AARC Record

We were told last year to get ready—that this year would be a year that things were going to change for our profession. We heard it from several sources…the times were just about right for all the pieces to be in place and we were going to finally get a shot at official recognition in Washington that would translate into substantial benefits for our patients. Well, it is here and now is the time. The 435 plan* has been activated and we need collectively raise a shout for our legislators to hear. Outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation S 329 and HR 552 is moving through the machinery in Washington D.C. If we can get this to pass, we will have jumped a BIG hurdle. Go to the AARC.org website—go to Governmental Affairs—click on the AARC Federal link and the Capitol Connection link to get informed and then…write your congressional representatives in the Senate and the House…have your family and friends do the same…get patients to write too. If you can—talk directly to your congressional offices or even better—discuss this with your elected official in person. We must gather forces to make this happen. Also—be alert and stay ready…we likely will have more opportunities to make things move as this year progresses.

*Don’t know about the 435 plan? Use the search function on the AARC website and enter 435 plan—read a few of the articles to see how this works. Talk to your state society president. Volunteer and do something…really. Do something today—this week.

This issue of the Record has some of our usual articles and a few unusual ones as well. We have our reports from the HOD leadership (thanks Frank, Cam, Joe, and Debbie) so read these with care and learn from the top—eh? Sherry Milligan has provided an insightful look at the AARC offices in Dallas and what happens everyday that we don’t hear about. Sandra McCleaster, (delegate from New Jersey) has an interesting article on email issues, and Dan Maddalino (delegate from Florida) has a challenge for us to stay fresh and new, better, smarter, stronger. Jerry Edens (delegate from Ohio) gives us a summary of a recent HOD survey that checked up on this publication—The AARC HOD Record. Finally, we’ve included a piece that touches on our purpose as a profession as we get a glimpse of what it means to truly rise to the occasion. Pam Hatcher and the folks at Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb, Illinois were face with a sudden emergency that shook the community and they overcame the challenge.

We are working to make the Record better. My advice—take the piece of your RT world where you touch the AARC and our profession…and make it better too.

Read on…[Top]

Speaker Report

Frank Salvatore Jr., BS, RRT, FAARC

On July 14 we will come together to serve the membership in a time-honored tradition of the House of Delegates meeting. It is time for the states to come together and hear as one what is going on nationally. It is also a chance for the AARC Executive Office and BOD to hear what the state membership feels is important to them. According to my research, this year’s summer HOD meeting marks the 30th anniversary of the first summer meeting in Atlanta. Also, our meeting in Anaheim this December will mark the 42nd anniversary of the first HOD meeting in Boston. If you have not already done so, take some time to read the history of the HOD provided near the end of the HOD Handbook. I recently realized the HOD has been in existence the same number of years I have been alive. It is amazing the significance this body has had in the governance of our organization.

One of the roles in the governance of the organization is the delegate’s ability to present resolutions that are significant and can contribute to shaping our profession. You are the voice of the members; it is your responsibility to make sure the membership’s voice is heard. The Board of Director’s responsibility is to ensure that what the membership wants is not only good for the profession but is consistent with our strategic plan and goals for the AARC to fund. The resolution process has to be strengthened and preserved for the years ahead. We had a small scare back in May when we realized there were no resolutions submitted as we approached the deadline. It bothered me to think that this body could not come up with issues that were important to our constituents and members. However, my faith was restored as we now have five resolutions to consider.

One of the items I would like to tackle this year is to come up with a better way to ensure that when resolutions are submitted there is some sort of initial examination and evaluation process. It is my belief that the resolution committee should not only review, but also recommend changes or suggestions to strengthen the resolution prior to publication to the Delegates. This may mean a change in our timeline in order to modify our current process. I certainly don’t want to discourage Delegations in submitting resolutions, but my goal is to strengthen the process so that a majority of resolutions advance.

Finally, I hope to insert time in our agenda for meaningful dialogue on issues raised in reports. My plan is also to have time set aside for us to discuss methods to strengthen our state societies. I hope you will find my leadership of the House to be consistent with my predecessors, and I hope that my legacy will be enhanced communication and efficiency. I may be your Speaker, but I really am just a facilitator to keep the House in order. It is your House, and I implore you to be prepared for the upcoming meeting. We are going to hear many reports and there is going to be a lot of discussion. Make sure you talk with your state boards about the resolutions and come prepared to discuss them. I fully anticipate the energy level will be high and you will come away from this meeting with many ideas and plans.

