KiwanisSIGN Presenter’s Resource Guide · manufacturing a high quality implant (the nail & screws...

Steering Committee

KiwanisSIGN, PNW South Ralph Curran, PNW District Co-Chairman for

KiwanisSIGN Max Kreiter, Past KiwanisSIGN Committee

Chairman Gary Busselman, Past President, Kiwanis Club

of Richland Jim Thornton, Past President, Kiwanis Club of

Richland Keith Anderson, Kiwanis Club of Pasco

Jeanne Dillner, Executive Director, SIGN Fracture Care International

Dorri Liikala, Kiwanis Club of the Columbia John Yegge, Past President & Secretary,

Kiwanis Club of Tri-Cities Industry & Past PNW District Secretary

Lee Haberling, Past Lt. Governor, Kiwanis Club of Kennewick WA

Chuck Manry, Kiwanis Club of Richland Jack McElroy, Kiwanis Club of Richland

Gail Clark, Kiwanis Club of Richland

Steering Committee KiwanisSIGN, PNW North

Ann Penner, PNW District Co-Chairman for KiwanisSIGN

Emily Citron, Secretary, Kiwanis Club of Bellingham & Div. 18 Project Champion Paul Rogers, Secretary Kiwanis Club of

Chilliwack Ron Currie, Past President, Kiwanis Club of

Abbotsford Jack Nicolson, Past President, Kiwanis Club of

Chilliwack Barry Penner, Kiwanis Club of Abbotsford

Barry Dodd, President, Kiwanis Club of Sardis Elizabeth Bennett, Past Lt. Gov.., Div. 18,

Kiwanis Club of Bellingham WA Lyla Tjoelker, Past Lt. Gov.., Div. 18, Kiwanis

Club of Bellingham WA John Howe, Kiwanis Club of Bellingham WA

Ron Curry, Lt. Gov., Div. 18, Past Pres., Kiwanis Club of Abbottsford BC

Myles Clough, Kiwanis Club of Kamloops

KiwanisSIGN Presenter’s Resource Guide

Assembled by KiwanisSIGN Coordinating Committee

Please direct K-S Project South correspondence to:

Ralph Curran Co-Chair KiwanisSIGN Project

79 Willis Richland WA 99354

(509)943-9751

[email protected]

Please direct K-S Project North correspondence to:

Ann Penner Co-Chair KiwanisSIGN Project

45935 Lake Drive Chilliwack BC V2R 3T3 CANADA

(604)858-2808

[email protected]

Sylvester Neal, Honorary Project Chair and

President 2010-11, Kiwanis International

KiwanisSIGN Presenter’s Reference of 24 February 2013 http://www.KiwanisSIGN.com February 2013 http://www.KiwanisSIGN.com


Contents

KiwanisSIGN Champions 2

Brief Talking Points 5

Questions & Answers About the KiwanisSIGN Project 7

Appendix A: PNW District Board Resolution Regarding KiwanisSIGN 15

Appendix B: SIGN Programs Funded by the Efforts of Kiwanians 16

Appendix C: Suggested Outline for a KiwanisSIGN Presentation 22


The KiwanisSIGN Project TALKING POINTS

(“Talking points” briefly summarizes in 2 pages key aspects of the KiwanisSIGN Project. Page references indicate the location of additional related information in

following pages.)

PROBLEM 1) Millions of severe trauma traffic accidents occur annually in developing countries

(80% of all accidents causing severe injuries worldwide). The accidents result from a chaotic road mix of trucks, motor scooters, motorcycles, cars, bikes, animals and foot traffic. Many of the victims are indigent and most are the main breadwinners or caregivers of young families. Without treatment impoverished families experience hardship and often the breakup of the family.

2) The severe trauma includes multiple fractures of the legs and arms that will not heal with external casting for months – or even years -- in traction.

3) Fractures of this type require the insertion of an “intramedullary nail” into the central cavity of the bone to hold the bone segments in alignment while they heal. Implants available in developed countries are very expensive and utilize real-time imaging equipment that hospitals in developing countries have only rarely.

SOLUTION

SIGN Fracture Care International has addressed the problem by developing and manufacturing a high quality implant (the nail & screws to fix it rigidly in place) that can be placed in a leg or arm fracture using SIGN Fracture Care International’s specially-designed mechanical instruments and tools. No real-time imaging equipment is required. SIGN Fracture Care International trains surgeons in developing countries and supplies the implants and tools free as long as hospitals maintain acceptable infection control and report their results.

KiwanisSIGN CONNECTION

1) Dr. Lewis G. Zirkle, Jr., M.D. received the 1997 recipient of the Kiwanis International Humanitarian Award for his work in bringing the Kiwanis IDD project to Vietnam and working to insure its success. Dr. Zirkle used the $10,000 monetary award and other resources to develop the SIGN Fracture Care International system and founded SIGN Fracture Care International in 1999 as a non-profit humanitarian organization.

2) Milt Lewis, a member of the Richland Kiwanis Club and a past Lt. Governor of Division 54, was a quadriplegic as the result of an automobile accident. Milt recognized the potential of SIGN Fracture Care International to help individuals who were helpless like him, but who unlike him were completely curable with the SIGN Fracture Care International system. Two weeks before his death Milt asked his club to work to facilitate the growth of SIGN throughout the world. The KiwanisSIGN project was created as a direct result of Milt’s request and the resulting initiative was subsequently endorsed by his club, his division and the PNW District.


UNIQUENESS OF PROJECT 1) No other organization is addressing this problem. 2) The SIGN implants and system are FDA cleared. Otherwise, the SIGN Fracture

Care International effort is entirely independent of government involvement. It is entirely a people-to-people and surgeon-to-surgeon initiative.

3) SIGN Fracture Care International treats individuals without regard to ability to pay, social status, nationality or religion. Dr. Zirkle, founder of SIGN Fracture Care International, is a devout Christian, Milt Lewis, our Kiwanis inspiration, was of Jewish faith and the majority of those treated are Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists.

KiwanisSIGN PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

1) GOALS. Each KiwanisSIGN surgical center is expected to perform 100+ KiwanisSIGN surgeries per year. The goal of the KiwanisSIGN Project is to establish 100 KiwanisSIGN centers that, as a result, will treat 10,000+ people per year. This translates into 10,000+ people per year returning to their families and productive lives! It also means that approximately 30,000 children per year have their families preserved.

2) STATUS. As of January, 2011 the KiwanisSIGN Project has raised $750,000+ and established 40 KiwanisSIGN surgery centers. These centers have already performed 24,000+ SIGN surgeries.

3) ACCOUNTING. When the PNW District KiwanisSIGN Project was established, records and accounting were of primary concern. We believed that all funds should be handled by a 501(c)(3) foundation with reliable accounting software. Initially the Tri City Industry Kiwanis Club Foundation supplied this service. Starting in 2011, project donations have been received directly by SIGN Fracture Care International. All donations are received into the KiwanisSIGN account and complete records are kept of each donation.

4) ADMINISTRATIVE COST. The KiwanisSIGN Coordinating Committees of PNW Div. 54 & Div. 18 believe all donations from individuals and clubs should go directly to the establishment of KiwanisSIGN surgery centers and the supply of implants. Therefore the committee members are personally paying all project administrative costs.

5) NAME A CENTER. In addition to the banner patches and decals for each $100 donation, any individual, club or group of clubs that raise $15,000 of the cost of establishing a KiwanisSIGN surgical center has the privilege of naming the site. An especially-crafted one-of-a-kind banner patch will be presented to the club commemorating the event and a plaque will be mounted at the surgery center. The name of the site will also be added to the KiwanisSIGN plaque on display in the PNW District office.

6) PEDIATRIC IMPLANT. SIGN has developed a pediatric implant as a direct result of Kiwanis involvement with SIGN. (This special implant had to be developed for use in children so as not to impede bone growth.) Now in the testing & monitoring phase, the pediatric implant was first used to restore to good health a 10-year old boy in Mongolia who had fallen from a horse. SIGN’s pediatric nail is now used in 10 test centers in the developing world.


