The theme of this issue is the national project “Health”. Since all materials are located side by side, this preface will be correlated with said project.
Health Fair: step toward health of the region.
Rotary Club: the sentinel of regional health care.
One of the main priorities of National Project “Health” – is the safeguarding of Russian citizens’ wellbeing and health. State government has made a lot of progress in that direction over the last 12 months. Still, there is a lot to be done and there’s work for everyone. Health Fairs organized by Rotary Club “Vladivostok Center” in cooperation with the specialists from the FERMC (Far East Regional Medical Center) have become an integral part of preserving and maintaining health of the people of the Far East since 2001.
Dossier “DK”
Health Fair is a charity mission carried out by Rotary Clubs, public organizations, and medical facilities with the higher goals of advancing people’s involvement with the issues of health care, and further acquainting the population with various methods of maintaining healthy lifestyle. The “side attractions” at the Fair take a lot of different forms: - lectures on importance of health care based on teachings of various medical specialists, demonstrations of medical equipment and educational exhibits, different screenings – quick hemoglobin and cholesterol level counts, blood pressure tests, ECG, USI, and so on. The whole project originated in Alaska, where these Health Fairs have been successfully conducted for more than 20 years by combined efforts of volunteers, public organizations, and medical institutions. In Russia similar projects have been realized since 1999. In the region of Primorsky Krai the first Health Fair took place in 2001. And in 2002 on the basis of professional cooperation with the FERMC the first coordinating committee was created charged with the task of overseeing the organization of Health Fairs throughout the entire country.
History of the project
It all started in 1999, when the Past District Governor of Rotary District 5010 Steve Yoshida, President or Homer Kachemak Bay Rotary Will Files of Homer, and Dr. Charles Masur of Canada, while visiting Primorsky Krai, approached friends in medical profession with ideas of how Rotary International could have helped Russian health care situation. They were greatly surprised when the Russian doctors complained not of lack of funds or low resources but of the absence of good educational programs that target wide range of audiences. In November of 2000 several health care professionals and Rotarians from Vladivostok, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk were invited to visit the Rotary Health Fair in Homer, Alaska. What they saw made an indelible impression and inspired two representatives of Rotary Club “Vladivostok Center” : - Irina Rubashek and Yevgenia Klokova to make a decision on the spot to devote all their efforts to organizing similar event in Vladivostok. Their initiative had found support in the Department Of Public Health Care of Primorsky Krai region and FERMC headed by Anatoliy Gorsheev, and the first Health Fair took place in Vladivostok – the capital city of the region.
“We were so very anxious while preparing the event; what if people don’t come? What if they don’t like what they see?” – remembers Irina Rubashek – “Ever more so, since quite a few of delegations of Rotarians were supposed to come to see the results of our efforts, not only from different ends of Russia, but from many other countries as well. It turned out we had nothing to worry about: as we approached Regional Administration building – the location of the Health Fair – we saw a huge crowd of people by the entrance. We found out later that the people who came from remote rural areas, remembering Soviet times, started signing up for the queue as early as 5 AM, and at first refused to believe that all the tests and consultations with doctors were absolutely free.”
“As a result, on this day approximately 1000 citizens of Primorsky were able to examine the conditions of their bodies by checking the levels of sugar and cholesterol in their blood, having their blood pressure and other vitals taken, seeing their ECG and USI, and receiving full individual consultations from highly competent medical specialists on the bases of test results. American colleagues were quite surprised: in the USA only volunteers and low and mid-level health care professionals have been taking part in these events, while in Russia people were being helped by fully qualified physicians. This tendency can still be observed at Russian Health Fairs to this day.
Educational aspects of the Health Fair also attracted vigorous attention and stirred profound feelings of the visitors: American Rotarians have brought with them unique medical exhibits that served as excellent visual aids demonstrating dire consequences of unhealthy habits, and making indelible emotional impression, especially, among guests of the younger generations. Since the need for these forms of preventive medical measures and of raising general health awareness of the population was so evident, we affirmed the decision to make these events a recurrent feature, especially, after we were, literally, “swamped by the unrelenting squall” of suggestions, ideas, and offers of help and resources from various public organizations, as well as a score of medical facilities and institutions of Vladivostok and Primorskiy Krai that aspire to reintroduce the outpatient system of regular examinations as the principal health care framework.”.
HEALTH CARE ON CALL
The rapid increase of demands from faraway outposts of the region led to creating “A Visiting Health Fair”. Even if residents of urban areas have regular access to necessary medical services and procedures, the people in remote rural or even secluded and isolated wild locations almost entirely cut off from such essential needs. Many villages don’t even have a regular doctor, - only Registered Nurse or Physician’s Assistant, at best, and sporadic visitations of random specialists “from the big city”.
Rotary Club “Vladivostok Center” contrived to complete an affable visiting squad of volunteering doctors, medical students, and various health care professionals of different levels. A grant was obtained in conjunction with a Rotary Club from South Korea, that allowed purchase of a 15-passenger bus. Thanks to that, residents of such remote places as Popov Island, Cape Peschanny, Port Vostochny, Posiet, and many other isolated settlements of Primorsky Krai were able to visit these mobile Health Fairs. Every type of services provided were continuously in high demand: screenings, educational exhibits, consultations, etc. Every individual case became bright, visual event – true celebration of Health.