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve as your Speaker. Please feel free to contact me at anytime. You can email me at frank.salvatore@danhosp.org or call me at (203) 739-7984. Thank you again, and I look forward to seeing all of you in Phoenix. [Top]

Speaker-elect Report

Camden McLaughlin, BS, RRT, CPFT

The HOD officers attended the AARC Board of Directors March meeting held in Dallas and actively participate in this meeting yearly. This serves to strengthen the alliance between the BOD and the HOD. President Rodriquez and President-elect Myers orchestrated an efficient meeting with open and active communication. Having attended this meeting for the second year I was again reminded of the value of the BOD, their dedicated service, and significant work performed for the AARC.

One of my responsibilities as speaker-elect is to serve as Chairperson of the Audit Sub-Committee (a sub-committee of the Finance Committee). This committee met in March, along with the independent auditors of the AARC, Salmon Sims Thomas & Associates, to review their report. This detailed review is of the AARC’s financial statements conducted yearly to offer an opinion on The Associations practices. It was the recommendation of this committee for the AARC BOD to accept the 2007 consolidated financial statement and Independent Auditors Report.

Charles Swindoll said in one of his recent Insight’s: Hoping not to shock you…but I believe that the single most important decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice in attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, or what people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, and no challenge too great for me.

Yet we must admit that we spend more of our time concentrating and fretting over the things that can’t be changed than we do giving attention to the one that we can change, our choice of attitude. Stop and think of some of the things that suck up our attention and energy, all of them inescapable: the weather, the wind, peoples actions and criticisms, who won or lost the game, delays at airports or waiting rooms, gas and food costs.

Quit wasting energy fighting the inescapable and turn your energy to keeping the right attitude. Those things we can’t do anything about shouldn’t even come up in our minds. Let’s choose each day and every day and keep an attitude of faith and joy and belief and compassion. “Take charge of your own mind!”

It is an honor and a pleasure to serve as your speaker-elect of our HOD and I look forward to working with you all. Please feel free to contact me at any time should I be of service to you. (avthoke@comcast.net 540-230-7023). Be safe and I look forward to seeing everyone in July. [Top]

Past-Speaker Report

Debbie Fox, MBA, RRT-NPS

I would like to update all Delegates on actions taken on the 2007 HOD resolutions. At the March BOD Meeting the following resolutions were addressed:

HR 94-07-24: “Resolved that the AARC provide a discussion blog on the website for the purpose of posting relative and important information to submitted resolutions in advance of the HOD meetings” was postponed until more information is determined by the Executive Office regarding the capabilities and current systems in place, and determine from the House if this is within their rules and regulations and report back at the summer meeting.
Rationale: Steve Nelson has recently joined the AARC Executive Office as Associate Executive Director of IT Operations. Steve is going to review the existing technology available and make suggestions regarding future options. This may include upgrading the current HOD list serve. Some of the Board discussion centered on whether this discussion could take place on the current house list serve. Another question was raised by House officers who were present at the meeting as to whether resolutions could be discussed prior to the HOD meetings. The HOD policies have specific rules to follow regarding the resolution process.

HR 94-06-19: “That the AARC develop the process for the chartered affiliates to have the option of online voting for state elections” was postponed to allow time for the Executive Office to discuss with State Presidents at their upcoming meeting and report back at the Summer Meeting.
Rationale: The Executive Office has researched preliminary information regarding the potential cost of providing this service to the state affiliates. The AARC currently contracts with VoteNet and can obtain 25 additional accounts by paying an additional $9,000 for a one-time use license. The state affiliates would also have to pay a small setup fee of $100-150. The question of whether enough of the state affiliates would be willing to participate and pay for the service is to be discussed at the State President’s meeting.

HR 04-07-23: Resolved that the House of Delegates (HOD) will receive the proposed AARC Budget on the first day of the fall HOD meeting. On the next day of the meeting the HOD will vote regarding the proposed budget. This resolution was referred to the Audit Committee at the Fall Board meeting in Orlando. The Audit Committee is currently addressing this resolution and will submit a recommendation to the Board at the Summer Meeting.

