AARC member since 1974
Manager, Respiratory Care
Wesley Medical Center
Wichita, KS
AARC Activities:
Finance Committee, Member 2006 Audit Subcommittee, Chair 2006 Government Affairs Committee, 2007-2008 Legislative and Governmental Affairs Committee, 2003-2006 Strategic Planning committee 2008 PACT member 1999-2008 Management Section, Member Neonatal-Pediatrics Section, Member Membership Ambassador
House of Delegates Activities:
Delegate, Kansas Respiratory Care Society 2001-2005 Secretary, 2005 Speaker-Elect, 2006 Speaker, 2007 Past Speaker, 2008 Credentials Committee, Chair 2008 Progress & Transition Committee, Chair 2003-2004, Member 2002 Legislative Affairs Committee, 2004-2006 Resolutions Committee, 2005 Ad Hoc Committee on Affiliate Partnership for Success, 2003
Affiliate Activities:
President, Kansas Respiratory Care Society 1998, President-Elect, 1997, Past President 1999 Treasurer, 1996 Treasurer-Elect, 1995 Director, 1993-1994, 1990-1991, 1980-1981 Treasurer, 1987 President, Chapter 7, 1985 Vice-President 1982 Secretary, 1978, 1979 Kansas PACT Co-Leader, 2001-2008 Legislative Committee, Chair 1999-2008 Bylaws Committee, Chair 2005 Education Committee, Chair 2005, 2003, Member
Related Organizations:
President, Respiratory Care Council, Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, 2001 - 2006 Member, Rules & Regulations Task Force, Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, 1999 - 2000. Instructor, Basic Life Support, American Heart Association Instructor, Pediatric Advance Life Support, American Heart Association Affiliate Instructor, Fundamentals of Critical Care Course, Society of Critical Care Medicine Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Newman University, Wichita KS 1997-2008 Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Wichita State University, Wichita KS 1980-1996 Volunteer, American Lung Association of Kansas Member, ALA Wichita Leadership Council Member, ALA Lung Health Coalition Member, Kansas Tobacco Free Coalition, Tobacco Free Wichita Coalition 2004 AARC Outstanding Affiliate Contributor Award 2006 KRCS Hugh Mathewson Award
Education:
MBA, W. Frank Barton School of Business, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, 1995 BHS, Respiratory Care Education, Wichita State University, 1984 AA, Respiratory Therapy, Wichita State University, 1973 RRT, National Board for Respiratory Care, 1974 NPS, National Board for Respiratory Care, 1999.
What steps will you take to strengthen international exposure of respiratory care?
The AARC has made tremendous strides in the past few years to be truly recognized internationally as the premier organization representing the respiratory care profession. I will support our current efforts including the International Respiratory Care Council, the AARC International Fellowship program and our Web-based international membership. We must partner with other international groups to share resources, and help them develop programs within their own countries. By opening and maintaining lines of communication, the AARC can impact the practice of respiratory care on a global level.
How would you suggest we recruit and educate the leaders of the future for the AARC?
I became involved in my state affiliate and then the AARC because someone asked me. It took a personal contact from a State Board Member to get me involved. As leaders of our profession, we need to make that same personal effort to recruit and mentor new leaders - not only for the AARC but also for our state affiliates. Our efforts should begin at the state affiliate level by including Respiratory Care students in affiliate activities and to invite them to attend Board meetings and serve on various committees. As managers, we need to ask our staff to become involved in the local chapters and the state Board. We must encourage our state Board members to volunteer for AARC Committees and to progress through the House of Delegates. We need to promote membership and involvement in the AARC sections as another avenue to cultivate new leaders. It's up to us as the current leaders of the profession to make those necessary personal contacts to recruit the younger members of our organization.
With the introduction of the Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative Bill in Congress, how are you going to work to get that bill successfully passed?
The way our Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative Bill will be passed is to engage all of our members to get involved in "grass roots politics". We need everyone to get behind this effort to push it through. As a member of the AARC PACT since its inception and a member of the AARC Government Affairs Committee, I will continue to work with my liaison state affiliates to help them activate their 435 Plan. Besides activating our members, we need to involve our patients, physician groups, friends and family to send emails to their Congressman. Personally, I have requested the "grass roots" members of the KRCS to write emails to their Congressmen by activating our 435 Plan. As HOD Speaker in 2007, I requested and the House approved moving our HOD Legislative Affairs Committee from Ad Hoc status to a permanent House Committee. The HOD Committee partners with the AARC PACT so Delegates can assist legislative efforts within their state affiliate more effectively. I have always had a special interest in political advocacy and I will continue to assist in whatever way is needed to assure passage of the Medicare Initiative.
