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June
2005—Issue 2
Editor House of Delegates
Officers: Denise Johnson,
RRT / Speaker-elect Debbie Fox,
MBA, RRT/Secretary Robert Milisch,
RRT/Treasurer Thomas
Striplin, MEd, RRT, RPFT/Past Speaker |
In This Issue... | |
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Leadership, Motivation, and Communication Disaster Relief Fund Continued |
John Blewett Claude Dockter Tom Striplin
Debbie Fox Bob Milisch
Jerry Bridgers
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Editor’s Note: Introduction John Blewett, RRT The Publications Committee along with the help of the AARC executive office staff is pleased to bring you yet another fine edition of the AARC Record. In addition to the inspiring articles from the leadership of the House (Claude Dockter, Denise Johnson, Tom Striplin, Bob Milisch, and Debbie Fox) we also are fortunate to have two different tales of adventure and one very informative piece which is a must read for anyone involved in the bylaws process at the affiliate level. The tales of adventure take place on remote islands (by Steven Kessinger) and the jungles of Washington DC (by Jerry Bridgers). The piece on affiliate bylaws and avoiding the common mistakes affiliates often make when writing or revising their bylaws is by the chair of the bylaws committee, Lynn Lenz. Please take time out to read these thoughtfully written articles. [Top] |
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Meaningful Work! Claude Dockter, RRT Last summer during the House of Delegates meeting the delegates participated in focus group discussions. From those discussions the House of Delegates developed a plan on how to improve operations of the house. It is my intent to continue those efforts and use our time efficiently, and provide enough time to discuss the relevant issues. Our face-to-face meeting time is short (Officially scheduled for 16hrs). I hope to provide the House of Delegates with opportunities to expand their knowledge of the issues facing our profession. The 2005 summer agenda provides opportunities for delegates to receive more detailed information on current topics and initiatives which are being addressed by the AARC Board of Directors, AARC Committees, and State Affiliates. Additional time will be set aside for the following presentations to allow for provision of specific information the delegates can use to educate the affiliate leadership and AARC membership.
We will leave our real jobs for three days, our families for four days, and subject ourselves to airline travel. Why would we do this? My answer...“Because the AARC House Of Delegates Does Meaningful Work!” I look forward to the summer 2005 House of Delegates meeting in Orlando and the opportunity to make a difference. [Top] |
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Leadership, Motivation, and Communication: Essential Elements to Success Tom Striplin, MEd, RRT The House of Delegates offers many unique opportunities for individual leaders from their state affiliates to partake in active leadership roles on a national level. Communication is a critical component to any effective leadership strategy. It is important that all group members understand the direction of the organization and know what opportunities or threats are present. Stepping up and volunteering for a committee position is just one way to get more involved in the operation of the House of Delegates or the AARC. Many times we think of reasons why we can’t do something, rather then making a conviction to move in a certain direction. In order for an organization to continue to be successful, its membership needs to be empowered with information that they can transform into a usable plan for the future. The leadership of the AARC Board of Directors and the House of Delegates are working to empower our respective members and affiliate groups with vital information that will continue to position our profession as the expert providers of respiratory care and cardiopulmonary medicine. Do we have challenges? Have we made mistakes? Can we improve our processes? Does your point of view matter? Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, is the answer. Failure is part of learning to lead effectively. If you are too proud to admit the path you have taken was sub-optimal, or you’re not interested in other’s opinions, then you have enclosed yourself in a narrow viewpoint of the world around you. More than ever, our profession and our professional societies must grasp our challenges and formulate actions that will continue to lead us in a direction of success. As an elected leader of the House of Delegates, it is my job to both motivate and to communicate to others in my profession that it’s time to “step up to the plate”. A few of my own pointers that I live by when stepping up to the plate:
Success in an organization is everyone’s responsibility! Let’s all continue to step up to the plate and keep this organization moving in a successful direction. [Top] |
