Editor
Jerry Edens, MEd, RRT
Cincinnati, OH
(513) 636-7461  

House of Delegates Officers:
Thomas Lamphere, RRT, RPFT
Speaker
Sellersville, PA
(215) 687-2904

Bill Lamb, BS, RRT, FAARC
Speaker-Elect
Wentzville, MO
(314) 308-0599

Sheri Tooley-Peters, RRT-NPS, CPFT, AE-C
Secretary
Adams Center, NY
(315) 783-5326

Debra Skees, BS, RRT, CPFT
Treasurer
Coon Rapids, MN
(763) 236-6877

Camden McLaughlin, BS, RRT, FAARC
Past Speaker
Blacksburg, VA
(540) 230-7023

Speaker’s Report

Tom Lamphere
BS, RRT, RPFT
Speaker
AARC House of Delegates

2010 has arrived and I’d like to begin my term as Speaker of our House of Delegates by thanking the members of the House for electing me to serve as your Speaker.  It is an honor to work with such a great group of dedicated individuals and I look forward to working with you throughout the year. 

In 2010, it is my intention to continue the great work completed in 2009 by Past Speaker of the House Cam McLaughlin and to continue to enhance the collaboration between the HOD and the AARC Board of Directors.  In January, AARC President Tim Myers announced the “2010 AARC Goals” and my goals for the House of Delegates (HOD) are designed to support those of the AARC.

The 2010 Goals for the AARC House of Delegates include:

1. Develop and execute strategies with the Chartered Affiliates that will focus on membership and participation in the AARC.
   1. Review the current AARC membership strategy and provide up to date report from the Membership Committee on both affiliate membership strengths & weaknesses.
   2. Conduct focus group meetings centered on enhancing membership in 2011 at the December HOD meeting.
2. Continue to strengthen good communication and enhance relationships between the Chartered Affiliates and the AARC.
   1. Continue Best Practice presentations at both HOD meetings.
   2. Search for ways to establish communication and sharing of information between the affiliates.
   3. Search for ways to establish communication and sharing of information between the affiliates and the AARC.
3. Continue to develop the processes of mentoring HOD members into leadership roles for the HOD and the AARC.
4. Continue to support and enhance the “Respiratory Therapist for 2015 and Beyond” project through communication, education, and specific committee guidance.
5. Continue to promote access to Respiratory Therapists by supporting the Respiratory Therapy Initiative through both the individual actions of the HOD members and through the actions of the state affiliates.
6. Conduct efficient and effective HOD meetings while continuously reviewing all HOD processes searching for ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the meetings.
   1. Continue to strengthen resolution process through education and awareness.
   2. Enhance committee chair roles through a complete review of charges, goal development, mentoring within the committees, assurance of “working” time during HOD meetings, and an evaluation process for committee chairs.
   3. Continue allotted time to discuss issues related to reports.
   4. Work to have an active and goal oriented HOD executive board.
7. Maintain open communication and collaborative working relationships with the AARC President, AARC BOD, and AARC Executive Director/Office to enhance goals and objectives
   1. Participation in monthly conference calls with President(s), Speaker(s), and Executive Office.
   2. Routine communication with President Myers with discussions related to AARC, BOD, HOD issues. Assist President Myers with obtaining Presidential Goals through HOD involvement and support.

The House officers will be attending the April AARC Board of Directors in Dallas.  Prior to that meeting, we will also be communicating via conference calls and email to prepare for the Summer HOD meeting in Marco Island, FL.  Prior to our meeting, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time via email (ThomasLamphere@comcast.net) or via phone (215-687-2904).

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Speaker Elect Report

Bill Lamb
BS, RRT, CPFT
Speaker Elect
AARC House of Delegates

It’s been a fast and furious end to 2009 and beginning of 2010. Health Care continues to stroll down a difficult path and many changes & challenges are in our view. Our membership and participation in our professional organization, The AARC, will help guide us into our future. Our well coordinated efforts on the state level and in Washington DC will be successful and result in improvements for the patients we serve.

