Director, Respiratory Services and The Center for Sleep Disorders
Orange Regional Medical Center
Middletown, NY
AARC Member since 1986
AARC Activities:
Chair Government Affairs Committee, 2005–present. Member Finance Committee 2006 and 2007. Chair Audit Subcommittee 2007. Member Audit Subcommittee 2006. Member Political Action Committee (PAC) 2006–present. Member Bylaws Committee 2005–2006. Member Membership Committee 2004. Member Smoking and Tobacco Related Issues Committee 2003.
House of Delegates Activities:
Past Speaker HOD 2009. Speaker HOD 2008. Speaker-Elect HOD 2007. Treasurer HOD 2006. Chair HOD Legislative Affairs Committee 2005–2006. Chair, HOD Credential Committee 2009. Member Delegate Assistance Committee 2006. Member Ad Hoc Committee for Home Care Recognition 2005–2006. Member, Chartered Affiliates Committee 2005–2006.
Affiliate Activities:
Senior Delegate, CTSRC, 2005–2006 Junior Delegate, CTSRC, 2004–2005 Past President Connecticut Society for Respiratory Care (CTSRC) 2002–2004. President CTSRC 2000–2002. President-Elect CTSRC 1999; Treasurer CTSRC 1997–1998. CTSRC Board of Directors 1995–1997. Chair CTSRC Golf Tournament 2008. Chair Bylaws Committee 1996–2000, 2002–2004. Chair Budget and Audit Committee 1997–1998. Member Membership Committee, 2002–2008 Member, Program Committee 1997–2008. Member Bylaws Committee 1996–2006. Member Budget and Audit Committee 1999–2004.
Related Organizations:
Member, Society for Critical Care Medicine; Basic Life Support Instructor, American Heart Association; Pediatric Advanced Life Support Instructor, American Heart Association.
Education:
RRT, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT 1986, MBA, University of Phoenix, Norwalk, CT 2009.
What is your vision of the AARC in 2015?
I see the AARC continuing its efforts on behalf of respiratory care in 2015 to advocate for the continued use of respiratory therapists as an integral part of the health care delivery system across the continuum of care. The AARC will continue to actively centralize the legislative activities of our profession in order to ensure respiratory therapy continues to be recognized as a provider of care to the millions of our patients that will have services paid for by state and federal government funds. The AARC will continue as the premier provider of respiratory therapy educational offerings with continued online offerings.
What have you done in the last 5 years to promote the profession in your community?
I have served tirelessly over the past five years in roles that advocate for our profession and the patients we serve. As a member of the Connecticut Political Advocacy Contact Team (PACT) and then as Chair of the AARC Federal Government Affairs Committee, I have worked to establish and grow a grassroots effort to increase the legislative advocacy of respiratory therapists. I have met with local, state and federal legislators to advise and educate them on the importance of respiratory therapy and its role in patient care. In those meetings I have also advocated on behalf of our patients.