Art Kleve and Jeff Lainez with Rotary International Director Jennifer Jones at the Pillars of Success seminar.

Rotary International Director Jennifer Jones pours an ice bucket on District 6910 Governor Alan Smith after Pillars for Success to support the fight against ALS

At the August 17, 2015, meeting of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville, Dr. John Harvey, a trauma care surgeon with Gwinnett Medical Center, spoke to the group. Dr. Harvey, a pioneer in laproscopic surgery with over thirty years experience, described the trauma care system in Georgia. He reported that at GMC over 140,000 people are served each year and that trauma is the leading cause of death in the 1-44 age group and fourth in ALL age groups. The most frequent trauma events are falls, motor vehicle crashes, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian versus auto accidents, and gunshot wounds. He maintained that the survival rate of victims is much improved by being served at a designated trauma care hospital. He listed the various levels (I-IV), gave a brief history of such units, and outlined the requirements of the American College of Surgeons and the state. Units are scattered throughout the state, with weak spots of service in the southeast part of the state. The Georgia Trauma Commission was instituted by the Legislature with funding coming from the super speeder fund. The Georgia Trauma Foundation welcomes supporting donations to meet the needs of the future.

Pay It Forward from Rotary International on Vimeo.