Camp Super Breathers is the first and only camp in the state of Idaho for kids with asthma.  Washington state has an asthma camp that uses a camp facility in Coeur d’Alene. Northern Idaho kids attend this camp. Our campers come  from the remainder of the state. 

We have five days of camping fun, learning, and wellness designed to help the kids with lung disease lead normal lives. Our campers  hike, bike, swim, and  boat. Last year, the kids participated in an eight-mile hike to Bridal Veil Falls in the Sawtooth Mountains.  All of them did very well and were anxious to hike again.

Camperships are available through generous donations from  our sponsors. Please, as fellow RCPs, help us raise the level of awareness of, and participation in Camp Super Breathers. You can do this by volunteering or recommending camp to parents that have children with asthma. Your involvement will reap great rewards!!  For more information please contact Rod Leslie @ the  American Lung Association  (208) 424-0249 or Michele Andrew @ St. Alphonsus RMC (208) 367-3199.
Thanks for your support!!
Connie Leavitt

Lande has been married to Pam for 25 years and they have a son Steven and a daughter Kathleen.  His time away from work is spent with his family and in the Idaho outdoors. 

Major New England Teaching Hospital is seeking individual with solid credentials (B.S. required, Masters preferred) in Respiratory Care to manage 50+ employee department.  Team Building, demonstrated leadership skills needed from similar size facility.  Position reports to Administrative Director Patient Care Services.  Top salary, benefits.  Location rated as one of the top places to live in America.

Please contact:  Andrea Egerton, M.S., Director, Respiratory Recruitment
Concorde Staff Source 1-800-334-6407   E-mail: aegerton@concordestaffing.com

What a professional RCP is NOT:
1. RCPs who enrolled in an RT program because they "needed a job" and remained in the field for the same reason.
2. RCPs whose motivation is just getting through the day and doing what they have been assigned (and nothing more)
3. RCPs who have to be forced into professional conduct and who maintain that conduct only as long as someone is continually monitoring them.
4. RCPs whose basic interpersonal skills would get them fired at Wal-Mart.
5. RCPs who accept the death of a patient without any degree of introspection or worse, who view someone's death as lessening their work load.
6. RCPs who allow the incompetence of others to influence the patients care and do so without protest.

What an "ideal" RCP is....
1. Strong motivation and commitment to the patient, first, foremost and always.  When the patient has a problem, the RCP has a problem.
2. Never stops learning. Learns from physicians, from experience, from other RCPs from nurses...in short, soaks up knowledge like a sponge.
3. Can apply #3.
4. Does apply #3 within the proper scope of practice.
5. Is a valuable member of the healthcare team and capable of working as part of a team.
6. In a crisis, is someone people are glad to see.
7. Can be trusted both professionally and personally. When given an assignment you know he or she will carry it out to the best of their ability, not the least they can 
get by with.
8. Actively seeks out methods by which the patient can be helped.
9. Good interpersonal skills.
10. Self-directed.

"I had enjoyed the show since it first started. I thought it was great," said Leone, "One of those where you sit there and answer the questions along with them thinking 'I know that, I know that.'" After a while, he said, he decided it would be fun to try to be a contestant through the program's phone-in question-answer competition. He answered the qualifying questions correctly, and then played the waiting game to see if the computer would include his name on the list of randomly selected finalists.

"When I got the call, I jumped six feet in the air," he recalled.  "It was Jennifer from 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' I just couldn't believe it. I kept thinking it was too good to be true and that one of my friends must be playing a joke on me," he said.

But it was no joke. Leone's entry was selected from a pool of thousands of qualifying contestants. Within a couple of weeks he was in the studio along with Regis and the other finalists for the show's taping.

"Getting those questions right in a recording studio is pretty intimidating with lights flashing and all the people," he explained, "and of course you're there looking at Regis Philbin sitting just a few feet away. It's definitely a little harder to get them right than when you're doing it from your living room."

He said that during the taping Philbin had had bronchitis and was talking about his illness during the show. "I had really hoped it would work out for me. I just knew if I got up there he would ask me all kinds of questions about bronchitis and what he could do about it," Leone said. "It would've been a great plug for the profession."

And while this time around he didn't get a chance to sit with Regis and become the show's next big winner, according to the producer of the show, fewer than 2% of the people who try actually make it onto the show at all. That means earning a seat as one of the potential contestants was quite an accomplishment on its own.

"I didn't get into the 'hot seat' this time, but I can try again beginning in June," he said. "Next time I'll have a better handle on how it all works. Next time I'll bet I can make it." 