Questions & Answers About the KiwanisSIGN Project

to Save Families by Working to Achieve

Equality of Fracture Care Worldwide

By John Yegge, Past Secretary, Pacific Northwest District (Contact: [email protected])

In June 2003, the PNW District Board approved a resolution endorsing Kiwanis Club-SIGN Partnerships in the PNW District and encouraging PNW Divisions and Clubs to provide funds in support of the SIGN Fracture Care International humanitarian effort.1 This document answers the questions Kiwanians commonly ask about the KiwanisSIGN Project. It is intended primarily to provide a solid base of information for Project Champions of the KiwanisSIGN Project in Kiwanis clubs throughout the Pacific Northwest District.

What is SIGN?

SIGN is the acronym for the Surgical Implant Generation Network. SIGN changed its name to SIGN Fracture Care International in 2011 but “SIGN” is still in common use by people familiar to SIGN. It is a non-profit [501(c)(3)] company based in Richland WA. Founded by Dr.

Lewis G. Zirkle, Jr., MD, SIGN Fracture Care International manufactures and gives away orthopedic implants exclusively for the purpose of healing severe orthopedic trauma sustained by the poor in developing countries throughout the world . . . at no cost to the recipients.

How severe is the problem of severe orthopedic trauma in developing countries?

Twenty million people around the world are injured or disabled each year by road-traffic injuries.2 This equates to

approximately 55,000 serious injuries each day and 90% of the disabilities happen in low- and middle-

1 See Appendix A for the full text of the resolution approved. 2 On the Road with Death, published in Harvard Magazine, November-December 2002. The entire article may be downloaded from http://www.harvard-magazine.com/on-line/1102197.html.

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income countries. The poorest people in those countries are the hardest hit.3 A large fraction of the injuries are sustained by pedestrians; passengers on minibuses, buses, and trucks; and cyclists. Eighty percent of the world’s severe trauma occurs in developing countries where healing implant surgical technology is generally unavailable – and, heretofore, never available to people without great financial resources.

Why did Dr. Zirkle start SIGN Fracture Care International?

SIGN Fracture Care International was founded in 1999 (funded in part by the $10,000 prize Dr. Zirkle received from the Kiwanis International Foundation as part of his Kiwanis World Service

Medal recognition). Dr. Zirkle, when he was a young surgeon in a MASH unit in Vietnam in the 1960s, saw an enormous need for modern surgical treatment. After nearly 30 years of semi-annual trips to teach modern surgical techniques to surgeons in Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Latin America brought disappointing results because the newly-trained surgeons had only the limited supplies of surgical implants that Dr. Zirkle was able to persuade American manufacturers to donate, he realized that progress would be limited until a way was found to provide the implants and associated surgical instruments as well as the training. He also came to understand that a revised implant system was needed that did not require the use of real-time imaging equipment during surgery.

What does SIGN Fracture Care International do to resolve trauma problems in developing countries?

SIGN addresses severe orthopedic trauma in developing countries by: (1) developing technology to permit implants to be installed without real-time imaging, (2) manufacturing the implants, (3) training surgeons to use the

implants, and (4) donating large quantities of implants for use by the surgeons trained by SIGN. All of SIGN Fracture Care International’s services, implants and surgical instruments are provided free of charge to hospitals in developing countries.

What are the requirements for eligibility for SIGN Fracture Care International surgery in developing countries?

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SIGN Fracture Care International’s primary requirements are:

(1) The beneficiaries of SIGN Fracture Care International surgery (i.e. the victims) must have sustained severe trauma to the femur, tibia and/or humerus and be unable to afford optimal surgical intervention,

(2) The surgeon(s) must be trained in the use of SIGN Fracture Care International technology and have demonstrated competence in using it,

and (3) Surgical records and X-rays of each surgical intervention must be

entered into the internet-based SIGN Fracture Care International Surgical Database for continuing analysis, research and further product development. SIGN Fracture Care International is results-oriented; case reports from project hospitals are required as a pre-condition for SIGN Fracture Care International to provide free replacement implants.

Where are SIGN Fracture Care International implants being used and how many victims have been healed?

The statistics change rapidly but, at the present time, there are 300 hospitals providing SIGN Fracture Care International surgeries in 55 developing countries in Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa.

To date, 110,000+ persons have been returned to productive lives from what could have otherwise been lives as permanent invalids. SIGN Fracture Care International is now shipping 20,000 implants per year.

How is SIGN Fracture Care International funded?

Except for sales to distributors in Vietnam, Guatemala & Iraq where SIGN Fracture Care International Surgery Centers are becoming self-sufficient, charitable donations are SIGN Fracture Care International’s only source of funds. Donations from private

individuals, foundations and Kiwanis clubs are gratefully received. What has Kiwanis accomplished to date?

Kiwanis actually had a hand in the formation of SIGN Fracture Care International! Dr, Zirkle used as part of SIGN Fracture Care International’s original startup funds the $10,000 prize from the

Kiwanis International Foundation that accompanied the World Service

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KiwanisSIGN Presenter’s Reference of 24 February 2013 http://www.KiwanisSIGN.com

Medal (KI’s highest recognition for service) that Kiwanis presented to him at its Nashville Convention in 1997. In SIGN Fracture Care International’s 40 KiwanisSIGN-funded sites alone (in 21 developing countries), more than 24,000 surgeries have been performed to date. For those sites and other KiwanisSIGN-funded sites in the future, SIGN has committed to provide replacement implants as needed at no further cost to the KiwanisSIGN project. Individual Kiwanians have also made personal contributions and work as volunteers on a regular basis. The Richland WA Kiwanis club funded the startup of the Milton Lewis Memorial KiwanisSIGN Surgery Center in Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City, Guatemala. See Appendix B for details on all of the KiwanisSIGN Surgery Centers funded to date. What’s the story behind the dedication of the Milton Lewis Memorial KiwanisSIGN Surgery Center in Guatemala?

Milt Lewis, a past Lt. Governor of PNW Kiwanis Div. 54, was tragically injured in an automobile accident and was left totally paralyzed for nearly 3 years before his death in 2002. Milt’s deathbed request was that PNW Kiwanians do everything possible to inspire all Kiwanians to adopt the

support of SIGN as a worldwide service initiative. The Richland Kiwanis club’s initial response to Milt’s request, in 2003, was the commitment of $15,000 to dedicate the Guatemala City SIGN Fracture Care International project in his name.

What is the prospect for disseminating the support of SIGN Fracture Care International to Clubs throughout the Pacific Northwest District?

The PNW Board passed a resolution at its meeting on June 22, 2003 in Indianapolis IN endorsing the formation of KiwanisSIGN Partnerships in the PNW

District and encouraging PNW Divisions and Clubs to provide funds in support of the SIGN humanitarian effort. With this endorsement, the KiwanisSIGN Coordinating Committee is aggressively promoting the projects to clubs throughout the District. Every club or personal contribution, of any size, will advance the important work of SIGN.

How does SIGN Fracture Care International’s healing technology work?

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before SIGN surgery.

Injured shin bone after SIGN surgery.


The fragments of severely fractured leg bones are often so badly out of alignment that healing is impossible without surgical intervention. Surgical intervention entails the insertion of a stainless steel rod (called an “intermedullary nail”) into the canal of

the femur, tibia or humerus to ensure proper alignment. The bone fragments and the implanted “nail” are held rigidly together by screws through the bone and “nail” above and below the fracture(s) (see x-rays). The fractured pieces are then able to heal into a single weight-bearing bone. Once the nail is in place, the victim is immediately able to stand on the injured leg with crutches and to return to a normal productive life in about twelve weeks.

Are SIGN Fracture Care International “nails” used in the US and Canada?

