Vol. 29 April 2008 Issue 46
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Respiratory Therapists Respond to the NIU Shootings
Pam Hatcher, RCP
As a Respiratory Therapist you can imagine that we would be right in the thick of things as this tragedy unfolded. All though I have not done direct patient care for several years instead, working behind the scene to support those who deal with patients' life sustaining breath on a daily basis, I never forgot the skills I learned and how important they are in a tragic situation such as this. It was an experience I will never forget but also one that I pray I will never have to experience again. I was so proud of the professionalism and the teamwork that my staff and all of the other care providers demonstrated during this disaster.
We really did not know what to expect or what was about to hit us. You all probably knew more than we did at the time. All we knew was that there had been a 5 hooting at NIU and we were getting some of the wounded. Patients began to pour into the Emergency Department at Kishwaukee Community Hospital They seemed to just keep coming in I was basically down there as support for my staff, being the runner getting supplies, warm blankets etc We were continually triaging patients, moving them from one room to another as more critical patients replaced the stable.
My staff thought it would be best if I stayed with one of the more "stable" patients who had been moved to what we call the "psych room", a small room with limited suction and gasses and without the state of the art monitoring system of the other rooms in the ED. I held her hand and talked with her. She had gotten hit with pellets from a shot gun all over her head, face neck and chest. Her vital signs were stable and so a nurse and I began to carefully clean some of the blood from the hundreds of tiny wounds on her face and neck, many of which were still oozing blood. We could see that she was starting to swell a lot and she complained that her throat hurt. We got her ice packs to help reduce the swelling. We pointed out the worsening of the swelling to one of the doctors and it was obvious we needed to start thinking of protecting her airway. Then our chief of staff who is a trauma surgeon came in. He had reviewed her x-rays and told her that a couple of the tiny bullets penetrated farther than first thought. One had permeated the trachea and another went into her lung, but she was stable.
From that point on we went into high gear. She was intubated, a chest tube was put in and she was prepped for immediate flight out. There was no room or time to set her up on a vent so I bagged her through the entire process until the flight crew took over. She was one of the lucky ones and I feel honored that I was there as an extension of God's hand to do my part to save her life. The true impact of this event continues to unfold. This was my story but there are hundreds of others from the dedicated caregivers, especially my staff of Respiratory Therapists that responded to this community tragedy. Their efforts were heartfelt and courageous. I can not express how very proud I am of them for the strength and professionalism they showed and teamwork that produced such a wonderful outcome to such a tragic event.
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Main
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Plan to attend the premier educational event
for Respiratory Care and all Allied Healthcare Practitioners in Illinois,
May 28, 29 and 30 - 2008
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President's Annua1 Report
Valerie M. Klans, BS, RRT, RCP, President
Many challenges were undertaken by the Illinois Society for Respiratory Care Board of Directors this year. All were aligned with the ISRC 2007-2009 strategic plan and the goals set forth by the American Association for Respiratory Care for 2007-2008. Listed below is a summary of this past year's progress toward achieving those challenges and goals.
Pursue activities that will increase and culminate in public awareness and recognition of the Profession at State and National levels. Liaisons were established and/or maintained with the American Association for Respiratory Care, the Illinois Lung Association, the American Lung Association, the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, the COPD Foundation, the Explorer Scouts, the Top Lathes of Distinction. Orland Township, the East Bank Club, the Red Hat Society, Moraine Valley Community College, the Illinois Hospital Association, and the Illinois COPD State Planning Committee.
Promote patient access to respiratory therapists as medically necessary in all care settings. Members of the Board of Directors were active in the following: ~ provided support and lobbied the Illinois General Assembly to pass the Smoke Free Illinois Act which became law; contracts with a lobbyist in Springfield, IL to monitor legislation that may impact the delivery of respiratory care or the practice of respiratory care in the state; attended receptions for various legislators spoke to them about respiratory cane; are members of the Illinois COPD State Planning committee; traveled to our state capital with the RHAMC performing spirometry screening on senators, house members and staff.
Assist with advancing educational activities designed to address the issues affecting education, medical, and professional trends in the respiratory care community and act in a consultant capacity for quality continuing education throughout the state. The ISRC participated in the American Association for Respiratory Care's International Fellowship Program hosting one Fellow in the City of Chicago and one in Chapter One. Members of the ISRC planned, organized and delivered over 20 educational programs, including the State Convention, resulting in over 80 CEU's being offered to respiratory therapists throughout the state. In addition, members of the ISRC worked in conjunction with other organizations to provide over 10 educational programs to the public to promote the field of respiratory care, how to become a respiratory therapist, disease awareness, smoking cessation, and proper use of home respiratory equipment throughout the state.