There are four additional resolutions that remain open from previous House meetings. I will follow-up on these resolutions and will report at the Summer House meeting.

I also want to report that I was unable to attend the 2015 RT and Beyond Conference in March due to a family emergency. I did receive the written materials distributed and some of the follow-up communications. The House is scheduled to receive a full report on the 2015 Conference at the meeting in Phoenix.

Finally, in my role as Past Speaker I serve as the liaison between the House and the Board. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns that I can address for you. I look forward to seeing everyone in July. Travel safely and may the airline gods smile upon you. [Top]

Treasurer Report

Joe Horn, BS, RRT

The Summer Forum in Phoenix is rapidly approaching. As the Treasurer for the House of Delegates, I can report to you that the House of Delegates is operating within the guidelines of the budget. The Audit Sub-committee work has been completed. The auditors had no recommendation’s this year. I think Cam feels a little lucky compared to Frank’s challenges last year with the auditor’s recommendations.

Below is a list of HOD Treasurer charges for 2008 with a status report of each.

Prepare HOD budget for upcoming year and monitor current budget. Ongoing
Serve as a member of the AARC Finance Committee and participate in the preparation of the AARC budget. Ongoing
The HOD Treasurer provides input into the AARC budget from a HOD perspective. Ongoing
Updates the HOD of the financial status of the AARC and serve on the Delegates Assistance Committee. Reviewed two HOD assistance requests and provided input to the committee.—Ongoing
Provide financial impact resolutions report to the Resolutions Committee. Ongoing
Any additional duties assigned by the speaker, the Treasurer will perform to the satisfaction of the Speaker of The House of Delegates.

I will continue to perform my duties as HOD Treasurer in a manner which reflects the expectations of those who require my performance. I will update you in my next Article as to the progress of each of these charges. I look forward to our next communication. If there is anything you need from me, please don’t hesitate to contact me at jhorn@irgstaffing.com . [Top]

Behind the Scenes

Sherry Milligan
AARC Associate Executive Director

Recently you’ve been featuring articles from Executive Office staff members to learn about some of the projects and activities that we work on. While many of them eventually make their way “out in the open” so that you are aware of and tuned in to the project, some are more simple than that and may be overlooked by the bigger picture.

I thought I’d take this time to focus on some of the things you just might not be aware of that keep things humming at the Executive Office.

Customer Service
We have a group of people called “Customer Service.” They answer the phones, process dues payments, take orders, register you for meetings, input member attendance at CRCE accredited programs, help people find things on the website, and answer the general (info@aarc.org) emails that come through the office.

To give you an idea of the volume of work these people process, back in 2004 they were handling 14,537 transactions per employee per year (that’s processing a membership, taking an order, inputting a CRCE record, etc). In 2007 that had increased by 70% and they are now processing 24,685 transactions per employee per year. That increase in paperwork comes with an increase in phone calls and letters as well, so that over half of the phone calls coming in to this office are handled by these folks.

I am very proud of them because they work hard, have a lot of knowledge about a lot of different things, and can handle a variety of tasks from data input to computer help desk support. (So let me give a shout out to Asha, Tina H., Tina S., Carol, Bobbie, Denise, Reagan, Jill, and Pat! While not all of them are officially in the customer service department, they are all impacted by this explosion in service provision and do their best everyday to relate to the member.)

Our Services
Our services are highly used by our members. Take our online continuing education offerings, for example. I’m talking about the online courses and resource materials for which one may earn continuing education credit.

In the month of April alone, 4,111 people took an online educational offering from us—a webcast, a resource book, a course. That’s really an incredible number when you think of it.

The Help Line is just an incredibly well-used service, as well. It’s one of the most highly visited pages on our website. Not just the Help Line, but the list serves (primarily the section list serves) are good ways for members to connect and get information. In April alone, over 1300 “interactions” took place on the Section list serves.

The “Little Projects”
And there are many other projects here that probably don’t get the respect they deserve, yet they are consuming resources and time for execution and implementation and deserve a little time in the spotlight. Here are a few:

QRCR—We’ve just wrapped up that for the year, getting 800 hospitals, home care companies and long term care centers to submit for this recognition. We give certificates, we send press releases and we publish their names on our consumer website.