SIGN Fracture Care International “nails” are approved by the FDA for use in the USA but, in practice, only a few SIGN Fracture Care International implants have been performed in the US. SIGN

Fracture Care International’s mission (Creating Equality of Fracture Care throughout the World) is to provide implant technology free of charge exclusively in countries where economic conditions make the technology otherwise unavailable. Are SIGN Fracture Care International “nails” removed from bones after healing is completed?

SIGN Fracture Care International implants are normally left permanently in place. For use in countries where cultural traditions oppose foreign objects being permanently left in the human body,

however, SIGN Fracture Care International provides a “Nail Extractor” set that enables removal of the “nail” in a second surgical procedure after the bone is healed.

How does SIGN Fracture Care International monitor the effectiveness of SIGN “nail” surgeries?

As a condition of the free replacement of “nails” used in surgery, each SIGN Fracture Care International “nail” implanted must be documented in pre- and post- surgery case reports. An integral part

of the documentation is pre- and post- surgery X-rays. Dr. Zirkle and other US and Canadian surgeons personally review each documented case. A database of 56,000+ cases on the effectiveness of SIGN Fracture Care

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International “nail” surgery has already been accumulated. This world’s largest orthopaedic surgery database (which steadily contributes to product design improvements) will continue to grow, of course. Are SIGN Fracture Care International “nails” available for purchase?

SIGN Fracture Care International “nails” are given away for use in developing countries where comparable technology is unavailable because of cost. SIGN Fracture Care International “nails” and

associated instruments are sold in the US only for use by SIGN Fracture Care International surgeons in exceptional cases. SIGN Fracture Care International nails have also been sold to distributors in Vietnam, Guatemala & Iraq where SIGN Fracture Care International Surgery Centers are starting to become self-sufficient.

What about the Kiwanis focus on Children?

SIGN Fracture Care International nails benefit children because healing families’ breadwinners and primary caregivers saves families. Most severe trauma impacts children because 45% of the population in

developing countries is of childbearing age and an additional 40% are children. In addition, SIGN Fracture Care International nails may be used to heal severe trauma in children 14 and above. A SIGN Fracture Care International pediatric care program has developed an implant specifically for use in injured children whose growth plates must not be impeded. The SIGN Fracture Care International Pediatric Nail is not only smaller in size but fins that wedge into the distal end of the bone canal replace the distal locking screws. This allows the fins to draw away from the distal location to permit bone growth to continue.

How much do SIGN Fracture Care International “nails” cost?

The cost of producing a SIGN Fracture Care International “nail” and 4 especially-designed screws to hold the bone fragments rigidly in place is approximately $100.

What does it take to establish a KiwanisSIGN Surgery Center in a developing country?

The cost of producing surgical instruments and implants sufficient for 100 implant surgeries in a newly established KiwanisSIGN Project is $25,000 for 100 implants and two instrument sets. For its part, SIGN

Fracture Care International provides initial training of surgeons, continuing

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supervision (usually via e-mailed case reports and x-rays) and replacement implants as the “nails” in the initial starter set are consumed. To date, nearly 300 SIGN Fracture Care International projects have been established in 55 developing countries4. (KiwanisSIGN Projects are now operating in 40 locations in Guatemala, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, Dominican Republic, Afghanistan, Mozambique, Kenya, Myanmar, Nepal, Zambia, Pakistan, Niger, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Morocco, Rwanda, and Tanzania – with many more KiwanisSIGN Projects to come as Kiwanis funding becomes available. PNW Kiwanis donations to date exceed $750,000. See Appendix B for details on the exact locations of PNW-sponsored KiwanisSIGN Surgery Centers.)

What recognition is available to organizations that sponsor a KiwanisSIGN Surgery Center in the amount of $15,000?

The privilege of naming the SIGN Fracture Care International Surgery Center. The Milton Lewis Memorial KiwanisSIGN Surgery Center in Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City, Guatemala, for example, was

dedicated with funding from the Richland WA Kiwanis club. See Appendix B for a current list of the Kiwanis-sponsored SIGN Fracture Care International surgery centers around the world. May individual Kiwanis clubs fund the establishment of, and name, KiwanisSIGN Surgery Centers?