Positons needed:

Register by April 15 and SAVE
Active Members: $290 ($330 after Oct. 15)
Associate Members: $290 ($330 after Oct. 15)
Student Members: $135 ($145 after Oct. 15)
Non-Members: $430 ($465 after Oct. 15)
Exhibitors: $230 (4240 after Oct. 15)
Register online at www.aarc.org and click meetings or contact Susan Clay at (972) 243-2272 or clay@aarc.org

AARC  11030 Ables Lane  Dallas, TX 75229  (972) 243-2272  Fax (972) 484-2720

To refute the contention that respiratory therapy is not a profession, the AARC has collected a compendium of materials where respiratory therapists are specifically listed as "professionals". We can now add to our collection these new federal regulations issued by HCFA. The new rules regulate managed care insurance providers under state Medicaid programs. One requirement prohibits managed care organizations from limiting communication between patients and health care professionals. The regulation then gives a definition of "health care professional" and includes respiratory therapists in its list of examples.

David Blakeman presented the ISRC 2001 Planning Meeting minutes.  See attached.  If anyone is going to be presenting an abstract at the national convention, they are invited to participate in the annual ISRC convention in August.

The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved.

There was not a treasurer’s report because Duke had not received all the information he needed.  The on-line banking has been set up with Wells Fargo.  There were two CD’s that had not seen any activity for 7 years.  After that time they would be surrendered to the U. S. government.  Duke went in and fixed those two so that does not happen.  Duke asked to be able to house clean all the information he had received.  The previous 7 years will be kept and the rest discarded.  Motion passed to allow him to do this. 

Connie requested that the executive board prepare a budget that will be presented and approved at the annual meeting.

A committee was formed to investigate and present to the next board meeting a plan to invest the ISRC money.  Members are:  Duke, Rob, Renie and Tensie.

The web site needs to be taken care of.  Nancy will contact Conrad Colby and Pam Lambert to see what they can do to get this up and running.  Connie will get bids from a professional company.  A motion was passed to dedicate $750.00 to this project.

Connie reported that the PACT committee uses e-mail to get their information out.  It comes form the AARC office to the president and secretary.  They will send the information on to the area reps, who in turn get it to their local  people.

The Leadership Conference is in Dallas, Texas this year.  They prefer to have the same two people come every year to maintain continuity.  Renie and Conrad have gone in previous years.  Renie will go again this year and Conrad will be asked if he will be able to go.  A new person may have to be found if Conrad is unable.

Membership in the ISRC is 153 active members.  In Idaho recruitment and retention have been good.  There has been an increase in national membership.  Connie has pamphlets from the AARC to help with recruitment, retention and publicity for anyone to use.

The Coalition for Healthy Idaho report--The tobacco monies are going for smoking cessation and prevention.  The legislature is not putting money towards chromic problems, so pulmonary rehabs are not able to use any of this money.  Michele stated that several of her rehab patients went to the open forum to give their testimony.  It is still being decided where to spend this money.

Asthma Coalition report--Michele reported that St. Al’s has been working on a plan to obtain concise information to get out to educators, do surveillance, issue policies and educate the public about asthma.  They did not get the grant they asked for last February, but are going to try for another grant this year to help with the costs.  They want to set up guidelines so everyone who is doing any of the above are using the same information.  The health department in some areas will be teaching this information.  The committee has partnered with the lung association so that donations can be accepted.  Venna will be the ISRC representative..

Delegates report--Bob said that recruitment for respiratory care jobs here and nationally is a big issue.  There is a possibility that jobs will be posted on a web site

Newsletter--Nancy will continue to be the editor.  She will be contacting vendors to help defray the costs involved.  The next newsletter will be sent via e-mail to those who have e-mail access.

Legislative update--The meeting with senator Craig’s representative, Ken Burgess was attended by Conrad, Connie, Renie and Michele.  The senate is aware of the problems with Respiratory care reimbursement.  They are opposed to the Balanced Budget amendment and also with HCFA rulings.  Bills are being presented to help with these problems but it will be a slow process.  Ken said to get involved with the Committee on Aging and the Idaho Hospital Association.  Rehab programs need to be standardized somewhat to facilitate data collection.  Chris is writing a generic policy regarding this.  He will e-mail everyone for their input.  Drs. Merrick and Charan are helping also.

Camp Super Breathers--They are doing marketing now.  Eastern Idaho has people who have volunteered to help.  There will be new doctors participating.  More staff needs to be recruited. The camp is scheduled for Aug. 13-17.  The brochures and posters will be ready the end of February.

Mission statement--this issue was tabled for later discussion.

Goals and Objectives--we need to get a good mission statement first and then prioritize our goals and objectives.

An issue of concern was raised about unlicensed care givers providing respiratory care in the home setting.  There was also the concern raised about a doctor’s practice of doing in home sleep studies and prescribing CPAP inappropriately.  It was decided to have the ISRC issue a complaint to the Idaho State Board of Medicine for review.

The next meeting will be in Twin Falls on April 20th at 7:30 PM at a location to be announced.  There will be a meeting during the ISRC annual meeting in Idaho Falls.  There is a meeting planned for Nov. 9th in Boise at 7:00 PM at a location to be announced.

Connie would like to have a board meeting for 30-45 minutes before the chapter meeting to discuss and decide on issues that do not need to be presented before the chapter meetings.

Respectfully submitted,

Ramona Sailor
ISRC Secretary