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October
2007—Issue 3
Editor House of Delegates Officers: Frank Salvatore, Jr., BS, RRT, FAARC Camden McLaughlin, RRT /
Secretary Joe Horn, BS, RRT / Treasurer Denise Johnson, BS, RRT / Past
Speaker |
In This Issue... | |
Bill Pruitt Debbie Fox Marie Fenske Denise Johnson Frank Salvatore, Jr. Camden McLaughlin Joe Horn Tom McCarthy |
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EDITOR'S REMARKS Bill Pruitt, RRT Once again we approach the December meeting of the HOD (House of Delegates) and many people are putting finishing touches to projects, proposals, reports, and presentations in preparation for our gathering in Orlando. This Record brings up many topics that we are sure to see in December - so read it carefully. Some of the articles refer back to issues we have discussed in previous meetings and in previous publications of the Record. If you need to refresh your memory, you may want to look at the archived issue. Go to http://www.aarc.org/aarc_hod/ and scroll down. Debbie Fox starts this issue off with an overview of topics we are facing and has some insightful observations for all of us as we come to Orlando. The budget process is generating some buzz as well as the issue of potential conflict of interest. Debbie urges us to do our homework, speak up, and work together with the other governing bodies to grow and improve the AARC. Following Debbie, we have the results from the survey done in Reno to assess the effectiveness of the HOD, compiled by Marie Fenske, Chair, and the folks who serve on the Progress & Transition Committee. The results are thought-provoking and may help guide us in some of the discussions in December regarding several topics. Denise Johnson follows with an article about the importance of our relationships in the HOD as she writes her last official article in the role of past speaker. Frank Salvatore is up next and he refers you to the survey results from Reno and his goals as Speaker-elect to address the issues that were uncovered in the survey. Cam McLaughlin has an article on our role in the HOD as persons of influence. As secretary and as a long-time AARC advocate, he has a good perspective on this topic. HOD treasurer, Joe Horn, discusses, once again, issues surrounding the budget process and touches on the financial health of the AARC. Finally, Tom McCarthy gives us a quick look the mountain of work that has been done by the State Government Affairs Committee. We are in the midst of a number of legislative “big deals” which are mentioned in Tom’s article and you need to read this with close attention. |
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SPEAKER'S REPORT Debbie Fox, MBA, RRT-NPS Things to Consider Soon I will begin preparing the Agenda for the December meeting in Orlando. At this meeting the House and Board will be considering some important issues. The discussion regarding the Budget approval process began in Reno. I have tried to provide information to all of you regarding the AARC Budget development, review and approval process. I have also had the opportunity to listen to the concerns expressed by some Delegates who feel the House plays an important role in the Budget process. Others have told me that they would like to have information they could take back and share with their State Board regarding the financial report. But, since the Budget review is conducted during Executive Session, they feel hampered in their ability to present useful information back to their Board. These are legitimate concerns and I believe we can come up with answers to address them. First, financial information is available to Delegates (actually all AARC members) in the AARC Annual Report that is published each year in the June AARC Times. If more detailed information is needed, the AARC tax return is public record and obtainable. But I have also asked our House Treasurer, Joe Horn to provide a detailed summary of the AARC financial status in his written report for Orlando that can be shared by Delegates with their respective State Boards. During the December meeting we will be reviewing and voting on the 2008 AARC Budget. I will make sure we allow enough time for the Budget review. You will have your questions answered. Take the opportunity to ask questions of Sam and the AARC Executive office staff, Tony Lovio, the AARC Controller, and the Board and House officers who have worked on the Budget so that you are making an informed vote. Another issue to be addressed is the Auditor’s recommendation regarding potential conflict of interest. This is a little tougher nut to crack. The potential conflict is there. Most Delegates are voting members of their State Boards and therefore also have a fiduciary responsibility to their affiliate. Because the state affiliates are separate corporations, it makes it harder to say there is no conflict of interest. Also, this year only 26 state affiliates have returned a signed AARC contract. If a state affiliate does not sign a contract does that place them in competition with the AARC and give them an unfair competitive advantage? Frank Salvatore, as Audit Subcommittee Chair is currently working with Salmon Beach and his committee to come up with a recommendation to bring back to the Board. As I have mentioned in my posting to the list serve, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has changed the environment for all non-profit organizations. The AARC needs to practice due diligence to assure compliance. I want to close with a couple of observations from the podium. I have noticed hesitancy on the part of new and a few “seasoned” delegates to voice their opinion. It seems the microphone is frequented by some individuals on a regular basis. Absolutely, in