pr 10_26_05 Respiratory week

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National Respiratory Care Week Set for October

October 20, 2005 - Respiratory therapists all over the country will be celebrating National Respiratory Care Week this October 24-30, using the occasion to showcase their role in the nation’s health care system and encourage others to join their rapidly growing profession.

“Respiratory therapists work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, home care, outpatient clinics, sleep centers, and physicians’ offices,” explains Janet Boehm, MS, RRT, president of the American Association for Respiratory Care, which sponsors the annual event. “You can find us doing everything from managing ventilator care for a premature infant in a neonatal intensive care unit to helping senior citizens deal with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a pulmonary rehabilitation program.”

Alleghany Regional Hospital joins its Respiratory Therapy staff in celebrating the week. Currently, 17 individuals make up the local department with a combined 295 years of experience. “We are fortunate to have such an experienced group of individuals in our hospital,” states Chip Peal, COO of Alleghany Regional Hospital. “The department here at ARH is committed to providing a level of respiratory care to our patients that is unmatched in southwest Virginia.”

The wide range of duties carried out by RTs has made the field an attractive option for young people and career-changers who want to get into a medical profession – and the growing demand for therapists nationwide is ensuring a secure future for everyone in the field as well. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the RT workforce will expand by up to 35 percent by 2010, as the aging baby boom generation leads to a greater need for cardiopulmonary health care services.

“Respiratory therapy is a wonderful field for anyone who enjoys science and technology and likes helping people,” says Boehm. “And National Respiratory Care Week is a great time to find out more about the profession.”

To learn more about respiratory therapy and National Respiratory Care Week, visit the AARC’s web site. Click on the “How to Be an RT” section to find out about careers in the field and see a list of colleges that offer two- and four-year respiratory therapy degrees.

The American Association for Respiratory Care, a professional membership association of respiratory therapists, focuses primarily on respiratory therapy education and research. Its goals are to ensure that respiratory patients receive safe and effective care from qualified professionals and to benefit respiratory health care providers. The Association continues to advocate, on behalf of pulmonary patients, for appropriate access to respiratory services provided by qualified professionals.

Alleghany Regional Hospital

P.O. Box 7
(I-64W exit 21, between Covington & Clifton Forge)
Low Moor, VA 24457

Telephone: (540) 862-6011

You May Also Visit Us At http://www.hcavirginia.com

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