Posted by Dr. Honora Norton
Rotarians Join Project C.U.R.E. in Sending
$400,000 in Medical Supplies to Hospitals in Need
  
 
 
 
Even though the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is impacting The Rotary Club of Scottsdale weekly meeting way of life, club members recently joined area Rotarians and Project C.U.R.E. in sending $400,000 in medical supplies to hospitals in need.   
 
Members of the Rotary Club of Scottsdale were joined by members of the Club Rotario de Phoenix (which was sponsored by Rotary Club of Scottsdale), Rotary Club of Tempe South, and Rotary Club of Prescott, as well as, other Rotarians to pack $400,000 worth of medical supplies for five hospitals in Arizona's Southern neighboring State Sonora, Mexico. 
 
The supplies were donated by Tempe AZ’s Project C.U.R.E.. The Rotarians loaded a 53-foot long SWIFT commercial truck with supplies from the Project C.U.R.E.’s Tempe warehouse.
 
Seven Rotary Clubs in Arizona District 5495 and Club Rotarios in Sonora Mexico donated money to pay for the transportation and cross-border expenses.  The cross-border effort was strongly supported by the Arizona Governor’s Office through the Arizona-Mexico Commission, the Arizona Department of Health Services through the Office of Border Health, the Secretaria de Salud del Estado de Sonora en Hermosillo, and Sonora Governor’s Office through the Commission Sonora-Arizona.
 
 
 
 
 
 
After Rotarians loaded medical supplies, the truck departed for Hermosillo Mexico for inspection and acceptance.  The material will be transported to San Luis del Colorado, Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point), Cd. Obregon and finally to Navajoa and Alamos (a City of Scottsdale Sister City). 

In preparation for this project, a joint Rotary and Project C.U.R.E. team visited each of the five hospitals supported by the Sonoran Ministry of Health to determine the individual needs of each hospital.  In this manner, only items needed by hospitals were shipped, assuring the right medical equipment would be provided.  
 
Items shipped included hospital beds, examination beds, walkers, crutches, and bandages needed for the immediate needs of the COVID crisis.  Also being donated to Alamos, Sonora, Mexico is an used, but in good shape, ambulance donated by Phoenix’s AMR (American Medical Response ).  

Those who participated on site at the project were:
  • Rotarian Dale Gray of the Rotary Club of Scottsdale, who led the project with support of fellow Rotarians David Pastor and Max Rumbaugh.    
  • Rotary Club of Tempe South was represented by Past District Governor Abe Feder and Cliff Jones. 
  • Participating from Club Rotario de Phoenix were its Club President Irayda Flores, Club Vice President Rene Bermudez, and fellow Rotarians Mary Gutiérrez and Norma Gutiérrez Deorta. 
  • Rotary District 5495 was represented by Kevin Pitts (Rotary Club of Prescott Past Club President and District Assistant Governor) and several other Rotarians from Rotary Clubs located in Tempe, Prescott and other cities.
  • The Rotarians were pleased that Acacia Wastchak and Megan Wastchak, both students at Saguaro High School and members of the high school’s Rotary Interact Club, had volunteered to load medical supplies.   
  • The Sonora Governor's representative in Phoenix, Enrique Franco Celaya, was also present as the medical supplies were loaded.
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