I want to offer my sincere thanks to my colleagues in the AARC House of Delegates for awarding me the opportunity to serve as your Speaker Elect. I look forward to working with you all. I am very enthusiastic about the activities of the HOD and the Professional Direction that the AARC is pursuing. I attended my first AARC Board of Directors meeting before leaving San Antonio & have participated in my first AARC Presidents’ and House Speakers’ Conference call in February.

My Goals as 2010 Speaker Elect are:

1. Support & assist the Speaker in facilitating the business of the House.
2. Promote & maintain effective communication within the House of Delegates, within House Leadership, with the AARC President, Board of Directors, Section Chairs and Members.
3. Support and assist the AARC President and BOD in achieving the AARC’s goals.
4. Mentor and encourage members to volunteer & become involved in the AARC Leadership.
5. Encourage & support fellow Delegates to pursue leadership roles in House of Delegates & its committees.
6. Promote the AARC as The Professional Organization for respiratory caregivers and promote membership.

Please let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns and opportunities for improvement as we form our strategic plans going forward.

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Nothing to Pout About

Debra Skees
BS, RRT, CPFT

For many parts of the country, this winter’s weather was excruciatingly brutal.  Blizzard after blizzard in the northeast, ice storms in Tennessee and Kentucky, hard freezes in Florida and Georgia and torrential rain and flooding in California. I think we all were caught off guard with the below freezing temps and snow flurries when we were gathered for the International Congress in San Antonio in December.   Even Punxsutawney Phil seemed to throw salt into the wound by cursing us with another six weeks of winter when he saw his shadow on Groundhog’s Day.

For most of the country these brief wintery spells are an exciting change of pace and maybe even provided a  welcome “snow day” in which to take a day off of work or school.   (One inch of snow and you shut down the town?  Shut the front door!!) But think of how you would fare if your winter provided you with a constant 6 months of the like?  What makes some of us that call the great white north “home sweet home” and how the heck do we survive through the long winter?    The answer is crazy winter festivals.  “If you can’t beat it, join it” as they say.

Last week, in an effort to beat “cabin fever”, I participated in what is called the “International Eelpout Festival in Walker, MN.  This festival is the epitome of taking “lemons and turning them into lemonade” albeit in a slushy form, like an Italian ice.  The festival is held out on the ice of Leech Lake and celebrates the capture of one of the ugliest and most undesirable fish in the lake- the Eelpout.  If lucky (?) enough to catch one while ice fishing, the Eelpout greets the fisherperson as it is pulled through the ice hole by curling its slimy body around the captor’s arm and frozen fingers.  Not to be put off by the wiggling & squiggling, the fish if large enough is entered into the competition or is taken back to be deep fried.  They call it “poor man’s lobster”.  

For those of you that have never experienced ice fishing, Eelpout Festival is the ultimate!  There are miles of snow plowed roads on the ice with street signs to guide your way to the various neighborhoods of ice shacks.  The shacks are sometimes elaborate and provide all the essential requirements like sleeping quarters, 42inch flat screen HD TVs, sound systems, and of course fully stocked bars.  Often the encampments have names, like “Eel-catraz”,or “Camp Pout-triat” and have the feel of Bourbon Street.

One of the main events of the fest is the Polar Plunge, where hardy Minnesotan’s defy the frigid temps and wind-chill and jump neck deep into the lake as if to laugh in the face of Old Man Winter.  Not only does the jumper have to possess the courage (or insanity) to take the plunge, they also have to raise donations to do it.  Minnesotans sure do love them some winter and will pay to play. 

So where am I going with this story, you are probably asking yourself.  It registered with me while at the festival this year that winter is like so many things in life.  There may be significant challenges, yes, but keeping your mind open will offer the opportunity to discover some new and exciting experiences along the way.  For me, getting fully immersed (no, I didn’t take the “plunge” this year) in the winter experience was so much more enjoyable then pouting about the silly groundhog seeing his shadow.

And now for some info on the cold, hard cash of the AARC….

The December financial reports revealed a better than anticipated year despite the continued economic difficulties. 