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Get Set, Get Ready Denise Johnson, BS, RRT As I mentioned in my February report, the House officers were heading off to meet with the AARC BOD at their March meeting held in Dallas. We are invited to be a part of this meeting each year to hear for ourselves the significant work that is being done by the leaders of our professional organization as well as understand the strategic direction and goals for the coming year. President Hiser ran a smooth, efficient and productive meeting. The take-home message for me was of the importance of the HOD and BOD to be aligned in our communication to the membership on the significant issues facing our profession, especially Project 435, updates on polysom and the Home Health bill HR 964. We must support these efforts by enlisting the assistance of the House to in turn educate and gain support back at the affiliate level. You will be hearing a lot more about each of these topics during the summer meeting in Orlando. We will have a full, action-packed agenda for our meeting in July. It promises to be informational, educational and of course, provide opportunities to network. Speaking of networking, I will be distributing my request for committee members and chairs for my term as speaker, 2006. This is the time I will remind you of your reassurance last fall when you said, “Denise, let me know how I can help you, I will do whatever you need.” I took good notes! I am looking forward to seeing you next month. Please remember if there is ever anything I can do for you, please call or write. [Top] |
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Improving PR Activities Debbie Fox, MBA, RRT One of the fringe benefits of attending the House of Delegates is the opportunity to share ideas and successes of other state affiliates. After our meetings, I always return home with new ideas to improve how our state affiliate operates. For this reason, I would like to share a recent activity by the Kansas Respiratory Care Society that has proven successful. One of our Society’s goals is to encourage activities to increase public recognition of the respiratory therapist. We wanted to promote professional awareness and involve members in public relation activities through school visits, COPD screenings, asthma classes, health fairs and other similar activities. But we all know how frustrating it can be to scrounge around assembling everything needed and then carry in the boxes, pieces and parts to whatever location they are to be used. To make it easier for members, the KRCS Board authorized funds for our Public Relations Chair to develop a “Speaker’s Kit”. This Kit is a small-wheeled suitcase with multiple compartments. Some of the items stuffed inside include a preserved pig’s lung, a small spirometer with mouthpieces, KRCS Polo shirts, educational handouts for health fairs, student recruitment information and a few promotional items. We also included a disposable camera and a journal to record the places the Kit has traveled. We have been pleased that these Kits have already been used several times this year. The members who have used them have appreciated how easy they are to use, and the only complaint heard is how to fit everything back inside afterwards. We currently have four Kits to be shared by our eight chapters and any member can reserve a Kit. Although these Kits were a considerable investment for the KRCS, the Board hopes the payoff will be not only improved recognition of Respiratory Therapy, but also reap benefits from increased member participation. During our meeting in Orlando, I would encourage every Delegate to share similar success stories, either during open microphone or during informal networking. Perhaps we could consider a more formal way to share ideas. The House is a great resource and we need to take advantage of this opportunity. I look forward to seeing everyone in July. [Top] |
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Disaster Relief Fund Continued Bob Milisch, RRT I outlined the financial history of the Disaster Relief Fund in the last issue of the Record. I hoped it helped to see where the donations by several of the state societies went. I, personally, always wondered where the cash went. I was pleased to see that these very generous contributions helped so many. Now I’ll try to outline the process for accessing these funds. The fund was established with seed money from the AARC and the House of Delegates in 1992. The fund was established to help AARC members who experienced property loss as a result of Hurricane Andrew. Now, any AARC member who has suffered property loss or damage in any federally declared disaster can now access the fund. AARC members have one year from the date of the disaster to apply for funds. Members may contact the AARC for appropriate forms and can request grants of up to $500.00. The member requesting funds must be a member of record at the time of the disaster. The AARC will then verify membership and send the form to the president of the state society for verification that the applicant was in an affected area. It’s important for House of Delegates members to be aware of this process. I think we are the best individuals to inform the AARC members in our state about the fund when it might be helpful. The Disaster Relief Fund is yet another benefit of AARC membership. I hope that none of us will ever need the fund, but just in case we do, keep those checks coming! [Top] |
