Missoula's Youth Are Civically Engaged AND Making a Difference

December 14, 2009

In the spirit of the holiday season, join City Club Missoula for the December 14 forum with presentations and discussion that will certainly tell a story that is encouraging, heartening and enlightening. Missoula’s youth are actively working on projects with local and global impacts.
Students representing four high school programs in Missoula will discuss the various ways they are making a difference in their schools and community. In addition, the Sentinel High School Spartanaires, directed by Teacher Jessica Tidwell with 23 student singers, will provide festive holiday music.
The agenda will include four brief presentations, each an example of how students work together to benefit fellow students and the surrounding community. Presentations include:

• Big Sky High School – Partnership with the National Coalition Building Institut. Students Mitch Colyer, Chelsea Luke and Emily Dean will talk about student-lead violence prevention work at Big Sky High School and prejudice reduction workshops that have been provided to incoming freshmen.
• Sentinel High School - DECA Club programs. Members Josh Hamilton, Josh Reed and CJ Wulf will speak about fundraising for a new sign at Sentinel, store management and conferences/competitions for students.
• Willard Alternative Learning Programs – Partnership with Garden City Harvest for School Garden. Students Amanda Satterlee, Kenya Rees and Amber Zavala will speak on collaborative efforts between Willard students, Garden City Harvest and other organizations to develop a sustainable garden at Willard School.
• Hellgate High School – Students Against World Malnutrition. Students Jenna Allen, Andy Vale and Isabel Huff will talk about a group of Hellgate students who are working to increase awareness of world malnutrition, raise funds and motivate people to take action.

"ONE OF THE BEST FORUMS EVER! THIS SHOULD BE THE ANNUAL HOLIDAY FORUM"

(Overheard by several attendees) Superintendent Alex Apostle, and School Board Trustees Toni Rehbein and Nancy Pickhardt were beaming about the presentations put on by these Missoula High School stuedents!

Health Care Reform: Patch The Crack Or Repair The Windshield?

November 16, 2009

In polls across the country, fixing health care is right up there with fixing the economy. Emotions are high on all sides of the health care debate. University of Montana economist Gregg Davis will discuss health care reform from an economic perspective at City Club Missoula’s November forum. Davis will explore the state of health care and discuss why its associated costs must be addressed looking forward. He will explain the economic challenges facing the system and examine several alternatives for reform. These alternatives will include available and proposed health care options and how they might affect users with respect to efficiency, price and other considerations, as well as what unintended consequences may result from each option.

As the director of health care industry research at UM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Gregg Davis examines the state’s health care markets, trends, costs and other high visibility topics.

Forum notes:HEALTH CARE REFORM
Patch the Crack or Replace the Windshield?

By Gregg Davis
Director of Health Care Industry Research
Bureau of Business and Economic Research
The University of Montana

Over the last four decades, growth in the cost of delivering health care has persistently exceeded the overall average growth rate in the economy by nearly 2 percentage points. The United States currently spends 16 percent of GDP on health care. Absent reform, our country will spend 25 percent of GDP on health care by 2026 and 50 percent of GDP by 2058 – clearly an unsustainable trend, according to Gregg Davis, director of health care industry research at The University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

Davis spoke to a crowd of nearly 70 at City Club Missoula’s November Forum titled “Health Care Reform: Patch the Crack or Replace the Windshield.”

Health care spending keeps increasing for a number of reasons including: the uninsured use emergency rooms; the insured over use health care; our population is aging;  lifestyle choices place additional strains on the health care delivery system; and the rapid adoption of advanced technology, to name a few.

The problem with the health care reform bill is that there is more that we don’t know than we do know, Davis said, adding that the bill is more than 1,900 pages and addresses such as wide ranges of issues including the public option, employer mandates, health care taxes, long-term care, community health centers, mental health, and many other facets associated with health care delivery. Understanding how each facet of the bill would affect the overall health care delivery system, in addition to each individual, isn’t always so obvious.  For example, estimates on the number of people who might enroll in the public option range from 6 million to over 100 million, depending on the framework of the public option plan and its relationship to private plans.