Of course! A single Kiwanian, Kiwanis club, any combination of clubs and individuals, a single Kiwanis division, or any combination of divisions may fund the establishment of, and name, a KiwanisSIGN

Surgery Center.

Must donations to the KiwanisSIGN Project be in $15,000 increments?

No. Donations may be in any amount. The KiwanisSIGN Project coordinators maintain a record of each donation received, regardless of amount. Any combination of donors may designate groupings of donations as funding for a named KiwanisSIGN Surgery Center.

Undesignated donations are welcome as well, of course.

How may donations from Kiwanians, their clubs and divisions be transferred to the KiwanisSIGN Project?

4 See http://www.sign-post.org/Projects/projects.htm for a current listing of all of SIGN’s Surgery projects.

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Donations may be sent to KiwanisSIGN Project, 451 Hills St. #B, SIGN Fracture Care International, Richland WA 99354. All of each donation received is goes to SIGN Fracture Care International. (All KiwanisSIGN

Project administrative and fund raising expenses are paid by the personal donations of the members of the two KiwanisSIGN Steering Committees. Individual Kiwanians: Please identify Kiwanis Club affiliation!)

How much of donations to SIGN Fracture Care International are applied to providing implants and surgical instruments?

Nearly 95% of SIGN’s funds are dedicated to the design and production of free implants and surgical instruments. The remainder is applied to administrative expenses. No funds are passed through governments or

other third parties; SIGN Fracture Care International implants are all sent directly to participating SIGN Fracture Care International-trained surgeons in developing countries.

What fund-raising support does the KiwanisSIGN Coordinating Committee provide to clubs and their KiwanisSIGN Project champions?

In addition to this document which is intended to help club and division KiwanisSIGN Project Champions prepare to lead fund-raising efforts, the KiwanisSIGN Project Coordinating Committee provides videos in DVD format, templates for the production of flyers, press releases and

consultation as needed – free of charge. The KiwanisSIGN Project Coordinating Committees will provide all assistance possible in support of club and division efforts to raise KiwanisSIGN Project funds. Correspondence with the KiwanisSIGN Project Coordinating Committee is best directed to

o Ralph Curran, Co-Chairman, KiwanisSIGN Project Steering Committee, 79 Willis, Richland WA 99354 ([email protected])

or o Ann Penner, Co-Chairman, KiwanisSIGN Project Steering

Committee, 45935 Lake Dr., Chilliwack BC V2R 3T3 CANADA ([email protected]).

What is the KiwanisSIGN Coordinating Committee’s vision?

The Project Committee’s goal for the PNW District is the funding and dedication of 100 new KiwanisSIGN Surgery Centers in developing countries of the world – and to provide inspiration and aid to any other

Kiwanis Districts willing and able to help support this effort. To date, 39 KiwanisSIGN-sponsored Surgery Centers are operating in the developing world. (See Appendix B for a complete listing of KiwanisSIGN Surgery Centers funded so far.)

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Appendix A Resolution Approved by the PNW District Board at its June 22, 2003

Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana

RESOLUTION (for consideration by the PNW District Board at its June 2003 meeting)

WHEREAS Eighty percent of severe trauma worldwide occurs in developing countries, and WHEREAS Hospitals in Developing Countries usually do not have access to expensive real-time imaging in surgical suites, and WHEREAS the Surgical Implant Generation Network, designated hereinafter as “SIGN,” (a humanitarian, non-profit program, founded by Lewis G. Zirkle, Jr., M.D., Kiwanis Internationalʼs 1997 World Service Medal Laureate) has developed FDA-Approved and patented surgical implants and instruments that enable surgeons to set seriously fractured bones without real-time imaging, and WHEREAS SIGN provides (1) the above-mentioned technology, (2) training in itʼs use, (3) continuing oversight and (4) replacement of implants and instruments as needed, all (a) free of charge and (b) exclusively for use in healing people in developing countries whose fractures would not otherwise heal and who could not otherwise afford surgical intervention, and WHEREAS SIGN has since its inception in 1999 proved the viability of the concept by (1) establishing SIGN Surgery Programs and Training Centers in 50 hospitals in 16 developing nations benefiting to date over 6,200 severely injured people whose wounds would not have otherwise healed properly, and WHEREAS a large fraction of the victims of severe trauma in developing countries are the sole breadwinners and caregivers of families with young children, and