Continue to develop and execute strategies that will increase membership and participation in the AARC. Promoted AARC and ISRC membership at all ISRC sponsored events. Membership in the AARC: (2007 957) (2008) = 1004).
Promote effective, efficient and timely communication at all levels of the state chapter affiliates. Six state newsletters called The TRACT were published.
Support and advance strong active chapter affiliates that are strategically positioned to meet the needs of their membership. The strategic planning committee provided support, encouragement and served as a communication liaison between Chapter Chairs. Six of the seven ISRC Chapters met their goal of providing an educational event during the past year.
Continue to update and revise the bylaws to reflect the current practices within the AARC and ISRC Board of Directors. There were no updates nor revisions of the bylaws necessary this year. The ISRC Council Organization was used to improve efficiency and communication and to foster mentorship between members of the ISRC Board of Directors.
Pursue active members of the Board of Directors for the purpose of preparing a slate of candidates for each election. The election was held in accordance with the society bylaws and contained candidates for each office up for election. The committee is looking into electronic voting.
To develop and execute the Statewide Convention that provides educational opportunities that will meet the needs of the membership. The State meeting was held May 3 1-June 2nd, 2007. The conference attracted 840 attendees and 89 vendor booths. Attendees were able to receive up to 16 CRCE's for this event.
Produce a balanced budget by the 2nd quarterly meeting. Goal met with minor revisions and presented to the ISRC membership in this issue of the TRACT. The Society conducted itself in accordance with the bylaws and in a financially responsible manner.
Deborah Linhart, BS, RRT, AE-C
The House of Delegates (HOD) meeting was attended by Kelly Crawford-Jones and Deborah Linhart. The routine business was transacted and Officers' and Committee reports and special presentations were given.
IMPORTANT ACTIONS and/or INFORMATION
As of November 1, 2007 the AARC has over 44,550 members. This is a 7% increase compared to this time in 2006, and is an all time high. Membership must be our #1 focus. Membership drives everything we do! The volume of our professional voice is driven by the number of our members. The national average cost for annual dues in health care professional organizations is $160. The AARC is tie with the AACN for the lowest. As of November 2007, Illinois is the thirteenth largest of the state affiliates.
The AARC is promoting careers in Respiratory Care to high school guidance counselors to aid schools in recruiting students into the field.
The 2 CRCE on-line "Reimbursement College" course has been taken by 1, 167 members. Because of this success the AARC will produce "Reimbursement College Part II". This should be available later in 2008.
Project 2015 and Beyond Update: The first conference to identify future roles of respiratory therapists in 2015 and beyond is scheduled to be held March 3, 2008. This conference will be co-chaired by the ISRC's own John Walton, MBA, RRT, FAARC and Charles Durbin, MD, FAARC.
HR3968 "The Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative Act of2007" was introduced in October. This would ultimately improve patient access to RTs in settings outside of acute care hospitals. Now the real work must begin by gaining support for our initiative, patient by patient, professional organization by professional organization, legislator by legislator.
Respiratory Therapists with the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential and at least a baccalaureate degree are now eligible to become commissioned officers in the Therapist category of the US Public Health Service.
CoARC reported that there are currently 427 Respiratory Care programs, plus 11 new programs which may be opening. The most recent numbers show increases both in total enrollments and total graduates for all programs.
The ISRC donated tote bags, t-shirts, ISRC recipe Collections and Christmas ornaments to the AARC-PACT raffle at the AARC International Congress. The AARC-PACT put a nice "thank you" sign in the display case and also thanked the ISRC in the "Congress Gazette".
You are also served by Kelly Crawford-Jones as a member of the HOD Orientation and Best Practices Committees, and by Debbie Linhart as a member of the HOD Scrutinizing Committee. Please contact either of them with questions or concerns about this report. This meeting was the last of my four-year term of office. I sincerely thank you for having given me the opportunity to serve you as your Delegate.
ISRC Profit and Loss Budget Overview January through December 2007
Could the recent enactment of legislation to fund mass transportation in the RTA region have been the first step toward regaining. a semblance of civility between the warring factions in Springfield? Not! .
Months of stalemate and seemingly fruitless negotiations were finally brought a close by legislative approval in January of a resolution to the projected mass transit crisis. There was hope that a break in the "cold war" between the Governor and legislative leaders would occur. It was not to be.