News stories—We attempt to keep all members up to date with news about the AARC that impacts them. We have a section on the front page for AARC news and for professional news—things in the industry that all respiratory therapists might benefit from knowing.

Multi media—We’ve been working on a short multi media presentation about the Congress, which you’ll soon see on our website.

Web students—We’re just ramping up for the year, asking faculty members to verify their memberships to get ready for the onslaught of student members in September.

Roundtables—We’re getting three news ones up and going this spring (Research, Military, and Moderate Sedation)

Press relations—We do get a fair amount of press inquiries and lining up experts to talk to the press on topics ranging from oxygen bars to a career in respiratory care.

Lots of Things Happen to Keep Us Humming
While I could ramble on for quite awhile about the projects, the people, and the tasks that keep our operation humming, it is through volunteer power that we “feed the machine.” Thank you for your service and thank you for your time and talents, so that together we are making an awesome organization for the profession. [Top]

Some thoughts on Email

Sandra McCleaster
Delegate, New Jersey

Yes, Email has revolutionized the way we communicate. But at the same time, Email has increased the amount of writing that any of us thought we would be doing in our day-to-day work.

According to the American Management Association, trillions (that’s not a typo) of Emails are sent each week. Office bound workers in the US spend approximately 25% of their day working with Email. Heavens knows there are days when we’ve all had our fill of it. But almost as bad as the quantity, is the quality of the Emails we exchange.

Is there anything we can do to make Email better? Before you click on “send” consider the following:

Reply All

Does everyone on the “To:” list really need to know (or even care) what your response to this mass mailing is? Most probably not. Have pity on others’ bulging inboxes and just hit “reply” instead.

Subject Line

Subject lines are one of the most important and overlooked parts of Email. They should always be used and they should always be specific and informative. A well-worded subject line can often by itself, deliver the entire intended message.

Structure

Messages should be clear and to the point. Put the most important information first. For announcements and invitations, have you included who, what, where, when and why? Have you double checked the dates and times for those meeting notices? Remember your manners. If you were speaking to this recipient face to face, you’d smile and exchange some brief pleasantries. You can do that with Email too. Which brings us to the next topic…

Tone

Email is the driest form of communication. Unless we make a conscious effort to insert tone into our written messages, there is no way to monitor the reactions of the reader. In a phone conversation you can tell when, let’s say, the joke you just cracked bombed or when you’ve said something wrong. You can immediately start to do damage control in an effort to fix it. With the absence of the expression that’s always inherent in face to face or voice to voice conversation, however, tone becomes all important. Tone is conveyed through your choice of words and the use of courteous phrases.

!! High Priority

Use this sparingly. Is this message really urgent? If it is, perhaps you should telephone or make a face to face visit instead. Don’t cry wolf. Remember—too many priorities means no priorities. Like vent alarms, they can become part of our mental radar and go unnoticed with disastrous results.

Proofreading

The sheer volume of Email increases the potential for errors. Sadly, it’s become acceptable to be lax about spelling, points of grammar and proper punctuation when using Email. The fact is that bad grammar and spelling are just bad grammar and spelling regardless of the medium. You may be able to run a check, but there are thousands of instances when you won’t be flagged. How would a checker know if you mean elusive if you write illusive? Or mucous instead of mucus? Sloppy Emails don’t speak well for the writer—especially for those of us in the educational sector who should know better. Message: Always proofread your message one last time.

In the words of Dave Shipley, co-author of Send: The Essential Guide to Email “This great time saver can morph into this great time suck.” Worse than that, it can also get you into a heap of trouble.

Email mishaps

Let us never forget that Email, with the speed of light, leaves an indelible paper trail. Consider the convoluted pathways of reply, reply all, CCs, BCCs, and forwards. Just a slip of a click and you can end up at the very least mortified, or perhaps even fired. Worse yet, you and/or your e-mail can become part of the evidence in a nasty court case. Believe it or not, there are people who’s Emails have actually landed them behind bars.

One tip that will surely keep you out of trouble…

Make an assumption that everything you Email will be forwarded to someone else.

Don’t put anything in an Email that you wouldn’t say to…

Your boss
Your mom
The AARC President
A reporter for the National Enquirer
* All of the above

The Golden Rule of Email

Mail unto others as you would like others to mail unto you.