no way do I want to discourage those voices because they play an important role in starting and continuing discussion on important topics. But on the other hand, if you have a different viewpoint, you need to present that view. If you do not, then you are not fulfilling your obligation to the House to analyze an issue from all vantage points… think of the elephant that is described by the blind man. Remember that every Delegate’s voice is important. My other observation is that in the past the relationship between the House, Board and Executive office has been strained or even contentious at times. It appears we have made significant strides over the last few years to improve communication and understanding. However, I continue to feel an occasional undercurrent of distrust and I am not quite sure why that continues. In these changing times, it’s important for all of us to pull in the same direction. The House, the Board, and the Executive Office each play a different and important role in our organization. If we are to accomplish our goals, if the AARC is to continue to grow and to become more successful, then we need everyone working together. It won’t be long until our next meeting. I would welcome any feedback regarding my comments and if anyone feels additional information would be helpful as we consider these issues, please let me know. I will work it into our Agenda. |
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AARC HOUSE OF DELEGATES EFFECTIVENESS: SURVEY RESULTS Reno, Nevada July 16, 17, 2007
The results of the Effectiveness Survey completed at the Reno HOD meeting along with the comments are listed below. If you have any questions, please contact me. Thanks to the 62 delegates who took the time to fill out and return the surveys – that is how we can make things better! 4=strongly agree 3=somewhat agree 2=somewhat disagree 2=strongly disagree 62 surveys returned
4=52 3=9 2=1 1=0
4=35 3=24 2=1 1=0 NA=2
4=28 3=29 2=4 1=0 NA=1
4=19 3=33 2=9 1=1
4=19 3=25 2=10 1=1 NA=7
4=16 3=32 2=6 1=2 NA=6
4=37 3=21 2=0 1=0 NA=4 Comments:
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PAST SPEAKER'S UPDATE Denise Johnson, BS, RRT It IS all about relationships! This will be my last official article for the HOD Record. In most of my articles in the past, I have focused on updates, announcements and always a bit of "relationship" talk. As you have heard me say over and over again, and I can just see Claude shaking his head up and down, it is all about relationships. When I look back over the past eight years, I know that we have done great work for our profession, sometimes challenging - and not always resulting in the outcome we were hoping for. But when all was said and done with the business of the day, we turned to each other in friendship. This is the part that will forever be the most significant piece of my experience in the HOD. I have become life-long friends with you, shared work and family stories, heartbreak and joy-filled moments. During the past eight years, we have had many events that have brought us all together in spite of the distance in miles we were apart. September 11th, Hurricane Katrina, family members in Iraq, Virginia Tech, the birth and loss of loved ones, including one of our own colleagues and recently, very close to me, the Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis. During those moments across our country and many others to numerous to mention, my thoughts would turn to you, those directly impacted just as so many of you did this past August when you called, wrote and "texted" me to see how we all were doing after the tragedy in Minneapolis. This is the way of the House family and it has meant more to me than words will ever express. My time in the House truly has been the highlight of my career, professionally and personally. It has been an honor to work side by side with each of you and to serve as an officer in many capacities for the House of Delegates. As Edie the Salsa Freak, Editor and Chief of Salsaweb Magazine says, "Information is power, but relationships are life itself." Thank you; I have had the time of my life! I look forward to seeing you in Orlando next month! |
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SPEAKER-ELECT'S REPORT Frank R. Salvatore, Jr., BS, RRT, FAARC It is hard to believe I am writing the October article for the AARC Record. Time definitely flies when you are having fun. Before you know it we will all be in each other's presence at the next HOD meeting in Orlando. I look forward to the meetings. As you all know, I was the originator of the survey that we did back in July. I will put together a complete overview of your responses and have them for you in November. There is one item from the survey that seemed to be of greater concern to you. The item is the resolution process. Question #3 stated; "The resolution process is efficient and allows for time to present them to our State Societies assuring that we know how to vote at the HOD meeting." Your responses averaged a 3 or neutral to the question. That may not seem too concerning, but when you combine that response with that of the next question, we have an opportunity for improvement. Question #4 stated; "The resolution timeline must be expanded to allow time for them to be reviewed and the authors asked to correct and/or gather more data to allow us to have more information when we present them to our state society." Your responses averaged a 4 or somewhat agree to the question. Let me say this right off the top, none of the issues lie with those who serve or have served as resolutions committee chairs or members. The system leaves little wiggle room for time and they do the best they can. In my opinion the resolution process is where