Concord Banker Leads Regional Efforts to Combat Tetanus

Patti Barsotti, a veteran banker and leader in the Kiwanis Club of Greater Concord, is a tetanus Eliminator.

Barsotti, a Wealth Management executive at Mechanics Bank, has been named a regional coordinator for The Eliminate Project, a partnership of Kiwanis International and UNICEF aimed at the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus.

Maternal neonatal tetanus kills 59,000 newborn children every year, often also killing the mother.

It is widespread in the Third World, where mothers lying on dirt floors are often infected by germs when the umbilical cord is cut.

It is also preventable through three doses of a 60-cent vaccine. Immunizations and clean birthing practices are the focus of the Kiwanis-UNICEF partnership.

Barsotti is recruiting Kiwanis leaders in Western states to raise money for The Eliminate Project. One of her first recruits was her husband, Rocci Barsotti, also a Kiwanis leader.

“We’re available as resources to speak to clubs about the project,” said Barsotti.