WHEREAS the perceived benefits of implementation of SIGN surgery in the developing world include

Restoration of trauma victims to gainful employment or family caregiving, Raised surgical standards and procedures, and A legacy of efficient and modern orthopedic practices for future generations,

BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED THAT the Board of Directors of the Pacific Northwest District (1) endorse the idea of Kiwanis Club/SIGN Partnerships in the PNW District and (2) encourage PNW Divisions and Clubs to provide funds as possible in support of the SIGN humanitarian effort.


Appendix B


Appendix C

Suggested Outline for a KiwanisSIGN Presentation

The Problem

20 million people suffer serious trauma in traffic accidents 80% of serious orthopaedic trauma occurs in

developing countries Primary causes (in descending order):

o Cyclists o Pedestrians o Passengers on minibuses, buses, and trucks o Conflicts

Many of the victims are primary wage earners and care-givers of young families

45% of population in developing countries is of child-bearing age; 35% are minors

Barriers to modern surgical intervention in developing countries

o Cost o Real-time imaging not available in surgery

Accomplishments to date SIGN has developed surgical implant technology that can be installed

without real-time imaging in surgery (a “jig” that allows surgeons to “hit the slot” without being able to see it)

SIGN donates implants to heal the poor in developing countries 100,000 cases completed to date worldwide More than 3,000 trained SIGN surgeons in 200+ SIGN projects in 47

developing countries in Asia, Latin America, South Pacific and Africa.

The KiwanisSIGN Vision Saving Families by Healing Broken Bones to Prevent Broken Families Strategy

o Demonstrate feasibility at the Division level o Demonstrate feasibility at the District level o Extend KiwanisSIGN to Kiwanis Districts beyond the Pacific

Northwest District.


Strategy accomplishments to date

o PNW Div. 54 sponsored the Milton Lewis Memorial KiwanisSIGN

Surgery Center in Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City. See Appendix B for a listing of all 39 KiwanisSIGN Surgery Centers already operating.

o PNW Kiwanis clubs and their members have already contributed

half of the originally targeted $1,500,000 needed to fund 100 KiwanisSIGN Surgery Centers throughout the worldʼs developing countries.

o At its 6/22/03 meeting in Indianapolis, the PNW Board:

Endorsed the formation of KiwanisSIGN Partnerships in the PNW District

and Encouraged PNW Divisions and Clubs to provide funds as

possible in support of the SIGN humanitarian effort.

o The KiwanisSIGN Project has received $30,000 in funding support from the Kiwanis International Foundation.

What is Needed to Realize the Vision

Continued assistance in “Proving the Concept” at the PNW District Level Broadly-based District, Division, Club & individual Kiwaniansʼ involvement

o $100 funds a single SIGN Surgery o $5,000 funds

a set of SIGN surgical instruments addition of Pediatric Nail Surgery to an existing Surgery

Center o $15,000 funds the formation of a KiwanisSIGN Surgery Center in a

developing country (includes 2 sets of SIGN instruments, implants for 100 surgeries, and replacement implants as the original “nails” are consumed).


• • •

The Loser is a part of the problem. The Winner is a part of the answer.

The Loser has an excuse.

The Winner has a program.

The Loser says, “That’s not my job.” The Winner says, “Let me help you.”

The Loser sees problems in every answer. The Winner sees an answer for problems.

The Loser says, “It may be possible but it's too difficult.” The Winner says, “It may be difficult but it's possible.”

KiwanisSIGN surgery makes equality of fracture care worldwide possible!

http://www.KiwanisSIGN.com

http://signfracturecare.org/

KiwanisSIGN Presenter’s Resource Guide · manufacturing a high quality implant (the nail & screws...

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