August 26, 2008

HRMC Respiratory Therapy Department receives Practitioner of the Year award

The staff of Haywood Regional Medical Center’s Respiratory Therapy Department has overcome adversity and for their extraordinary efforts has been recognized by the N.C. Society for Respiratory Care with the Practitioner of the Year award.

“This award has never been given to a department before,” said Susan Collins, spokeswoman for the N.C. Society for Respiratory Care.

Being the first respiratory therapy department in the state to be named Practitioner of the Year was a fitting reward for a challenge that began in January with the resignation of the department’s director and then continued a month later with the hospital’s loss of its Medicare and Medicaid contract.

“When our hospital was in a state of uncertainty, we pulled together as a department, corrected the problems and at the same time was able to get our arterial blood gas lab recertified,” said Tracy Baker, a registered respiratory therapist at HRMC.

The respiratory therapy staff at Haywood Regional Medical Center include, from left in front, Anne Frady, Sherry Crawford, Brooke Hill, Tracy Baker, Michelle Caldwell, Kathy Edwards, Angie Carver, Janice Boone, Patty Teague, Antia Cope, Bill Rodgers; not pictured, Shane Sutton, Tracy Mehaffey and Angie Medford.

To add to those problems, the respiratory therapy department’s director had resigned in January, leaving employees to manage without a director.

Angie Carver, lead respiratory therapist for HRMC, said the award exemplifies the dedication and perseverance of each of the department’s 17 employees.

“We basically had no leadership. We all had to step up and work hard,” Carver said. “I think it’s a great honor to be chosen for this for the entire state. It proves we have a great department,” she said.

“We worked diligently to get our hospital back up and running so the community would have a hospital and would not have to travel 30 minutes or more to receive healthcare,” Baker said.

Respiratory therapist Anne Frady said she is proud of the department for winning the award.

“This is what team work is all about. Tracy and Mike Puttkammer led us through a time when we would have buckled. Other respiratory departments across the state and nation were aware of the CMS situation and lent their support any way they could to help get our hospital accreditation back. Finding other jobs would have been the easiest option, but we came together and kept the hospital running for our families, our hospital family and Haywood County,” Frady said.

The department had 11 employees covering two shifts during the Medicare crisis. Since then, six new employees have been added and the department has a new director — David Capraun.

“I would like to welcome our new therapists to the family,” Frady said. “They chose to come and work with us and we appreciate them coming to our respiratory family.”

Therapist Janice Boone said the significance of the award is it proves that Haywood County residents can receive the best care possible within their own county.

“This proves to the community that even though we are a small hospital, we are among the best respiratory therapy departments in the state,” Boone said.