Good Press: AARC Members in the News

Rita Edwards talks about her hospital’s new lung cancer screening program in this article on mainlinehealth.org. Rita serves as a lung health navigator at the facility.

Vicki Walters’ recent election to president of the Kentucky Society for Respiratory Care is covered in this article on the SurfKY website. “We are very proud of the devotion and leadership she has demonstrated by being an active part of her professional association and our MCH Respiratory Care team,” Ed Heath, her hospital CEO, was quoted as saying.

Charlie Friderici talks about staying safe in cold weather in this video on the WNYT-TV website out of New York. “You should have a plan as to what you’re going to do if the power goes out,” he told the reporter.

The husband of Denise Williams, the RT who was killed in a tragic medical helicopter crash in October of 2013, accepted an award on her behalf last month and the ceremony was covered in this article and video on the NBC-TV website out of Memphis, TN. “It was all about helping kids…despite the accident, she probably wouldn’t change anything,” Rodney Adams was quoted as saying. “She would always want to be there for the kids.” (Since that article appeared, the NTSB released its final report on the accident.)

Sharon Tucker discusses the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD patients in this video captured on the Tenet website from an ABC-TV station out of Florida. “At any age and at any time, you can start rebuilding,” she told the reporter.

Heather Esparza comments on the recent decision in California to allow some community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees in RT in this article in the San Francisco Chronicle. ““My New Year’s resolution was to get my bachelor’s degree,” she was quoted as saying. “There’s a lot more to learn.”

AARC President Frank Salvatore’s promotion to administrator of ancillary services for his health system is covered in this article in the Middletown, NY, Times Herald-Record. In his new role he’ll oversee respiratory care, sleep medicine, wound care, and hyperbaric medicine and has also been charged with developing a system-wide strategic plan to further integrate and strengthen existing services across the system.

Ed Anderson explains how donations of expired medical supplies from the local health system help him train RTs for his part of the state in this article in the Leader and Times out of Kansas. I’d say 95% of the Respiratory Therapists in the region came through our program,” he was quoted as saying.

Kathleen Smith-Wenning is noted for the trips she makes to Mexico each year to teach underserved populations how to improve their health in this article on the Rutgers University website. “Most of the children we serve work late into the night selling cigarettes and candy. They are profoundly poor by our standards…But they have a different type of wealth: A strong, family-centered community,” she was quoted as saying.

Chyane Collins’ students are congratulated on their recent graduation in this article in the Highland County Press out of Hillsboro, OH. The program’s clinical preceptors get a nice shout out too.

Lera Foster shares some great reasons to quit smoking in this article in the Blue Springs Examiner out of Missouri. “People who stop smoking greatly reduce their risk for disease and premature death,” she writes.

Kelly Hendershot’s hospital is recognized for becoming a Heart Failure Accredited Access Hospital in this press release on PRNewswire. “Our multidisciplinary Heart Failure team has impacted Heart Failure care from screenings to inpatient care to home health,”she was quoted as saying.

Noah Jones, Benjamin Lackey, Zac Short, and Justin Wilson are congratulated on their fourth place finish in the Sputum Bowl in the Smoky Mountain News out of North Carolina. Samantha Campbell and Brent Holland served as their team advisors.

James Foley is pictured in this article in the Worcester, MA, Telegram about a new emergency department that just opened at his hospital. The new ED represents the first significant update of the facility in more than 30 years.

Amber Dixon recently took part in a trip to the Georgia State Capitol to advocate for the health professions, and the trip was covered in an article on the Armstrong State University website. “It’s exciting to show legislators what I’m learning at Armstrong,”she was quoted as saying.

Jayne Matoian explains how a communications company helped her home care company ensure patients were prepared to weather the blizzard that hit the Northeast last month in an article in Virtual-Strategy Magazine. “When patients are stuck in their homes without power, they need to know which oxygen tanks to use first,” she was quoted as saying. “Some of our customers didn’t even know the storm was coming.”