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REGULAR MEETING April 9, 2018
<br /> with no safety issues. The eight(8) years I have been employed by Women's Care Center, I have
<br /> never seen any protesting. I've worked at the Ironwood location,the Notre Dame Avenue location
<br /> and the Chapin Street location and we have had no protests that I have seen. I know that Women's
<br /> Care Center can just bring great things to our community on the West Side. I like living on Lincoln
<br /> Way West. I love being on that corridor. I have seen it go through some changes. I have been a
<br /> part of community service projects to cleanup the Lincoln Way corridor and the organization that
<br /> had that cleanup was also recognized by the City Council. So Lincoln Way West could use more
<br /> diversity in this area so we would just ask you consider rezoning the Women's Care Center to the
<br /> Lincoln Way West location. Thank you.
<br /> Katherine Manion, 1511 E. Madison Street, South Bend, IN, stated, My uncle, Mike Hamann, is
<br /> the Saint Joseph County Auditor. He couldn't be here today because his son is very sick and in the
<br /> hospital. He did ask me to read his letter and I will share that with you. Dear Common Council
<br /> Members, I strongly urge your support for the Women's Care Center's rezoning request. My late
<br /> wife, Mary, was founding Board Member of the Women's Care Center along with her sister, Ann
<br /> Manion,who oversees the Center today. In addition,my wife Lori has been touched personally by
<br /> the Center. Her daughter was a client and Lori is passionate about the important work that they do.
<br /> Lori believes her precious grandbabies might not be here today but for the love and support of the
<br /> Women's Care Center. This Center was founded on the belief that no one should have to face
<br /> unplanned pregnancy alone. The strength of this organization is that they are not political or
<br /> divisive. They simply offer unconditional love and support to women who are pregnant. Lori and
<br /> I know, first hand, the quality of their services. It is care that goes beyond a decision for life.
<br /> Hundreds of women and men per week attend educational groups and classes. Along the way,
<br /> parents earn much-needed necessities like cribs, car seats, diapers and new baby clothing. The
<br /> addition of this important work in the Bendix Node will be a great impact. Please know that this
<br /> ask for me is personal. Women's Care Center getting this zoning request means more to me than
<br /> many other issues that I am confronted with on a daily basis.Please lend your support to this much-
<br /> needed expansion. Mike Hamann, 2658 Tomahawk Trail, South Bend.
<br /> Bob White, 615 N. Michigan Street, South Bend, IN, stated, Thank you for the chance to address
<br /> you. I've worked in South Bend for thirty-seven(37)years now and this is my first chance to talk
<br /> to the leadership. I am asking you to approve this rezoning request and would like to give you
<br /> some context. As you know, we have just built a new children's hospital. It is state-of-the-art and
<br /> world-class. You may also know that within a couple miles of that hospital, and here, in fact, the
<br /> infant mortality rate, the maternal mortality rate, the number of infants who have complications
<br /> from premature birth is third-world level.We can't fix that by building bigger hospitals or bringing
<br /> in more specialists or getting fancier technology. We have to address that on the ground. The rest
<br /> of the developed world's healthcare systems look like a triangle. They have an army of healthcare
<br /> workers in the neighborhoods and a small number of high-tech,well-trained people at the top.That
<br /> is all they need because they take care of problems when they are small or before they even occur.
<br /> In the United States, we have an inverted triangle. We don't have many people in the
<br /> neighborhoods and have a lot of high-tech specialists. We need them because we have a lot of sick
<br /> babies and mothers. We have to put more resources in the neighborhoods and that is why I am
<br /> asking you to allow Women's Care Center to expand at this location. If you're a young woman
<br /> and find yourself pregnant,with our healthcare system now,you call a doctor's office,maybe three
<br /> (3) or four(4)to get an appointment. Maybe at a time that is convenient for you, and you may not
<br /> get anything else until you get to that office. Maybe when you get there you will get started on
<br /> vitamins, maybe you'll get some pre-natal education and counseling, and maybe you won't. That
<br /> is how our system works. If you walk into Women's Health Care Center tomorrow, you'll get a
<br /> pregnancy test, an ultrasound, pre-natal vitamins, counseling, pre-natal education and support.
<br /> That is what we need more of. This is what Women's Care Center provides and there are other
<br /> partners in the community as well. But as you have heard, the Care Center provides the lion share
<br /> of this type of support. They are a valued partner for both of the health care systems in this
<br /> community. I am asking you to approve this zoning request so that we can increase the health care
<br /> on the ground on the West Side of South Bend. We really need it. Thank you.
<br /> Randall Suttor, 615 N. Michigan Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I am a physician as well and I
<br /> work at Memorial Hospital. My role is being faculty of the residency program there. I also serve
<br /> on the Board of the Women's Care Center and as Medical Director. I,along with a number of other
<br /> physicians,provide oversight to make sure things are done well with the services that are provided.
<br /> I ensure people are well-trained and that these services operate on a professional level. I can also
<br /> say because the residents I supervise take care of a large number of women that don't have health
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