The Maine Society for Respiratory Care - Lobestergram April 2006

2006 brings several new faces to the Board of Directors, Karen Lane (President-elect), Jack Higgins (Vice- President), Amanda Albee (Secretary), Laura King and David Boyer (Board members at Large). I would like to thank all of the past members that have guided us over the last few years, especially Barbara Larsson, Diane Haskell, and Shirley Belanger. They have given their heart and soul to the MSRC and it is very appreciated. Shirley will continue to be with us as one of our Delegates (the other one being Keith Siegel) and Barbara will continue working as co-chair of the Educational committee. Shirley has also resigned as the vendor rep with Diane Haskell taking over those duties.

THANK YOU

One of our goals is to increase membership in the AARC. There are several plans offered through the AARC that include free CEU’s, discounts for group memberships, and student discounts. This information is available through the AARC website and I encourage you to go and visit it. We are currently looking for volunteers to be part of a membership committee and if you would like to help your Society out, please contact one of the BODs.

Another goal is to improve communication throughout the State of Maine. Amanda Albee is our new Website Coordinator and has proposed new ideas and has been working on the Website. Please take the time to check it out at . You will find updates, job postings and seminar dates plus much more information. We have also recently purchased a new computer, which will help with registration at seminars, the MSRC’s finances and several other uses.

And last, I would like to challenge every member of the MSRC to volunteer for one of our committees. We need people to help us achieve these goals. New faces are new ideas. Volunteer to help. It took me many years to realize that I should make a contribution to a profession that has been good to me. Make it a point to talk to somebody that has and make it your goal to support the MSRC as a volunteer or as a future Board Member.

Thank you

Steve Enking

EDUCATION COMMITTEE UPDATE

The Maine Society for Respiratory Care will be having it’s annual seminar, “THE MAINE EVENT” on May 17 and 18th, 2006. The seminar will be again held at the Spruce Point Inn in Boothbay Harbor. The Golf Tournament will be on May 16th at the Boothbay Country Club.

If you have not received your registration form, please contact Diane Haskell at Dhaskell@nehealth.org.

We have a very good program planned this year with some excellent speakers. Of course we have the SPUTUM BOWL competition held in the afternoon after the first day of lectures followed by a dance.

It is always a fun time and we hope that you will join us for the opportunity to get some CEU’s and enjoy some socializing with your fellow respiratory therapists.

KVCC NEWS

There has been a lot of activity in the Respiratory Therapy program at KVCC this fall. The first year students organized a pasta drive during Respiratory Care week in October. They collected close to 80 pounds of pasta and $60.00 in cash. All was donated to a local food bank in the Waterville area. In addition they put together an informational booth about the hazards of tobacco use and resources available in the community for those who want to quit using tobacco.

This same group of students collected $290.00 dollars and donated the money to the Salvation Army to sponsor a family during the Christmas holiday. It’s amazing they found the time to do a little volunteer work during the end of the semester and final exams.

Congratulations

In closing the faculty would like to recognize those graduates who have earned their RRT over the last year. We would like to make this a regular part of our report in this newsletter. First, congratulations to all those graduates who earned their RRT prior to January 1, 2005. The following graduates became registered in the past year. Class of 2001 – Vye Marshall and Jessica Faircloth; Class of 2003 – Dwayne Ray; Class of 2004 – Jodi Saucier and Chad Woodard; Class of 2005 – Paul Comeau, Craig Donovan and Sara McNeff. Congratulations to all.

DELEGATES REPORT

Karen Boyer and I just returned from the AARC House of Delegates (HOD) meeting in San Antonio, Texas. The HOD is the link between the State Societies and the AARC. It is one of the primary mechanisms for individuals and/or State Societies to have their voice heard by the AARC Board of Directors. The HOD meets twice yearly, at the Summer Forum and the International Congress. If you, as an AARC member, have issues you would like brought before the AARC, you can contact a member of the MSRC Board of Directors, and we can represent your concern before the House. This year, the House considered three resolutions.

The first resolution (00-05-17) “Resolved that the AARC recommend to the Veteran’s Health Administration that they amend the Qualification Standard for Respiratory Therapists in Veteran’s Administration Hospitals should meet licensure requirements of that particular state, if applicable”. Currently, RT’s working in VA hospitals are exempt from being required to be licensed to practice Respiratory Care. The HOD unanimously passed this resolution. It was then referred to the AARC executive office for follow-up.

Emergency resolution #1 “Resolved that the AARC and Chartered Affiliates provide a mechanism by which the AARC and Chartered Affiliates can conduct business in event of disaster (i.e., voting process, revenue sharing, operational process, etc.)”. This resolution resulted from the difficulties faced by the RT’s in Mississippi and Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. The resolution passed. The AARC will form an Ad Hoc committee to formulate a disaster plan, with a focus on how to keep the lines of communication between the AARC and its Chartered Affiliates during times of natural or man-made disasters. The committee will be made up of representatives from the AARC executive office, board of directors and HOD members from Mississippi and Louisiana.

Emergency resolution #2 “Resolved that the AARC automatically waive membership fees without application for AARC members with a zip code in locations declared federal disaster areas after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita for one year retroactive to August 31, 2005”. The resolution passed. Currently, AARC members who apply and are approved for disaster relief help from the AARC receive up to $500 and one year free membership. This resolution seeks to eliminate the need to apply for disaster relief, and have AARC members in affected areas automatically receive membership. The rationale is that members in disaster areas should not have their membership cancelled while they are facing crisis. It is felt that if they lose their membership, they may never come back to the AARC. The executive office will appoint a committee to look into the feasibility of this resolution.

San Antonio marked the last HOD meeting for Karen Boyer. Karen has effectively served as your Delegate for the last eight years, and is highly respected in the House. I would like to thank Karen for being such a great mentor. I would also like to welcome Shirley Belanger as your new Delegate. I look forward to working with her over the next two years.

Keith Siegel, RRT

Delegate

MSRC WEBSITE

We’ve been trying to update our website to include some more current information. Please visit our site at MeSRC.org. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to contact one of our board members.

LOBESTERGRAM INFO

If anyone is interest in submitting an article for an upcoming addition of the Lobestergram, please contact me at belangs@cmhc.org.