“To sort through the bill, we must digest volumes of information.” Davis said. “What we need to do is figure out what is systemically different about health care that causes costs to exceed inflation. What is it that makes it different than other sectors of the economy? What do all these changes mean?” Of utmost importance in health care reform is the need to “bend the curve” by identifying the underlying fundamentals driving health care costs up.

Health care reform could also have unintended consequences. Unintended consequences almost always reduce the net benefits anticipated from any one policy action. For example, how best to design plans that spread the insurance risk by attracting not only the sick but the healthy? Or would the tax on durable medical equipment restrict future research and development on life-saving equipment? 

“Maybe it’s better to just patch the cracks than to replace the whole windshield when other cracks are coming,” Davis said.

What Are The Plans For Missoula's Transportation System

October 13, 2009

Roundabouts landscaped with shrubs, flowers and park-like settings are beginning to crop up around Missoula. New sidewalks, bike lanes, trails and bus routes allow Missoulians to navigate city traffic safely and efficiently. In the past several years, Missoula’s transportation systems have gone through a number of changes. What is on the horizon for further improvements to our transportation systems? Is more stimulus money available to help with future projects? How can citizens participate in future transportation plans and projects?

This forum will look at these issues with a panel of experts. Panelists include Ann Cundy, Office of Planning and Grants Senior Transportation Planner; Steve King, Missoula Public Works Director; and Nancy Wilson, Director of Association Students of The University of Montana Office of Transportation.

Economic Blueprint for Western Montana

September 14, 2009

Join City Club Missoula as we discuss the blueprint for economic development in Western Montana. It will be the result of open, frank discussions held by a steering committee composed of business leaders, elected officials, local economic development organizations, entrepreneurs and educators, said Dick King, MAEDC president, and presenter.

Moving Montana's Creative Economy Forward: Exporting Montana's Culture to the World

July 13, 2009

Montana World Trade Center http://www.mwtc.org program manager Geoff Sutton will present "Moving Montana's Creative Economy Forward: Exporting Montana's Culture to the World" as the next City Club Missoula Forum July 13.

Sutton will be discussing programs offered by the MWTC, including vocational training programs that help Montana artists increase their business skills as well as others which facilitate marketing Montana art and culture nationally and internationally. Sutton has spearheaded international trade missions exporting Montana art to Europe and New Zealand.

Montana artist Monte Dolack and Terri Elander of the Missoula Children's Theater also will be at the forum to answer questions about their experiences with the innovative trade missions.

Preparing UM Students for the Real World

June 15, 2009

Join City Club Missoula http://www.cityclubmissoula.org and UM Provost Royce Engstrom http://www.umt.edu/provost/ for a discussion on the need for academic innovation to prepare students for today's world.

Currently, there are many challenges and opportunities we face as a global society that require us to prepare students to understand more fully the world context in which they complete their education. We must do a better job of integrating the various parts of the educational process and we must provide every student with the opportunity to put their education to work while still a student. We must also recognize the increasing need for graduate education, both to prepare individual students for new opportunities and to develop our economy and quality of life in new ways. In the end, we must balance our need for innovation with fiscal responsibility in these challenging times. Come talk about how The University of Montana is responding to this growing need!

Governor Brian Schweitzer to Speak on 2009 Legislative Session

May 11, 2009

At its May forum, City Club Missoula will feature Governor Brian Schweitzer, who will be speaking on the 2009 Legislative Session. Hear from the Governor how his budget fared in the legislature, and if we may be looking at another special session to finalize the State's plan for federal stimulus dollars. This promises to be an informative and exciting event!

Glacier National Park: Park Superintendent Charles Cartwright Addresses Current Issues

April 13, 2009

Building relationships for the benefit of Glacier National Park http://www.nps.gov/glac/ and its owners, the American people, will be one of the issues park superintendent Charles Cartwright will address at the April 13 meeting of City Club Missoula. Cartwright, the 21st superintendent of the more than 1 million acre Glacier Park, has been in his current job since June, 2008. The park will celebrate its Centennial in 2010.

