It was a full house at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Kingston, NY as respiratory therapists and other professionals attended the 2nd Annual Mid-Hudson Respiratory Conference on Thursday August 3, 2006. Northeast Center for Special Care, which operates one of the most successful ventilator and respiratory care programs in the country, presented the conference as a part of its commitment to the continuing education of respiratory therapists.
It was a full house at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Kingston, NY as respiratory therapists and other professionals attended the 2nd Annual Mid-Hudson Respiratory Conference on Thursday August 3, 2006. Northeast Center for Special Care, which operates one of the most successful ventilator and respiratory care programs in the country, presented the conference as a part of its commitment to the continuing education of respiratory therapists.
Ann Belcher, CEO stated, "Northeast Center for Special Care's clinical expert conferences in Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Brain Injury were started at the request of New York State professionals and are very well received. The sharing of specialty clinical information combined with evidence based practice experiences has been appreciated by conference attendees for the last two years."
Eighty-two respiratory therapists from the Mid-Hudson Valley and surrounding regions were in attendance. Registration was free and a total of 501 continuing education credits (CEUs), sanctioned by the American Association for Respiratory Care, were awarded.
The line up of interesting and informative presentations included: The ABC's of the Z's-Sleep Disturbance and TBI by Alicia Fredella, RRT, CBIT, Quality Assurance Officer, Risk Manager, Northeast Center for Special Care; Cardiopulmonary Benefits of Wine by Ken Wyka, MS, RRT, FAARC, Home Therapy Equipment; Medical Record Documentation by Eric Farrell, Esq., Hinman, Howard, & Kattell; Airway Pressure Release Ventilation (APRV) by Michael J. Shea, MD, Albany Critical Care Services, Board Certified Pulmonologist, Affiliated with Albany Medical Center; Modes of Ventilation by Edward D. Sivak, MD., University Hospital Syracuse NY, Board Certified Pulmonologist; Anxiety Management in Respiratory Patients by Victor Zelek, Ph.D. Director of Neuropsychological Services, Northeast Center for Special Care.
Thomas Harvie, RRT, Director of Respiratory Care at Northeast Center for Special Care, and Alicia Fredella, RRT, CBIT, Quality Assurance, Risk Management, Northeast Center for Special Care co-organized and hosted the conference. Harvie has been a Respiratory Care professional for fifteen years, and is also the treasurer for the Northeast Chapter of the New York State Society for Respiratory Care. Fredella has been in the field of Respiratory Therapy for twenty-eight years and had been a Director of Respiratory Care for fifteen years.
The mission of Northeast Center for Special Care is rehabilitation, recovery and community reentry for individuals with disabilities. Since its inception, hundreds of individuals have "graduated" from its programs and have moved on to integrated settings in their communities. Among its many accomplishments, the ventilator-weaning program has earned great distinction for success of Northeast Center for Special Care's Ventilator Program in weaning individuals from mechanical ventilation to spontaneous breathing.
Founded in 1999, Northeast Center for Special Care is a unique inpatient facility designed to serve medically complex and multiply impaired individuals with brain injury, spinal cord injury, neurobehavioral disorders, ventilator, respiratory and pulmonary care needs and other complex medical needs. Advanced professional skills and innovative therapies are coupled with an unwavering belief in the potential of every individual to progress. It is this belief that drives our commitment to help those recovering at Northeast Center achieve the highest degree of rehabilitation possible and to re-enter the community.
