John Walsh

Adam Loomis

John Basile

Gregory Pekny

Rhonda Patterson

• Associate member John Walsh was inducted into the COPD Hall of Fame at the recent COPD8 Conference in the United Kingdom, and the accomplishments that lead to the honor are covered in this article on the COPD Foundation website. As president and cofounder of the Foundation, John has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the condition and help improve care for the millions of people who suffer from it.

• Adam Loomis and John Basile have started a new support group for people with chronic lung disease in their community, and they explained what they hope to achieve with the effort in this article in the San Jose, CA, Mercury News. “Our goal, like any support group, is to improve the quality of life,” John was quoted as saying.

• Carla Rausch comments on a new sleep lab opening up in her cancer facility in this article on the GTR Newspapers website out of Oklahoma. The center will help diagnose sleep problems in patients and staff alike.

• The “Freedom from Smoking” program is gearing up in Terri Seelig’s facility and she will be on hand to help educate people who sign up for the course. “I am tired of watching people die due to smoking,” she was quoted as saying in this article in UC Today published by the University of Connecticut. “It would be awesome to help people quit so they can enjoy a healthy, long life.”

• Gregory Pekny explains why he chose to enroll in a respiratory therapy program in this article in the Sioux City, IA, Journal. “When you see that patient who can’t breathe and is having problems, it’s like they're drowning,” said the student member. “I liked how the (respiratory therapists) could go in and fix those people and help them out.”

• David Blakeman offers good advice for members of his community affected by recent wildfires in this article in the Idaho State Journal. “Anyone with respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis and also those with chronic heart disease need to carefully monitor their breathing and exposure,” he was quoted as saying.

• Rhonda Patterson and Dennis Little’s students are enjoying new lab space, and the improvements are covered in this article in the Frederick, MD, News-Post. “I’m not saying we had bad facilities before, but this is a real upgrade,” Dennis was quoted as saying. The new digs include everything from full-body mannequins in hospital beds to a digital respirator similar to what the students will see in the hospital setting.

• Patricia Hyland is featured in this mini-profile in The Business Review out of New York for her long career as a health care educator. Patricia started out as an adjunct professor back in 1987 and is now chair of her school’s cardiorespiratory and emergency medicine department.