity as part of their service project.

Goodwin concluded his presentation remarking on his great enthusiasm for this generation of armed service men and women and his belief that the “future of this country in is good hands.” He closed with “It’s an honor to be in South Carolina and in this country. God bless you and God bless America.”

Submitted by: Teal Van Saun, Keyway Committee