Kim Bennion

Joe Rohling

Rene Fong

Dominic Moscato

Sharla Free

• Kim Bennion testified at a recent Utah state senate committee hearing on proposed legislation to regulate tobacco, bringing her mom, who suffers from COPD, along to give the patient perspective. Their persuasive words helped convince the committee to pass the bill, and the outcome was reported in this article in the Deseret News out of Salt Lake City. (For more on how Kim and other members of the Utah Society have gone above and beyond for this legislation, see this story posted on the AARC website in February.)

• Joe Rohling talks about the recent move by CVS to stop selling tobacco products in this article and video on the ABC-TV affiliate website out of Wausau, WI. “Putting health ahead of products is fantastic,” Joe was quoted as saying.

• Christopher Eccles’ new job as cardiopulmonary supervisor is the topic of this article in the Gloversville, NY, Leader-Herald. Christopher brings more than 25 years of RT experience to the position.

• Rene Fong explains how a local organization she helped to found is raising asthma awareness in her community in this Q&A in the Lodi, CA, News-Sentinel. “We found there was a lack of communication and information to help adults and children. We are trying to fill a gap,” Rene was quoted as saying.

• RT students Tori Heverly and Brittany Stocker and their professor Amanda Roby talk about working with a local Girl Scouts troop to collect food for the hungry in this article in the Youngstown, OH, Tribune Chronicle and this one on Vindy.com. “We love to help people, so it’s great to get them started young helping people too,” Tori was quoted as saying about the experiences they had with the girls in the troop.
  
  

• Haley Wilson urges COPD patients to attend a local workshop being sponsored by her home care company in this article in the Elkins, WV, Inter-Mountain. "By attending this workshop patients and their family members will learn ways to keep their lungs healthy, how to monitor their condition, therapy choices and more,” she was quoted as saying.

• Dominic Moscato spoke to middle school students about the dangers of smoking during a recent event on heart health at his hospital, and his participation made the news in this article in the Martins Ferry, OH, Times Leader, and this one in the Wheeling, OH, Intelligencer.

• Kathy Newell asked city council members in her community to reconsider their decision to abandon a local ordinance banning smoking in certain areas of public parks at a recent meeting. “Indiana still rates as one of the top smoking areas . . .  As a society and as a culture, we need to take steps to change the culture for our children so they don’t pick up the habit,” she was quoted as saying in this article in the Batesville, IN, Herald Tribune.

• Sharla Free is pictured explaining a pulmonary function test to a member of her community attending a local “Day of Dance” event in this article in the Odessa, TX, American.

• And last but not least, we have the first of what will likely be many stories touting facilities that earned a 2014 QRCR designation from the AARC in this article in the Stokes County, NC, News recognizing Pioneer Community Hospital. Keith Lawson is pictured along with other members of the staff. Open enrollment/recertification in QRCR is going on now through March 31.