• The overall performance for 2009 was below 2008 but one bright note was that the membership income increased by 3% from the previous year. 
• Revenue for publication advertising, product sales and education did not achieve budget targets. 
• Approximately $98K of new revenue was achieved through the new COPD and Asthma courses.
• The AARC International Congress brought in less income than budgeted but came close to offsetting this variance by reporting fewer expenses than anticipated.
• The AARC demonstrated significant fiscal responsibility and achieved a positive variance to budget  in the majority of expense categories and improvement from 2008 performance.

HOD Specific info:

• At the December HOD meeting, Speaker Cam presented the AARC International Fellow Program with a check for $11,100 on behalf of the affiliates.
• As of 12/31, the balance for the AARC Disaster Relief fund is $35, 733 with disbursements early in ’09 of $4,700 for membership fees for members in previous disaster areas.

Lastly I would like to express my appreciation for the honor of being re-elected to the Treasurer office.  It is my great privilege to work along side Speaker Tom Lamphere and the other officers as we support you delegates in your excellent work.  Here are my charges for the coming year:

Treasurer Charges 2010

1. In collaboration with the Speaker-Elect, prepare the HOD budget to present to the AARC.
2. Serving as a member of the AARC Finance Committee.
1. Report to the HOD all actions of the Finance Committee.
2. Serve on the Audit Sub-Committee of the Finance Committee and report all actions to the HOD.           
3. Present updates regarding the financial status of the AARC to the HOD.
4. Serve on the Delegates Assistance Committee.           
5. Prepare financial impact of resolutions as requested by the Resolutions Committee.
6. Complete all general HOD Officer charges.

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Summit Award Application Process Changing

Gary Wickman
BA, RRT

As we all are contemplating submitting applications for the Summit Award for our body of work for 2009, I want you to start thinking about next year. At the Winter House of Delegates meeting in San Antonio, the House approved changes to the process that I think will improve the process and level the playing field so that all Affiliates. The Charted Affiliates Committee more clearly identified the criteria that each Affiliate Application will be graded on The criteria come with examples of how to score well in each category and there is now a point system to help with the scoring. The old system was very subjective and usually the Affiliate that articulated their activities in the comments section of the application won the competition. The new system has a clearly defined scoring system which should go a long way to making the process more objective. The application will be changed over the coming year to be able to capture the data in the new format.

The new categories will consist of the following:

1. Educational/CRCE Activities
   1. Each Affiliate gets credit for the total number of Educational Activities held.  These are educational credits offered by the Affiliate.
2. Membership Recruiting and retention
   1. The Affiliate gets credit for increasing membership and offering activities that promote membership.
3. Legislative/Advocacy Activities
   1. Each Affiliate gets credit for legislative activities both on a state and national level, participating in the PACT Hill day and having a separate committee that focuses on legislative activities.
4. Promoting Public Awareness
   1. Each Affiliate gets credit for activities that the Affiliate provides that promotes the public awareness of Respiratory Care.  These could include participation in the Ventilator 10K, Health Fair Days, Visiting Public Schools, Holding Patient Awareness meetings, etc.
5. Benefits to Membership
   1. Each Affiliate gets credit for activities that provide benefits to their membership like offering a reduced rate for Educational Offerings to members, Having an Affiliate website and offering scholarships to members for continuing their education.
6. Collaboration with Other Health Care Organizations
   1. Each Affiliate gets credit for their collaboration with other Health Care Organizations by activities like providing a board member for the organization, working together on legislation or health Promotion activities.
7. Student Activities/Leadership Mentoring
   1. Each Affiliate gets credit for activities that benefit students or promotes Leadership mentoring like sponsoring a student to attend the House Meetings, Offering scholarships for students, having students attend Affiliate Board meetings, holding a Student Sputum Bowl competition, or mentoring new members into the leadership process.

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Bylaws Committee

Bill Lamb
BS, RRT, CPFT, FAARC
2010 Chair AARC Bylaws Committee

I am providing the reference below for those states that are considering or planning to revise their State Affiliate Bylaws. This information can be found on the House website. http://www.aarc.org/state_society/aarc_hod/

Please review the Procedure for Amending Bylaws prior to starting the process in your state and contact me if you have any questions.

