2009 Innovators in Health Care Award Recipient: Rotary Club of Seattle

A Rotary of Seattle project means these Ethiopian children are receiving polio medicine.

The Group Health Foundation presented Seattle #4 Rotary with the 2009 Innovators in Health Care Award at this year's Gift of Health Gala on Oct. 10. We are honoring the Rotary Club of Seattle for its ongoing dedication to improving public health in our own community and worldwide.

This Year's Recipient

The humanitarian spirit of the Rotary Club of Seattle is exemplified in its motto: "Service Above Self." This guiding principal has been a catalyst for the Rotary's bold initiatives to take on some of the biggest challenges in global health.

The Rotary Club of Seattle, founded in 1909, is the fourth chapter of the Rotary to be established and is widely known as "Number 4." Today, with more than 32,000 Rotary Clubs worldwide, Number 4 is the largest with nearly 700 members. But the Rotary Club of Seattle not only stands out for the size of its membership, but the investment that membership has made in improving health for people in the developing world.

It starts with partnership. Rotarians reach out to their peers in other countries and ask "How can we serve?" These collaborative efforts have resulted in initiatives that have brought clean water to remote villages in Uganda, polio vaccines for children in Ethiopia, and most recently an anti-malaria initiative to Zambia. Together, the Rotarians of Seattle Number 4 have touched thousands of lives.

We are pleased to present the Rotary Club of Seattle with the 2009 Innovators in Health Care Award. We agree with Bill Gates when he said, "One thing is for certain. The world would not be where it is without Rotary, and it won't get where it needs to go without Rotary."

About the Award

The Innovators in Health Care Award honors visionary leaders who exhibit courage, perseverance, and a pioneering spirit to improve health care for the community or for large populations.

Award recipients are chosen after seeking recommendations from leaders within Group Health and from the community at large. Previous award recipients include Aubrey Davis, Don Brennan, Leo Greenawalt, Treuman Katz, Donald Berwick, MD; William (Bill) Foege, MD, MPH; and Cheryl Scott.