the HOD serves the respiratory community the best. Resolutions are where we can raise issues and concerns from our constituents to the level of the AARC BOD and/or Executive Office for consideration. In order to do that, we must make sure that they are written well and show that we do some research prior to writing them. I would venture to say that a well-written and researched resolution would have a better chance of getting to the next level. That doesn't mean every well-written and researched resolution will get approved, but in the long run it will mean the BOD will have a resolution that has enough information to allow them to understand where it came from and why the House decided it need to be a resolution. With all that being said, what does this mean? One of my major goals as speaker will be to review and revise the resolution process. I have done some research into other organizations that have similar structures as we have. In many of them, their version of our House tends to be the originators of practice issues. If we are the representatives of the rank and file RT, then shouldn't our goal be to help guide the AARC as to what is important to its membership? The men and women who work in Dallas on our behalf do an outstanding job. We are truly blessed to have every one of those individuals working on team RT! But when it comes to practice and what is going on locally or within the state or region, we (the Delegates) need to be the voice that alerts the AARC. Their eyes can only see so much from Dallas. When we do this, the process and the outcome (the resolution) need to be in a form that leaves no doubt that the originator and the House have done due diligence in getting the resolution through the process. I hope you agree that reviewing and revising the resolution process should be an objective of my upcoming year as your Speaker. I look forward to healthy dialogue regarding this issue. In the end, I hope you will agree that any change will strengthen the role and the prestige of our House. I truly mean that it is our House, but our constituents have entrusted us to represent them. As Delegates your duty is to "serve as a representative body of the general membership and the representative body of the Chartered Affiliates of the Association." Furthermore, you "participate in the establishment of the goals and objectives of the Association and participate in the governance of the Association." There is not one person in this House that takes this role for granted. Thank you for your service to the profession and for the support and confidence you have placed in me to be your next Speaker of the House. I want to thank Madame Speaker, Debbie Fox and all those whom I sit on the dais with for making this a good learning year in preparation for my upcoming role as Speaker. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly at frank.salvatore@danhosp.org or at (203) 739-7984. |
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SECRETARY'S REPORT Camden McLaughlin, RRT Influence When you were a child did you dream of being a Delegate in "The House" representing your state to the AARC? Maybe quite possibly an astronaut, or an Olympic figure skater, or a fireman, or just to be like "Sam"! We all have dreams and ambitions and most likely you were influenced in some way to be where you are today. Even more importantly, YOU are a person of influence. I suspect that you are in The House because someone influenced you (not because there was no one else in your state to run) but most importantly you positively influenced others and obviously were the best person for the job. Now that you are in The House you/we serve to influence each other as well as others on all levels of our profession. So, who is on your influence list? John Maxwell writes in his book, Becoming a Person of Influence, that everyone is an influencer of other people, no matter what your occupation is as long as you connect with other people. Everything you do at home, your church, in your job, and at play impacts on the lives of others. John Maxwell indicates that influence grows in stages: Modeling- People are influenced by what they see and perception is a great influencer. When you meet someone new you are running on borrowed influence and are assumed credible until they get to know you. Once they get to know you, you either build or bust that influence by your actions. As a member of The House you are a leader with a high profile position, and thus have greater responsibility because of your greater influence. What you say and most importantly what you do is a model for those who follow you. "Your actions will reflect your influence". Your legacy in The House has already begun with simply, your presence. What legacy do you want to leave with The House (and with your state affiliate, your peers, your family and children)? Be assured that if you want to make an impact you will have to become a person capable of influencing others as there is no more effective way of touching people's lives. Become a person of influence in The House! Have faith in your fellow House members. Emphasize their strengths and push them, along with this body, to be successful in conducting "our" business in The House of Delegates. Use your vision! Use your voice! Be that person of influence! As you become that person of influence, then someday when other people have the opportunity to write down the names of those who made a difference in their lives, "your name" might be on the list. Hey, a pretty cool legacy to leave! |