From the AARC Chartered Affiliates Handbook: http://www.aarc.org/state_society/aarc_hod/ca_handbook.pdf

“II. Things to consider when writing or revising Bylaws:

1. Don’t be overly restrictive in bylaws; spell out specifics in policies and procedures.
2. Chartered affiliates and their respective BOD must adhere to whatever the bylaws state; board members take an oath to uphold the bylaws
3. Each Chartered Affiliate must review their Bylaws periodically, every 5 years.
4. All bylaws changes must be reviewed and approved by the AARC Bylaws Committee prior to final approval by the affiliate’s BOD and submission to the affiliate’s membership for approval.
5. All chartered affiliates should operate under bylaws that are consistent with the AARC Bylaws and have been approved by the AARC Board of Directors.
6. Questions to consider when reviewing your Bylaws:
   1. Does the BOD and it’s policies & procedures fully adhere to each tenet of the current Bylaws?
   2. Is there a copy of the current Bylaws readily available?
   3. Are the Bylaws up to date or in need review in accordance with current operations of the affiliate and/or the review schedule determined by the AARC?

III. Procedure for Amending Bylaws:
The AARC Bylaws Committee is responsible for ensuring that chartered affiliate’s bylaws do not conflict with the AARC’s bylaws. It is not the intent, nor is it the responsibility, of the AARC Bylaws Committee to edit the chartered affiliate bylaws when there are no conflicts with the AARC bylaws. However, when language is considered confusing or the reviewers are unsure of the intent, clarification may be requested, or suggestions as how to “clean up” the language may be made. The following procedure should be followed when amending chartered affiliate bylaws.

1. A copy of the affiliate’s revisions are sent to the AARC Bylaws Chair, c/o the AARC Executive Office (Tina Sawyer).
   1. A cover letter that describes the reasoning for the proposed revisions is included along with the set of proposed bylaws changes. This explanation should be sufficient for the AARC Bylaws Committee to understand the intent of the proposed changes. The affiliate must provide a full copy of their bylaws with additions underlined and bold and with deletions appearing as strikeouts.
2. The Bylaws Committee will review the proposed revisions.
   1. This process may take approximately one month for completion. The AARC Bylaws Committee Chair will communicate directly with each state’s contact to rectify deficiencies in the draft of proposed changes, if any.
3. The Bylaws Committee will recommend approval by the AARC Board
   1. Once the Bylaws committee is satisfied that the proposed changes in the bylaws do not conflict with the AARC’s, they will send the bylaws to the AARC Board and recommend their approval.
4. The AARC Board acts.
   1. In most cases, the Board will act on the Committee’s recommendation to approve the proposed bylaws. However, in some cases, they may send the bylaws back through the AARC Bylaws Committee to the state affiliate’s contact requesting clarification or revision.
5. Once the AARC Board approves, the affiliate follows established procedurefor getting state membership approval of the new bylaws.

For more information: Online Bylaws Amendment Chart
http://www.aarc.org/state_society/aarc_hod/bylaws_status.html”

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House Guest

Sandra McCleaster

Kudos again to the state of Hawaii for their foresight and investment in the future of the Respiratory Therapy profession.  For the third time in recent years, the HSRC has co-sponsored a student representative to a House of Delegates meeting.  The HSRC truly “walks the walk.”  By actively encouraging students to learn more about the professional organization and the leadership opportunities it offers, our profession can only grow stronger. 

Kelly Flynn attended the December HOD meeting in San Antonio.  I asked Kelly to write about his experience and impressions.  Read Kelly’s own words:

Hello. My name is Kelly Flynn. I am 39 years old. I was previously a flight instructor in Honolulu Hawaii and I have a BA in History from the University of Hawaii I came to Respiratory Therapy after deciding that I wanted a career in which I could earn a living and at the same time directly help people in need. At the time both of my grandparents had recently passed away I was very impressed with the level of compassionate care provided to them by the allied health personnel at the hospital They inspired me so much that I decided to break from flight instructing and get into health care. At that point, I didn’t know which area of health care I just knew that I wanted to be in the acute care setting helping people. 