“A unique, 2-day Health Fair was organized last year in Port Vostochny,”- relates coordinator of the project Yevgenia Klokova. – “On the first day, residents of nearby villages and work stations received the whole complex of medical services, including express diagnostics of diabetes and osteoporosis, taking ECG and USI, and individual consultations with fully qualified surgeons, gynecologists, neurologists, endocrinologists, and rheumatologists et al. Second day was dedicated to the dire consequences of unhealthy habits and lifestyles in its entirety. Explicit medical exhibits and powerful visual aids have achieved tremendous impact on local youth and teenagers by demonstrating devastating effects of smoking and alcohol abuse on human organism. “Smoking Doll”, “Alcoholic Spectacles”, and such evoked enthusiastic response, and some young people have voluntary left unfinished packs of cigarettes, deciding on the spot to quit smoking after seeing “Smoker’s Lung”.”
“So called “Thematic” outgoings have achieved great popularity,” – added Irina Rubashek. – “For example, the ones devoted primarily to prevention of arteriosclerosis and osteoporosis. The latter is especially important in our region, therefore Rotary Club “Vladivostok Center” acquired state-of-the-art ultrasonic bone density meter that performs thorough examination of the bone condition and in the space of 2 – 3 minutes comes up with comprehensive diagnosis and allows considerably earlier detection of the onset of the disease. The meter belongs to the Regional Center of the Osteoporosis Prevention, but we have the prerogative of bringing it with us to every outgoing Health Fair event.
CIRCULATION OF EXPERIENCE
“The success of the Health Fairs in Primorye (Informal name of Primorsky Krai region) has inspired Rotarians from other cities to follow our example,” – continues Yevgenia Klokova. – “It became more and more evident, that this particular project, - bright, interesting, and versatile, - can unite all Rotary Clubs and become the primary mission of the whole Rotary Movement. In 2002, with the help of the Fund of Russo-American joint business venture and on the basis of collaboration with FERMC, Russian Health Fair Coordinating Committee was created, headed by M.D., P.H.D. of Medical Science, Docent Irina Rubashek. The Committee was founded in order to redistribute the experience and to oversee the organizing and conducting Health Fairs all around our country. Among the Committee’s other goals are: methodological support and coordination of all health care events, such as training seminars for doctors, nurses, and representatives of public organizations; there is also an invaluable permanent exhibit of state-of-the-art medical equipment and visual aids.
Irina Rubashek and Yevgenia Klokova have visited many Russian cities and regions in the capacity of project trainers, and wherever the Health Fairs were being held: - in Nakhodka, Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk, Yelizovo, Korsakovo or Palatka, Esso or Anavgay, - everywhere they were received with great enthusiasm, and were imminently successful. Not only that, but with the help of these seasoned consultants, other Health Fair Centers were founded in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Magadan, Yakutsk, Irkutsk and Kursk.
Today, the project is taking confident strides over the vast expanses of Russia, stepping over the borders of Far East regions; - 15 Rotary Clubs of Russian Federation take active part in it, including Moscow and other important cities. There’s every evidence, that it will soon start crossing international borders. Not so long ago Irina and Yevgenia shared experiences with Rotarians from Mexico, Mongolia, and even Fiji.
On top of that, Rotary Club “Vladivostok Center” was honored by the largest ever grant from Rotary International: - $ 330,000.00. It will make possible not only bringing the existing centers to the higher levels of development, but will also allow founding of no less than 6 new ones. In the near future the openings of Moscow, St.Peterburg, Novgorod, Dubna, Tver, and Chita centers are being planned.
“In every region there’s its own “bouquet of diseases” – sums up Irina, - “And that means its own specifics of Health Fair operation. The purpose of Rotary Clubs is to detect “sore points” of the region and to attempt to help local population. We do not promise the unattainable. Most important reason for conducting Health Fairs is to give each and every person motivation to choose the actions that will help them to attain a healthier way of life, and for this it is imperative to be able to make educated choices of lifestyle and habits that will improve people’s health – and with it, - the quality of life.”.
Milestones for Russian Health Fair Project:
Projects for Vladivostok Health Fair Center
Statistics from Russian Health Fair Program:
26 RUSSIAN ROTARY CLUBS HAVE BEEN INVOLVED
256 HEALTH FAIRS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED
145 MOBILE HFs
220 SUBJECT HFs
210 HFs FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
831 Total Health Fairs held since inception of program
65,500 VISITORS
PARTICIPANTS:
5300 MEDICAL DOCTORS AND NURSES
520 ROTARIANS, ROTARACTORS
12 REGIONAL HEALTH FAIR CENTERS HAVE BEEN STARTED:
VLADIVOSTOK (with 2 satellite centers in Elizovo and Yujno-Sakh.)
IRKUTSK (with 2 satellite centers in Ulan-Ude and Angarsk)
YAKUTSK BLAGOVESCHENSK MOSCOW
CHITA DUBNA KHABAROVSK
KURSK NIJNII NOVGOROD ULIANOVSK
ST.PETERSBURG