October 22-28 is Respiratory Care Week! Here at Suwannee River AHEC, we rely on Respiratory Therapists to help us with Systems Change in hospitals. Systems Change is how we work with healthcare providers to help people quit tobacco. Often, hospitalization is one of the most likely times for a quit attempt – and it’s a perfect opportunity for patients to receive education and resources on how to quit tobacco. This will ultimately lead them to having a better health outcome and they are less likely to be readmitted with the same diagnosis.
One of the strategies we implement for Systems Change is having staff that are dedicated to tobacco dependence treatment. This is where our respiratory therapists come in with crucial patient education. They provide resources without judgment and refer patients to SRAHEC’s tobacco cessation groups. Here’s how we showed our appreciation for respiratory therapists for Respiratory Care Week:
Shands at Starke
Our Systems Change Coordinator and Tobacco Treatment Specialist, Cathy Cook, visited Shands at Starke this week to present their team with a plaque. Director Tiffany Dougherty and respiratory therapists Christi Griffis and Mindy Polk are recognized for their distinction in the field of tobacco treatment. Their team treats patients with dignity and respect while assisting them on their way to becoming tobacco-free. Shands at Starke currently sends SRAHEC over 25 referrals per quarter, which is outstanding, considering Shands at Starke is a 25-bed hospital! Everyone in the department is a champion in helping their patients quit tobacco. They approach each patient individually with passion and compassion. Their department has created a judgment-free atmosphere in which tobacco use is treated as a chronic, addicting disease. They operate with the understanding that absolutely everyone deserves treatment.
Shands at Lake Shore
Cathy Cook also visited Shands at Lake Shore to present a plaque to Director Krista Kolarik and respiratory therapists Andre Gued and Darrius Landy. At Shands at Lake Shore, their team treats their patients with dignity and respect while helping them along their quit journey. Their facility sends Suwannee River AHEC approximately 45 referrals per quarter. More importantly, they treat each patient with respect while helping them become tobacco-free. Their respectful atmosphere invites patients and staff alike to begin their journey to freedom from all tobacco products.
Are you a healthcare professional who wants to make a difference in your patients’ lives? We provide free consultation and training for healthcare providers, clinics and hospitals. We use education, resources, and feedback to teach you how to identify tobacco users and intervene effectively. We will show you how to assess treatment in performance evaluations and how to develop and promote policies to provide in-patient and out-patient tobacco dependence service. Learn more about systems change here, and download our referral form. Our referrals come from all kinds of healthcare providers: hospitals, audiologists, dentists, and even pediatricians. Your patients deserve to live their healthiest life!