"One of my top priorities is to strengthen teamwork within the park. I will also focus on our ties with Park neighbors, especially local communities and tribes," Cartwright said when his appointment was announced.

Cartwright's 36 years of government service include 21 years with the National Park Service. He formerly served as Superintendent at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, and as Associate to the Deputy Director of the National Park Service in 2004 and 2005.

Special Forum:Congressional and State Officials and Staffers To Speak On Stimulus

March 19, 2009

An insider's look at the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Evan Barrett, Chief Business Development Officer, Governor's Office of Economic Development http://business.mt.gov/aboutus.asp , Matt Jones from the office of Senator Max Baucus http://baucus.senate.gov/ and Jessica Flint from the office of Representative Denny Rehberg http://www.house.gov/rehberg/ have committed to speak to City Club Missoula on March 19th, from 11:30-1:30pm at the Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park.

Additional invitees include the office of Senator Jon Tester.

Montana's Energy Outlook: Policy & Practice

March 9 , 2009

If you’re looking for a broad view of where we are and where we’re going with energy in Montana, come to City Club Missoula’s March forum, where a panel of three speakers will talk about “Montana’s Energy Outlook: Policy and Practice.”

March panel speakers are Bob Rowe, President/CEO of NorthWestern Energy, Chuck Magraw, alternative energies representative, and Public Service Commissioner Gail Gutsche.

Public Safety and the Issue of Mental Illness

February 9 , 2009

At its February 2009 forum, City Club Missoula will host a discussion on Public Safety and the Issue of Mental Illness in the Missoula community. Featuring speakers from local law enforcement and the mental health care profession, this discussion will shed light on current policy.

Young Entrepreneurs of the World Unite

January 13, 2009

"Some people start their careers with a job while others start with an idea." Ski film legend Warren and wife Laurie Miller - Warren Miller Freedom Foundation http://www.warrenmiller.org/

With that focus in mind, Warren and his wife Laurie presented their exciting entrepreneurship curriculum for schools soon to be launched in Missoula through their charity, the Warren Miller Freedom Foundation http://www.warrenmiller.org/ to the January luncheon of City Club Missoula http://www.cityclubmissoula.org .

The first Montana program of the Foundation will begin in Feb. at Missoula's C.S. Porter Middle School. The 10 week program will educate the students in the values, challenges and rewards of building your own business while also stressing the value of character, ethics, and integrity.

Laurie Miller stated the basics of the program: "The purpose of the class is to teach young people how to set up and run their own businesses. Students select a business and with the guidance of a mentor will learn how to get the business started and grow through practical lessons in advertising, marketing, and financial record keeping."

Warren added, "I learned a lot in the Depression. None of that is taught in any school district. We stress the value of owning your own business and the financial freedom that affords. A bonus is that strength of character improves when meeting the challenge of running one's own business. There is wisdom in finishing school and going to college. We believe that attending college just to get a good job sells the individual short; going to college to learn how to make jobs can satisfy many goals on many levels."

The Missoula Flagship program http://www.flagshipprogram.org/ is leading the effort through their afterschool program and their extensive base of volunteers. Rosie Buzzas spoke to the group saying that a leader for the course had been secured with an additional person interested in assisting. Other mentors and speakers will be needed to provide a wide range of information and experiences for the students. Flagship welcomes inquiries and support.

Dr. Alex Apostle, superintendent of Missoula County Public Schools, spoke his support of the program, stating that it fit well with the district's mission of educating students. "This program presents a great opportunity to get students involved in the real world and develop relationships with successful business entrepreneurs to help them compete successfully in post-high-school education and in the global economy."

As is the practice at City Club Missoula, attendees asked a number of questions about student and mentor selection, possible expansion of the program and participation by parents in previous programs. Members of several organizations and companies expressed keen interest in partnership and sponsorship opportunities to further expand the program to more students both in Missoula and throughout Montana. Further questions of the program can be directed to the discussion section on City Club's website at http://www.cityclubmissoula.org. Future and past events as well as membership and sponsorship opportunities are also listed on the website.