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The Lucky Steve Kessinger, CRT Imagine a place so isolated that the nearest acute hospital is 5 hours away by jet plane. Now imagine that this place has a high incidence of tuberculosis, malaria and cholera (because they tried to dig a well down through an old grave yard). Imagine a population of 70,000 people and a birth rate approximately 3 per day. Imagine having to travel 30 miles each way by boat to fill a jug with fresh water, only to repeat that same trip each day. And finally, imagine a small hospital servicing that 70,000 population using equipment sometimes 40 years old. That place was the south Pacific island group known today as the Marshall Islands. I was invited there two summers ago to teach the hospital personnel how to use a new state-of-the-art ventilator. The staff was all contracted from the U.S., Australia, Great Britain, and the Philippines. The hospital I did training at was on the island atoll of Kwajalein. Three and one-half miles long by one-half mile wide, it had 2500 people on it. A neighboring island we visited was half the size and had 20,000 people on it. This island (Ebeye) had a brand new hospital that looked great from the outside. Inside it had new equipment still in the boxes because no one knew how to use it. I saw a cockroach below the scrub sink in the O.R., and patients were taken care of by their families. Back on Kwajalein I spent 6 days teaching the doctor, nurses, and other personnel how to use the new ventilator. The staff was so appreciative and very welcoming to me. While I was there, one patient had a CVA, another had a severely broken femur. Both had to be airlifted to Honolulu (five hours away), but had to wait while a commercial airliner could be reconfigured to accommodate them both. It took two days. The need was so great and these people did their best to help, but it seemed that it just was not enough. They tried to convince me to stay and work with them and had I had the chance to do so in a place not so isolated I might well have done so. Apologetic, I left for home still thinking about what I had experienced. One thing I know for sure: we do indeed live in the greatest country in the world with medical technology that meets or surpasses most others. I have finally come to appreciate what I have as an American citizen. I also learned that what we do as RCPs is needed everywhere, and that we should be extra proud to do what we do here in the United States of America. [Top] |
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Report on Home Health Congressional Visit Jerry Bridgers, CRT During the third week of April 2005, I received a call from Jill Eicher asking if I could set up a meeting with Senator Lott to include Dr. A. W. Conerly, Sam Giordano, Jill Eicher and myself. I think that a little background information about Dr. Conerly might be helpful at this point. Dr. A. W. Conerly is now the Vice Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). He was past Medical Director for the Respiratory Care Department at UMMC and has been involved on a state and national level in support of respiratory care since 1966. Dr. Conerly has a good relationship with all of the Mississippi legislative delegation and was instrumental in getting Senator Lott to introduce S2707 last year. Because of Dr. Conerly’s support for respiratory care, healthcare issues and his relationship with legislators, it was felt that his continued involvement could be helpful with getting Senator Lott to reintroduce S2707. Dr. David Dzielak is the Associate Vice Chancellor of the Department of Research, who is also supportive of our home health care efforts and he also has a good relationship with all of Mississippi legislative delegation. I called Dr. Conerly and asked if he would be willing to set up a meeting for us to meet with Senator Lott. He told me to let him see what he could do. He called me back a few days later to say that because he is in Washington on a monthly basis, he would get Dr. Dzielak to set up a meeting for all of us to meet. Dr. Dzielak called me back and told me that the meeting had been set up for 3:30pm on May 11, 2005 and that I would not need to purchase a ticket because I could fly up with him and Dr. Conerly. I passed this information to Jill and she notified Sam. On May 10, 2005, I flew to Washington with