Bill French

Karen Chormanski

Ceci Oldmixon

Raymond Pisani

Rick Carver

Christopher Richardson

• Cheryl Skinner talks about her recent trip to Washington, DC, with the AARC PACT in this article on the KNDY radio website out of Kansas, noting the group was there to advocate for the Medicare Respiratory Therapist Access Act. “With the mounting costs to manage chronic diseases and avoid expensive exacerbations, we think the timing is right to improve patients’ access to the unique skills of respiratory therapists who are trained experts in the care of patients’ chronic respiratory diseases,” Cheryl was quoted as saying.

• Bill French and his students show off the clinical simulation training they receive at their school and also talk about why they got into the field in this article and video in the Willoughby, OH, News-Herald. “I have kids who were born premature and who had a lot of lung issues,” Karen Chormanski was quoted as saying. “I wanted to learn as much as I possibly could and help other families that might be going through the same thing.”

• Marianne Jankowski’s RT program has received provisional accreditation from CoARC and the accomplishment is covered in this press release in the Digital Journal. “This is a critical step in the overall development of our new bachelor’s-level Respiratory Therapy Program,” Marianne was quoted as saying.

• Bob Delorme’s program has received the Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success Award from CoARC and the honor was covered in this article in the Gwinnett Daily Post out of Lawrenceville, GA. Bob credits fellow faculty members Larry Arnson, Kiley Hodge, Nadya Khoja, and Megha Patel with helping the program reach this high level.
  
  

• Ceci Oldmixon explains how her program helps prepare graduates for the job market in this article in the Victoria College CareerFocus. “We tell them that their clinicals are a job interview, so they have a job interview for two years,” Ceci was quoted as saying. “Every therapist, every doctor they work with watches to see how they’re learning, progressing, and engaging.”

• Alison Harrington supports the recent proposal by the FDA to add e-cigarettes to the tobacco products it regulates in this article and video on the NBC affiliate website out of Bismarck, ND. “They’ve analyzed three different e-cigarette cartridges and all three tested differently,” Alison was quoted as saying.

• Raymond Pisani comments on the Hospital of the Year Awards for Respiratory Care given out by the Louisiana Society in this article in the Lafourche Parish, LA, Daily Comet. “This is a distinguished honor for them to get,” Raymond says about small hospital winner Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, “especially on their first attempt.” 

• Rick Carver recently accompanied one of his patients on an HonorAir flight to Washington, DC, and the trip was covered in this article on the Blount Memorial Hospital website. “Vince got accepted and he wanted me to go with him,” Rick was quoted as saying. “It was just an honor that he would want me to go with him.”

• Brent Seward explains how expansion of the Medicare competitive bidding program to rural communities could impact patients in this article the Idaho Business Review. “Extreme cuts to reimbursement rates will either discourage local providers from servicing the rural markets, or severely impact the ability to maintain high quality care,” he writes. He goes on to advocate for legislation that would correct the flaws in the current program.

• Susan Ruckman talks about the emotional toll she often faces as an RT, and how gardening helps her cope in this article in the Alton, IL, Telegraph. “Because I see a lot of death and dying . . . I need something different,” she was quoted as saying. “Something green and growing.” 

And these facilities have been covered for earning Quality Respiratory Care Recognition from the AARC —

• Schneck Medical Center in this article in the Tribune out of Jackson County, IN.
• Ministry Good Samaritan, Ministry St. Mary’s, Howard Young, and Ministry facilities in Weston, Marshfield, Stevens Point, and Sturgeon Bay in this article on the WJJQ radio website.
• St. Alexius Great Plains Rehabilitation Services in this article and video on KFYR-TV out of South Dakota featuring Janel Glass, Chris Fenster, and Claude Dockter. “Our staff are pushing themselves to be the best they can be and be very, very patient focused,” Claude was quoted as saying.
  
  
• Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Western Regional Medical Center in this press release in the Digital Journal.
• Allied Services Skilled Nursing & Rehab Center in this article in the Wilkes-Barre, PA, Times Leader. “We’re proud to be recognized as the region’s leading provider of respiratory care for skilled nursing patients,” Christopher Richardson was quoted as saying. 
• Bartlett Regional Hospital in this article in the Juneau, AK, Empire. RT supervisor Jeffrey Torres is credited with leading his team to the honor.
• Mercy Medical Center-Dubuque in this article in the Telegraph Herald out of Dubuque, IA.