For your pleasure reading, I’d like to recommend Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Home and Office by Dave Shipley & Will Schwalbe ISBN #978-0-307-263643. [Top]

Stale Chips?—A Commentary

Dan Maddalino, RRT-NPS, RPFT
Delegate, Florida

On a recent night (yes, I am night shifter), open there on the table in the department break room was a bag of potato chips. While idly reviewing my patient notes I reached out, retrieved, and chomped one of the chips from the bag. It was salty yet flavorless. They were on their way to becoming stale. I reached out again, retrieved another, and chopped again. It too was tasteless. And again, for a third time, I ate another. Why did I keep eating them? Because, at 1:20 AM, it was the only bag, ye, the only edible thing in the room. So I stayed loyal to this bag of stale chips. I went back again and again with the hope that their promise of flavor would reward me. Even when I knew that this promise was being unfulfilled. Have we become stale chips? We offer a promise but are we delivering on the taste?

Any organization, national or local, can become like those chips. If it functions as a monopoly it can age and become un-refreshing. It remains the only bag of chips in the room. Anyone wishing to partake of that bag must accept its promise along with any lack of flavor. That is until another bag enters and competes for our appetites. And this is what is happening in the respiratory care community today. We are not the only bag of chips on the table. If this were not true there would be no need for “the contract.” To retain member loyalty we must assure that the promises we make show up in the flavor we deliver.

Do we promise information, representation, education, camaraderie? Are we publishing a Journal for the sake of publishing? Or to deliver cutting edge science? Are we pursuing meaningful legislation? By meaningful, is it what the members expect? Are our educational offerings fresh and up to-date? More than that, they should be tasty. Flavored with current trends and published data. Are our meetings, events, and functions up beat? Fun? Comfortable and welcoming? The answers may be “yes”. But if not, we need to seriously re-examine our flavor. A “no” could mean we’ve become stale.

We are no longer the only bag of chips on the table. Respiratory therapists are going to sample from other bags. To retain their loyalty and continue to gain members we must deliver more powerful flavor, more tasty appeal and greater satisfaction in every bite. The House of Delegates is our test kitchen. Together we can bring forward recipes that will make us successful and grow. The resolution process is our way of preventing us from becoming that bag of stale chips. Let’s get cookin’. [Top]

HOD Survey for the Record

Jerry Edens
Delegate, Ohio

At the summer 2007 meeting of the House of Delegates in Reno, Nevada, it was decided that the Publications Committee should revisit the AARC record and determine if it answers the needs of its readership. A survey was developed and sent out to everyone who receives this publication. To date we have had some 40 respondents to the survey but on several questions about 36 of them gave a response. Sherry Milligan resent the link inviting more folks to participate but no more surveys were added so I am not quite sure how to interpret this information or determine the impact. Regardless, some of the comments were very affirming and many also had good suggestions.

It was reported that 90% of the respondents read the Record and were very satisfied with the content and the frequency of delivery. On the other hand, in asking which issue was most beneficial several had no idea what the Record was or how it could benefit them (new delegates). The rest stated that the most important things were reports from house officers and committees. Many would like to see more contributions from the delegates on what is coming up for them or more details on resolutions that would benefit the membership. Articles with broader viewpoints and perspectives also were mentioned several times.

When asked what kind of information we needed, the most important things the readership wanted to hear about are resolutions old and new and where they are in the process followed by legislative updates. “Themed” issues and articles giving accolades for individuals and chapters were least important. And of course, just a few want to volunteer to be a contributing author.

Suggested topics for future articles centered around leadership and how to get and keep staff members involved, information on delegates and their achievements as well as where they stand on resolutions. Best practices or “Standards of Care” were also suggested. Many wanted help on management issues such as recruitment and retention, how to grow a department.