Dr. Conerly and Dr. Dzielak. Jill and I met on that evening to discuss some strategies and ideas for the meeting the next day. On Wednesday, May 11, 2005, Jill, Sam and I met for more discussion before the meeting at 3:30pm. We did meet on May 11, 2005 (after the evacuation call for the Capitol, White House, Federal Building, House of Representative Building and Senate Building due to a private plane being in restricted air space). During this meeting, before we met with Senator Lott, we met with his Chief of Staff, Mr. Bill Gottshall and his Medical Affairs Staffer, Mr. Reed McMillan. We had much discussion as to the need for this legislation and how it would be a tremendous benefit to the patient. While Sam, Jill, Dr. Dzielak and I were talking with Reed McMillan, Dr. Conerly explained to Mr. Gottshall in another office, the importance of this legislation and the benefits it would bring about. When Senator Lott came in, we had discussion about S2707 and the importance of the legislation. We mentioned to Senator Lott that we had been told that this effort was supposed to be budget neutral and that we had asked for it to be scored by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) but had not been able to get a report back. (As you may or may not know, Senator Lott is a member of the Senate Finance Committee) Senator Lott told Reed to contact CBO for scoring on this legislation as soon as possible. Members of the Finance Committee can request and get scoring more rapidly than other committees so we should be getting a report soon, hopefully in our favor. Senator Lott told us that the bill did not have much of a chance on its own because there were no Medicare issues hot and on the burner at this time. He told us that he would look for a way to attach it to another bill so it would have a better chance of moving and being approved. We gave Reed the names of some states that had told Jill and me that their Senators had stated they would be willing to co-sponsor. Reed McMillan told us he would be contacting the staff members from those states. On the way home from Washington, I asked Dr. Conerly what were his thoughts about the meeting. Dr. Conerly stated that he thought something good would come out of it. Dr. Conerly told me that the chief of staff was impressed to see the type of representation we had at this meeting. In closing, I would like to encourage all of you in positions of leadership at the national and state level to work with your Delegates and Political Action Contact Teams (PACT) to get all of your Licensed Respiratory Care Practitioners (LRCP) to get involved in the legislative process at both the state and federal level because there are things happening which could have a profound effect on their jobs and careers. We need to continuously encourage therapists to be members in the AARC and we need to continuously encourage legislative involvement. Remember, there is power in numbers. Thanks for letting me share this event with all of you. [Top] |
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Overcoming the Bylaws Abyss Lynn Lenz The bylaws process has often been regarded as cumbersome and slow to respond to the needs of the affiliate membership. Many have shared stories of their bylaws being lost in the abyss for years on end. While some of those stories may be true there is always another perspective from which to view the story. The intent of this article is not to explain or defend anyone’s perspective because to me that is simply not productive. What is productive is to discuss, understand, and try to improve the bylaws process. The Bylaws Committee has two major areas of responsibility: the AARC Bylaws and the Affiliate Bylaws. This article will refer only to the Affiliate Bylaws. Past History Where We Are Today The Charges and Helpful Hints Note: All three of the Affiliate Bylaws rejected by the BOD in March were due to this charge. The BOD felt that language in the Affiliate Bylaws was vague regarding this issue. Clarifying language was developed and the bylaws were resubmitted as stated previously. Helpful Hints
Charge number 2: Proposed changes and amendments will be reviewed for conflict with the AARC Bylaws only. Errors in grammar, spelling, or internal inconsistencies will be the responsibility of the Chartered Affiliate. The Bylaws Committee may make recommendations regarding grammar, spelling, or internal inconsistencies but will not delay the approval process over such issues. Helpful Hints
Charge number 3: Helpful Hints Other Common Problems Helpful Hints
Breakdown in the process Once the Committee approves the Affiliate Bylaws they are submitted to the BOD. The BOD may choose to review Affiliate Bylaws electronically or they may wait until the Bylaws Committee submits recommendations in the form of a report prior to each BOD meeting. The Bylaws Committee is an AARC Committee so reports are submitted three times per year. Helpful Hints Future Actions Conclusion |