Consider that when the rules intended to implement the Governor' s plan to expand health care benefits were considered by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), comprised of twelve legislators, and overwhelmingly rejected, the Governor issued a statement indicating that JCAR action was merely advisory, an interpretation of JCAR authority that may need the courts to resolve. Peace? A very ominous sign, indeed. As a result of the Governor's interpretation of the rules process the House has taken the unprecedented step of amending every bill to add language requiring state agencies to submit future rules directly to the General Assembly.
The Governor's budget and state of the state message on February 13 was met with an under-whelming response. His plan to match the upcoming federal rebates has been met with skepticism at a time when the state has scant funds for needed programs and already has over extended late vendor payments. And his call to cut all other non-education, public health and safety programs by 3% has been harshly criticized.
Where will it all end? Extreme optimists, who are few and far between, feel that with a lot at stake in November there will be a resolution before the end of May. The many pessimists on the legislative scene think that it may be another long summer in the state capitol. All eyes will be focused on the strategic moves being made by leaders in each legislative chamber now that the Governor' s budget has been proposed to see whether or not Illinoisans will have to endure yet another round of "Gunfight at the Springfield Corral".
Smoke Free Illinois
On January 1, after over twenty years of trying, Illinois became the twenty-second state to be-come "smoke-free". It didn't happen without a lot of hard work and diligence will be the order of the day so that the new law can stay as pristine as possible with as few exceptions as possible.
Thus far in the legislative session bills have been introduced to exempt casinos, private clubs, veterans halls and clubs, enclosed university labs, retail tobacco stores and others. Surprisingly, at this point the legislature has said "no" to all of them. The session still has three months or more before adjournment so it's too early to tell what the final result might be but members might wish to contact their legislators and ask that no exceptions be granted.
Pursuant to and in accordance with the bylaws of the Illinois Society for Respiratory Care, the following individuals were elected in the 2008 ISRC election. Results were announced at the February 29, 2008 Board of Directors meeting by the Nominations and Elections Committee. Thank you to all that voted and congratulations to the winners:
President Elect: Audrea Hardwicks, CRT
Vice President: Barb Bonds, RRT
Secretary: Nancy Marshall, RRT
Treasurer: Ray Kalinsky,Sr., RRT
Delegate: Deborah Linhart, BS, RRT
Board of Medical Advisors:
Shenif Affi, MD
Anas Nahhas M.D., F.C.C,P Diplomat, A.B.S.M.
When the call came from the AARC to host an International Fellow, Chapter 1 members were very interested and responded immediately. Some members had seen respiratory therapy abroad and had remembered it to be very different than here in the United States of America!
We were blessed to get Ron Taylor, from London, England to visit the Peoria hospitals and the respiratory therapist school at Illinois Central College. Ron had spent a week in Boston, Massachusetts at Massachusetts General Hospital before arriving in Peoria.
During his time in Peoria he visited the students in the classrooms and labs and added his own insights into the material we were teaching. He spent time in pulmonary rehabilitation, intensive care and neonatal intensive care at Methodist medical Center, St. Francis Medical Center and at Proctor Hospital. He attended a reception in his honor at Margaret Swanson's house. Margaret is a past president of the ISRC and the dean of Health Careers at Illinois Central College. He also presented a lecture at an ISRC chapter one meeting.
He was such an inspiration for everyone he met. He told us that his "lifeline" in England was the AARC website, as it provided him with much needed background for good respiratory therapy in England. He stated that "The clinical practice guidelines, the professional organization and the support from the American Association for Respiratory Care are like beacons of light and hope for practitioners in other parts of the world". He was amazed at the level of education our students get and marveled at the prospects of bringing a school to London.
He made us all so proud of being members of the American Association for Respiratory Care!
QUESTIONS ABOUT SMOKE-FREE ILLINOIS?
Where is smoking prohibited?
As of January 1,2008, Smoking is banned in all "public places" including
hospitals, restaurants, bars, taverns, retail stores, offices, elevators,
indoor theaters, libraries, museums, concert halls, educational facilities,
nursing homes, auditoriums, schools, meeting rooms, exhibit bails, convention
facilities, private clubs, lobbies, bowling alleys, skating rinks, student
dormitories and casinos.
What should I do if I observe someone smoking In a public building, area
or workplace?
If you see someone smoking:
1. Ask the smoker to please put it out,
2. Inform the staff business owner or manager,
3. If smoking continues, you can call to register a complaint; in Chicago
311; in suburban Cook County (708) 492-2000, and outside Cook County (866)
973-4646.
Can you help me quit smoking?