 During my first year back in school, I met with Stephen Wehrman, Director of the Respiratory Care Program at Kapiolani Community College He was so motivating and made respiratory therapy sound so interesting that I knew right on the spot that RT was the place for me. I didn’t apply to any other programs and was honored when they selected me to join the class of 2010.

Out of a class of 12 students, I was selected by my instructors to attend the 2009 House of Delegates meeting and AARC International Congress. The trip was funded by both the Hawaii Society for Respiratory Care (HSRC) and Kapiolani Community College’s RT department. I have been involved as a student representative in the HSRC and have become very interested in our current struggle for legislation concerning state licensure in Hawaii. (Hawaii is one of the two last states that do not have a state license). I believe that my teachers wanted me to witness firsthand the HOD and see how things operate on a national scale. They hoped I’d bring some of what I learned back and share it with my classmates and perhaps help to organize here at the local level.

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All in a Day's Work

Helen Thul, a registered respiratory therapist with C.O.R.E. Respiratory Services in Lakeville, talks about her job.

Q: What’s a typical workday like for you?
I work in a long-term care facility and spend a lot of time with patients, making sure they’re breathing and circumventing their going to the hospital. I administer nebulizer treatments, airway clearance and tracheal management. Each morning, I go over patients’ charts and talk with nurses about patients who need immediate attention. I get physicians’ orders and keep physicians and nurse practitioners updated on patients. I work with the admissions team on new patients, sometimes doing on-site screenings at hospitals. I participate in care conferences, am on the critical care team and work on discharge planning.

Q: How does your role fit into the bigger healthcare picture?
The number of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has increased tremendously and respiratory problems frequently cause residents to return to the hospital. If they can’t breathe and oxygenate correctly, they cannot heal. I’m an integral part of the healing process.

Q: Who do you interact with during the course of the day?
The nurses, admissions team, rehab department, residents, family members, durable medical equipment companies, social workers, recreational therapists, maintenance, central supply, medical records and the business office.            

Q: Why did you become a respiratory therapist?
I always wanted to go into healthcare and initially wanted to be a nurse anesthetist, but the program was full. A respiratory therapist suggested I look into this. I’ve been doing it for 27 years.

Q:   What do you like about your work?
I like my patients. I like to take care of them and let them know you can have a better quality of life. When I see that they can get better or when I’ve educated the nurses they can understand a better outlook on that patient. I try to get them to their goals wherever they want to go.

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Choosing Civility

Karen Schell
Delegage, Kansas

On a recent road trip I was gently teased by friends about the book I was reading, “Choosing Civility” by P.M. Forni. I thought it was appropriate for me to read to grow as a person and help deal with stressed coworkers and employees. Our organization has been going through some rough times with the bottom line and turnovers in administration and the stress level can sometime make personalities a little “crazy”.  The book focuses on how we ought to treat each other. Respect for individuals and the quality of our relationships we have with our coworkers is simply expected of all of us and can affect our happiness and our bottom line. There are many ways to show respect to ourselves and those around us with the idea to attract not to appeal. A quote by Glenn Van Ekern sums it up best for me “it takes a variety of people to challenge us, encourage us, promote us and most of all, and help us achieve a broader dimension of ourselves”. A lapse in civility can by anything but trivial when we look at it from the receiving end. It can be easy to spoil someone’s happy moment.

Forni lists 25 rules for civility that are mostly common sense and some that we can all be reminded of at some point or another.

They include:

• Pay attention
• Acknowledge others
• Think the best
• Listen
• Be inclusive
• Speak kindly
• Don’t speak Ill
• Accept and give praise
• Respect the subtle “no”
• Respect others opinions
• Mind your body
• Be agreeable
• Keep it down (and rediscover silence)
• Respect other people’s time
• Respect other people’s space
• Apologize earnestly
• Assert yourself
• Avoid personal questions
• Care for your guests
• Be a considerate guest
• Think twice before asking favors
• Refrain from idle complaints
• Accept and give constructive criticism
• Respect the environment and be gentle to animals
• Don’t shift responsibility and blame

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