I would like to thank those of you who took time to share your thoughts. The Publications Committee will take them into advisement and implement them when possible. [Top]

RT Department in the Crisis

The Northern Illinois University shooting was an incident that took place on February 14, 2008, during which a gunman shot multiple people on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois; five of his victims were killed, eighteen were wounded. The incident happened on the campus’s Cole Hall at approximately 3:05 p.m. local time. The school placed the campus on lockdown; students and teachers were advised to head to a secure location, take cover, and avoid the scene and all buildings in the vicinity of the area. Six people died in the incident, including the perpetrator, making it the fourth-deadliest university shooting in United States history, after the Virginia Tech massacre, the University of Texas Clock Tower shooting, and the California State University, Fullerton library massacre. A total of 24 people were shot, six of whom died (including the perpetrator, who shot himself before police arrived).One witness reported that at least 30 shots were fired by the gunman; police later collected 48 shell casings and 6 shotgun shells. By February 15, at least seven of the victims were in critical condition, one in good condition, one in stable and eight discharged, according to Kishwaukee Community Hospital.” (Taken as a quote from Wikipedia’s website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Illinois_University_shooting)

Pam Hatcher RCP, is the Director of Cardiopulmonary and Sleep Lab at Kishwaukee Community Hospital (KCH). This hospital is licensed for 185 beds and runs a full-time staff of 18 respiratory therapists. Dekalb is a town of about 40,000 people. It sits about 80 miles due west of downtown Chicago and about 45 miles south of Rockford. Northern Illinois University has about 25,000 students. On the day of the shooting, KCH was flooded with the wounded from the NIU shooting. It is the only hospital within some 18 miles of NIU. Pam and her staff of 3 working in the RT department that cold February afternoon were suddenly on the front-line dealing with multiple cases that needed immediate life-saving efforts. Here is a letter she wrote to her friends and family soon after the incident.

Hello everyone, I have had so many calls and emails from concerned friends and family I am compelled to write a quick note to thank everyone for their thoughtfulness and concern during this tragic time. As a Respiratory Therapist you can imagine that we would be right in the thick of things as this tragedy unfolded. Although I have not done direct patient care for several years, but instead have been working behind the scene to support those that deal with a patient’s life-sustaining breath on a daily basis, I have never forgot the skills I have 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 shooting at NIU and we were getting fatalities. Patients began to just pour into the Emergency Department. They seemed to just keep coming in. I was basically down there for support to 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. A Code Alert was paged as the crisis continued to grow. This is a code that is called when an external disaster has occurred with incoming patients. KCH implements the Hospital Emergency Incident Command System (HEICS) in “Code Alert” situations. HEICS was developed to assist the operation of a medical facility in a time of crisis. When a code alert is called we call all of the staff to come in. Five more of my staff came in to help along with many other health care providers, staff and physicians. This allowed us to adequately handle the influx along with maintaining the continuum of patient care on the in-patient side.

Of course my staff thought it would be best if I stayed with one of the more “stable” patients that had been move 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 been hit with pellets from a shot gun and had wounds all over her head, face neck and chest. Her vital signs were stable and so another 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 tell that she was starting to swell a lot and she was complaining that her throat hurt. We applied ice packs to help reduce the swelling. We pointed out to one of the doctors that the swelling was getting worse and that we needed to start thinking of protecting her airway. Then our chief of staff who is a trauma surgeon came in. He had reviewed all of her x-rays and told her that a couple of the tiny bullets penetrated farther than they had first though. 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 and a chest tube was inserted, then she was prepped for an immediate flight out to a trauma center. 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 is still unfolding. This was my story but there are hundreds of others from the dedicated caregivers—especially the Respiratory Therapists that responded to this tragedy. Their efforts were heartfelt and courageous. I cannot express the how very proud I was of them for the strength and professionalism they showed and the teamwork that produced such a wonderful outcome to such a tragic event. Their efforts were heartfelt and courageous. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all that were involved. I want you to know again that I appreciate all the calls and emails and your concerns during this time. God Bless You—Pam.

Pam and her respiratory therapists did what needed to be done that day and served a greater purpose in their heroic response. Let’s keep that in mind as we go to work each day. This shows again that Respiratory Therapists truly are life-givers and professionals.

Pam—Here is our thanks to you and your staff at KCH. [Top]

Membership Figures

(as of 6/18/08)

Active	37,281
Foreign	544
Honorary	23
Industrial	1,010
Life	62
Physician	104
Student	5,242
Special	1,256
Total	45,522

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For Your Information

A Calendar of Events can be found in both the Delegate Handbook and the Chartered Affiliate Handbook, located at: http://www.aarc.org/aarc_hod/

Review this site for other HOD information as well. [Top]