Tennessee RTs Throw Their Hats into the Political Ring
April 19, 2006
There must be something in the water out in Tennessee. The AARC has learned three respiratory therapists in the state are currently running for elected office!
AARC member Tim Thomas, who works for Apria Health Care in Murfreesboro, has just thrown his hat into the ring for the Republican nomination for governor. Thomas was impelled to run because of problems in TennCare, the state’s alternative to Medicaid.
“I have a plan for health care here in Tennessee that will be affordable for everyone, no matter what their income,” says Thomas. He says the current program is spiraling out of control and he’s building his platform on the idea that the system would be better off in the hands of health care professionals, who could bring costs in line without compromising the health needs of the people it serves.
Part of the solution will be to have people enrolled in the program pay for some portion of their coverage. “I see people everyday saying, ‘I cannot afford health insurance,’ but they have a cell phone and are talking on it continuously,” says the therapist. “If they can afford a cell phone and the costs that go along with it, then they can pay for some health care insurance.” He would also ensure the program uses generic rather than brand name drugs whenever possible.
Thomas wants to address issues surrounding a possible pandemic of the avian flu as well. “Here in Tennessee we have four good medical schools -- Vanderbilt University Medical School, Meharry Medical School, University of Tennessee Medical School, and East Tennessee Medical School. I would meet with these facilities and set in motion a program involving the study of and, hopefully, a vaccine for, the bird flu.”
Thomas believes his background in respiratory care will help him address these serious health care issues in his state. “How many times, as health care professionals, have we seen our elected political leaders pass laws to tell us how to do our jobs? We need people from the medical professions to be elected to political offices, who know the medical field and how it works. We in the medical field do not attempt to practice law, so why should lawyers and others try to practice medicine?”
The other two RTs running for office in Tennessee are Don Strong, a registered respiratory therapist at Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville, who has announced his candidacy for the state’s 4th Congressional District, and current state representative David Davis, a respiratory therapist from Johnson City who previously built a successful medical equipment and supply business, who is running in the state’s 1st Congressional District.
Strong’s top priorities include a strong national defense, support for senior citizens, access to affordable health care for all citizens, and the need to address a potential bird flu pandemic, including the shortage of respiratory therapists and ventilators likely to occur in the event of a widespread outbreak. Davis also supports a strong national defense and plans to advocate for taxpayers and reducing federal spending.
You can read more about these RTs in the following articles: