District 6440/World Health Imaging Alliance

Status Report

December, 2007

Rotary Digital WHIS-RAD

District 6440 has formed a team to liaison with the World Health Imaging Alliance (WHIA), a not-for profit corporation developed with the support of Northwestern University and the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa. The mission of WHIA is to improve the quality of life for underserved communities worldwide through sustainable installation of diagnostic imaging systems and services based on World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

WHIA facilitates the integration of academia, industry and philanthropic resources in an implementation model that includes needs analysis, R & D, Funding and Deployment. This means that WHIA can identify and evaluate sites that have high potential for success and sustainability, develop new lower cost technology, provide equipment and cash donations and provide installation, training, consultation, education and service on a sustained basis where installations are made.

District 6440 is the worldwide Rotary District leader in the installation of film based World Health Imaging Systems for Radiology (WHIS-RAD), a reliable imaging system designed according to WHO standards. This includes the pilot site installed by Park Ridge Rotary in 2003 in Zimbabwe, an installation by Winnetka-Northfield in Armenia and an installation by Elk Grove Village in St. Lucia. In addition, Park Ridge Rotary has helped the District of Bergamo in Bergamo, Italy install another unit in Armenia and an Asheville, North Carolina club install a unit in Zambia. Each unit supports a population of 50,000 to 100,000 in communities where no X-ray services have been available before.

In addition, Park Ridge Rotary has for the last five years maintained a website of information, www.rotarywhis-rad.org, which has now been integrated within the WHIA web site, www.worldhealthimaging.org. Thousands of hits have been recorded on the site from all over the world.

Also, Park Ridge Rotary exhibited at the 2005 Rotary International convention in Chicago and generated over 80 registrants from clubs and Districts from 30 countries who are interested in the project.

WHO has requested that Rotary consider retrofitting the existing sites with digital capability which will eliminate film and chemical costs, enable electronic image archiving and retrieval and facilitate remote consultation.

The 6440 Liaison Team suggested that Guatemala would be an excellent location for installing a prototype digital installation because of the extensive relationships that already exist with Guatemalan Rotarians. In May 2007, AG John Vanden Brink of Park Ridge Rotary began making presentations on WHIS-RAD and WHIA. The first presentation was made to the Mt. Prospect Sunrise club. Under the leadership of James Helm, the International Chair, and Michael Putz, the President, they decided to take on the task of presenting and soliciting support from multiple clubs. To date, Mt. Prospect Sunrise, Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Arlington Heights Sunrise and Mundelein-Vernon Hills clubs have committed to $2,500 each which, with matching funds from the District and R.I., grows to $11,250. The digital unit cost from WHIA will be $60,000 which commercially, with the same components, would cost close to $100,000. Installation and training costs are a “not to exceed” figure of $20,000.

About 15 presentations have been made and clubs are invited to contact James Helm at or John Vanden Brink at for presentations.

With seven clubs participating, the total amount raised will be $78,750 without contributions from Guatemala which will include support for service and training. The plan is to finalize the grant application by the end of January for submission in February to meet the R.I. deadline of the 31st of March for matching fund grants. Those who are interested should contact James Helm or John Vanden Brink at their earliest convenience.

In addition to the Guatemala installation, Bruce Baumberger of the Evanston Lighthouse Club was successful in organizing a meeting with key Rotarians in Cape Town and key academicians from the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Cape Town. Five post graduate students at Northwestern University are currently working with the digital WHIS-RAD system donated by manufacturers and will work with the unit at the University of Cape Town in April 2008 for 6 months. A first referral hospital site has been identified about 250 miles from Cape Town which would be a second digital site for a Rotary installation.

A California Rotary club is working with physicians training at UCLA from Malawi. WHIA is in contact with them to explore collaboration on a pilot site there.

In summary, WHIA and Rotary are working to install three digital pilot sites in Guatemala, South Africa and Malawi. It is hoped that WHIA and Rotary can work with Health Ministries and medical communities in these countries to replicate installations throughout the countries and establish a unique funding arrangement with each country’s health budget, NGOs, government and international aid societies as well as Rotary.

It is a challenging vision but the vision can be realized and carried throughout Rotary. Our District and Rotary can lead the way and share the vision.

DIGITAL WHIS-RAD GUATEMALA PROJECT

CLUB COMMITMENT OF SUPPORT:

To: John Vanden Brink, AG District 6440

Chair-District WHIA Liaison Team

30 Boardwalk Place

Park Ridge, Il. 60068

847-692-5482 (P)

847-692-3551 (FAX)

The Rotary Club of ______

hereby pledges its support, as a donor club, to the DIGITAL WHIS-RAD

GUATEMALA PROJECT donating $______to be applied toward a

Multi-club Rotary International matching grant in partnership with the Guatemala Sur

Rotary club in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Our club will participate with other clubs in District 6440 in applying for and actively

pursuing a matching grant with a goal of receiving District and Rotary International

approval by February, 2008.

We understand that our club will not be required to make its donation until after the final

approval of the matching grant by Rotary International.

Dated:______

Rotary Club of ______

By:______

Its president