Jason Blanchet

Dr. Bruce K. Rubin

Trudi Pousson

Eric Kiltz

Karl Ludwig

• Trina Schuch and Traci Wolfe comment in articles out of Chicago, IL, about a 13-year-old patient who got a second chance to go to Disney World. Hospital staff raised money for the trip after the girl became ill during a Make-A-Wish trip and was unable to actually visit the parks. Read more in this article in the Southtown Star and this one in the Chicago Tribune.

• Jason Blanchet comments on his C-PapXpress stores in this article in the Rochester, NY, Democrat and Chronicle. Jason started the company three years ago while pursuing his master’s degree in business administration and has since seen it grow to five locations.

• Dr. Bruce K. Rubin is noted for receiving the 2008 Forrest M. Bird Lifetime Scientific Achievement Award at the AARC International Respiratory Congress in Anaheim, CA, in this article in the Winston-Salem, NC, Journal. Dr. Rubin is studying aerosol therapy for lung diseases and runs the only specialized mucus-clearance clinic in the U.S.

• Walt Wilson receives special thanks for his participation in a local health fair in this article in the Natchez, MS, Democrat.

• Trudi Pousson comments on working on Christmas Day in this article in the Town Talk out of Alexandria, LA.

• Kathy Stout is featured for making beautiful jewelry out of insect casings in this article in the Charleston, WV, Gazette. Her unique method has been featured on Animal Planet’s “Most Extreme Builders” and in National Geographic. (We’ll have more on Kathy in an upcoming issue of AARC Times–turns out she’s not only inventing new jewelry, but new respiratory masks as well.)

• Eric Kiltz will be on hand for the Obama inauguration, reports this article in the Salina, KS, Journal. The RT requested his tickets more than a year and a half ago and was told he was the first person to call nationwide. The home care therapist plans to visit the offices of his elected officials during the trip to discuss Medicare reimbursement.

• Karl Ludwig provides great information about his hospital’s RSV clinic in this article and video on the KSLC-TV Web site out of Salt Lake City, UT. The clinic is credited with keeping 80% of infants who would otherwise be hospitalized with the condition out of the hospital. (Karl’s clinic is one of several in the Intermountain Health Care System, and you can read more about them in this article in the June issue of AARC Times.)

• Barry Clayton comments on the switch from CFC inhalers to HFA inhalers in this article in the Greenville, SC, News, noting higher costs for the new medications but emphasizing asthma patients whose condition is under good control should be able to minimize the use of their rescue inhalers.

• Last but not least, the Wisconsin Society for Respiratory Care is recognized for joining an effort spearheaded by the Wisconsin Asthma Coalition in this article in the Wausau, WI, Daily Herald. Organizations taking part in the initiative have agreed to hold their major events only in cities with no-smoking ordinances.