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TREASURER'S REPORT Joe Horn, BS, RRT We are getting closer and closer to our next meeting. I am looking forward to getting much accomplished in Orlando. We have several very important issues to discuss. The AARC budget review process seems to be a very hot topic right now. I wanted to go ahead and give you a brief run down on the AARC budget process in an attempt to help you better understand some of the challenges both the AARC as well as the HOD may face when making some of the decisions that we will face in the near future. The following is a simplified description of the process. The AARC Executive office develops the budget. Each department in the AARC submits their proposals to the CEO and COO for review and approval. The Executive Office begins the budget process in September. The final budget is mailed to the Board Executive Committee and the Finance Committee in Advance. The budget is accepted by the AARC Board Executive Committee and submitted to the Finance Committee for review with subsequent presentation to the AARC Board of Directors. The Finance Committee will provide a detailed budget performance assessment to verify that major expenses conform to the approved Strategic Plan of the Association. The HOD and the BOD prior to implementation, approve the annual budget. At the fall meeting, the Secretary-Treasurer and the President Elect shall present the proposed revenue and expense budget for the succeeding fiscal year. The BOD and the HOD shall receive and review the budget in Executive Session due to the proprietary nature of the information. This information was obtained by talking with Sam, by reviewing the AARC Fiscal Management policies as well as discussion with the HOD Officers. I hope that by having this process explained to you, it would help in our decision making process and discussion in Orlando. As far as the AARC budget is concerned and it progress, the AARC financial performance is still very solid and tracking well in most areas. Our major revenue streams are still very close to or exceeding budget. A few revenue areas are under projections and some expense areas are running over budget but we should be able to compensate for this in other areas. As you can probably imagine, the stock market also took a very negative turn in late July, which resulted in an unrealized loss of about 3% of our overall portfolio value. Having had the opportunity to work with those members of the Finance Committee and the Executive Office, I can tell you that I have every confidence in those individuals responsible for overseeing the financial strength of the AARC. Their diligence and professional competence has been proven over time, as I am sure all of you will agree. Again, I look forward to seeing each of you in Orlando. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or need anything from me as your HOD Treasurer. |
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STATE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE UPDATE Tom McCarthy, RRT Chair If 2007 was any indication, legislative and regulatory activity affecting the profession of respiratory therapy will continue at an accelerated pace in 2008. State societies will have to respond to a variety of issues from changes in the RT practice acts to assuring inclusion in state laws dealing with disaster response, to regulations or legislation from other disciplines that affect the practice of respiratory care. To meet the growing volume of issues, we hope that the state societies will call on the Committee members as resources and contacts. Each State Government Affairs Committee member appointed by President Rodriquez has had experience in their own state in dealing with the legislative and regulatory process. An additional experienced person who can be available to the states for advice or analysis of legislation or regulations can help share the workload that often is required when any bill or regulation crops up requiring a coordinated response. The Committee will also begin the process of revising the AARC Legislative Handbook a document the AARC developed many years ago as a general resource primer for the state societies. The revision will update the information to better reflect the resources now available (for example the Internet provides vast resources and documents and email capabilities have changed the way we can communicate with our colleagues, elected officials and the public at large). As you all know this year the Committee has been focused on legislation in several states that licenses persons who are providing polysomnography services. While the AARC supports the need to regulate any discipline that provides health services to the public, the legislation must be written in such a way that the goal of patient safety is achieved and the integrity of the respiratory therapy license and scope of practice remains intact. This is often easier said then done, as literally a word or phrase buried in a bill often undercuts the stated intention of the legislation. The Committee has spent a great deal of time analyzing legislation of this nature and providing not only alternate language but the rationale and documentation for recommended changes. We have no doubt that legislative activity in the area or polysomnography and other occupations such as perfusion, medication aides/assistants will continue this coming year. Anticipation and preparation are essential to provide a coordinated, rational and appropriate response. The State Government Affairs Committee stands ready to assist you. Tom McCarthy, RRT - AZ (Committee Chair) |
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Membership Figures (as of 6/14/07)
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For Your Information The Calendar of Events can be found in both the Delegate Handbook and the Chartered Affiliate Handbook, located at: |
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