Starting January 4 while supplies last, Chicago's Smoking Cessation Initiative
will be distributing free "quit kits" at community sites. With a retail value
of $50 each, the quit kits contain stop-smoking tips, telephone and website
support information, sugar-free candy, and nicotine replacement samples donated
by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). The kits are available
to smokers only; one kit per person. Also, a free online quit smoking support
program is available in both English and Spanish at www.quithet.com. Cook
County residents can visit www.cookcounty.quitnet.com. For those who prefer
group support, RHAMC is hosting ante 7-week cessation class starting on January
24th at the Association's office located at 1440 W. Washington Blvd.
What will be the impact of a smoke-free law on the health of Illinois
residents?
We expect to see similar results to California's experience where lung cancer
rates dropped, and in New York City where they observed an 8% decline in
heart attack hospitalizations in the first twelve months.
Any questions that you may have in concerns about Smoke- Free Illinois, please
feel free to call Chicago 311, in suburban Cook County (708) 492-2000, and
outside Cook County (866) 973 -4646.
In Memory of Larry Lnhart January 22, 1948 toOctober 11, 2007
The ISRC and the program committee in patricular, lost a great friend and
supporter with esudden passing of Larry Linhart. Larry was a tireless
volunteer at convention.
Survived by his wife Devvie, his mother and brother
In Memory of Doris Peterson February 6 1937 to March 17, 2008
Doris Peterson was one the of friends that suffered with Sarcoidosis. The ISRC parterned with the ( CSSSG ) the Chicago Southside Sarcoidosis Support Group which she was the founder. This group provides education awareness and support to anyone with Sarcoidosis and the other lung related diseases. Sher started the CSSSG because of her desire to bring national and international attention to the plight of Sarcoidosis victims and their families. This group also helped to ensure legislative support for research funding. She was friend to the ISRC and true advocate for all those with lung disease. She will be missed
SPECIAL DISCOUNT ON AARC MEMBERSHIPS
The ISRC has purchased special discount membership coupons from the AARC for use by any respiratory therapist in Illinois. If you are currently a member of the AARC, and your membership is up for renewal, you can purchase a discount coupon for $75 from the ISRC instead of the $90 renewal cost. This offer is also good for those who wish to join the AARC. Discount coupons at $75 can be purchased and used for new membership instead of paying $102.50, a savings of $27.50.
Contact Doug McQueary, membership chair of ISRC at: 773-962-4086 or dmcqueary@stbh.org for questions and/or further information.
Don't pass up this savings opportunity.
Asthma Adventure Camp
CAMPERS WANTED - MEDICAL TEAM WANTED
For more info or to receive an application call 1-800-788-5864 or visit www.lungil.org today
| The RESPIRATORY TRACT Official Publication of the ISRC
Published by the
Brian Lawlor, Editor
President -- Valerie Klans |
Chapter I Chair - Barbara Bonds Phone: 309-683-6116
Chapter II Chair -Audrea Hardwicks
Chapter III Chair - Brent Ryherd
Chapter IV Chair - Stanley Pearson
Chapter V Chair - Barb Zueck
Chapter VI Chair - John Charbonneau Chapter VII Chair -
Medical Advisors: |
The RESPIRATORY TRACT is published bi-monthly The closing date for editorial and advertising printed material is the first of the month preceding month of issue.
The RESPIRATORY TRACT
Circulation: All members of ISRC |
2008 Betty Pendgraft Poster Award
Calling all Illinois Respiratory Therapist students!!!! Here is your chance to gain recognition at the Illinois State Respiratory Care Conference and get in free! Two top winners will receive a scholarship to cover the cost of taking the NBRC registry exams! This prize is worth $390.00!
The ISRC invites you to become a part of the excitement at the 2008 ISRC 40th Annual Conference at Drury Lane Conference Center, Oakbrook, Illinois on May 28th-30th, 2008 by submitting a poster presentation on any area of respiratory care for the 2nd annual 2008 ISRC Student Betty Pendgraft Memorial OPEN FORUM.
The OPEN FORUM POSTER PRESENTATION is your opportunity to:
Your program director or clinical director can submit your name and poster title online! Submit your abstract through your program director and the program director will contact Kelly Crawford-Jones, MS, RRT for questions please contact kcrawfordjones@icc.edu.
Deadline is May 15th, 2008.
Poster Specifications
OPEN FORUM posters may include:
Topic ideas may include aspects of adult acute care, continuing care/rehabilitation, perinatology/pediatrics, cardiopulmonary technology, or health care delivery
Study posters must include:
For questions for additional information contact:
Kelly Crawford-Jones
Email:kcrawfordjones@icc.edu
Respiratory Therapist Program Director
Illinois Central College
201 S.W. Adams Street
Peoria, IL 61635
(309) 999-4663