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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Speare Memorial Hospital
(603) 536-1120
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April 11 , 2007 |
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SMH Receives Its Fourth National Quality Respiratory Care Award
Award comes as hospital launches inhaler education program
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| PLYMOUTH, N.H. --- Speare Memorial Hospital has once again received Quality Respiratory Care Recognition from the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), as part of a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals. The award comes just as Speare´s Department of Cardiopulmonary Services introduces a new patient education program on the proper use of inhalers. |
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| "It is good for a hospital of this size to be recognized for meeting the standards, and it shows we took the extra step to seek validation at the national level," says Peter Gallagher, a respiratory therapist and director of cardiopulmonary services at Speare Memorial Hospital.
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| "Demonstrating our ongoing commitment to quality patient care," Gallagher continues, "is our new inhaler education program. Often patients are prescribed an inhaler for acute or chronic conditions, but have no real understanding of how to properly use the inhaler or how the medicine is supposed to work. By offering a free, one-on-one training session with a respiratory therapist, we hope to give patients a better working knowledge of their inhalers and be an ongoing resource as needed."
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| Gallagher notes that Cardiopulmonary Services is working on informational materials to provide to referring physicians who prescribe inhalers. However, any patient wanting more information about their inhaler or how to use it is encouraged to call Cardiopulmonary Services at Speare Memorial Hospital directly at (603) 238-2288. |
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| Approximately 10 percent of the hospitals in the United States apply for and receive AARC award. This is the fourth time Speare Memorial Hospital has received the award since the program´s inception in 2003. To qualify for recognition as a Quality Respiratory Care facility, Speare Memorial Hospital provided documentation showing it meets all of the following conditions: |
- All respiratory therapists employed by the hospital to deliver bedside respiratory care services are either legally recognized by the state as competent to provide respiratory care services or hold the Certified Respiratory Therapist or Registered Respiratory Therapist credential.
- Respiratory therapists are available 24 hours a day.
- Other personnel qualified to perform specific respiratory procedures and the amount of supervision required for personnel to carry out specific procedures must be designated in writing.
- A doctor of medicine or osteopathy is designated as medical director of respiratory care services.
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| The AARC Quality Respiratory Care Recognition program grew out of increasing concerns among health care leaders and the general public regarding the safety and quality of health care services provided to patients. Hospitals that meet the Quality Respiratory Care requirements provide a level of respiratory care consistent with national standards and guidelines, and are commended for their commitment to quality care.
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| Respiratory therapists are specially trained health care professionals who work under physician´s orders to provide a wide range of breathing treatments and other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, AIDS and other lung or lung-related conditions. They also care for premature infants and are key members of lifesaving response teams charged with handling medical emergencies.
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| The AARC is a membership organization representing more than 39,000 health professionals involved in respiratory care nationwide.
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| Speare Memorial Hospital is a 24-hour, acute care, non-profit community hospital and health care provider serving Plymouth, and the communities of central New Hampshire, for more than a century.
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Michele Barney Hutchins
Director of Community Relations
Speare Memorial Hospital
(603) 238-6468
mhutchins@spearehospital.com
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