Recognition is part of national program

 ROCK HILL, S.C. – July 11, 2005 – Piedmont Medical Center has earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition in a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of respiratory care services available in hospitals.
 Only about 500 (10%) of hospitals in the United States have applied for and received this award.
The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) started the recognition program in 2003 to help consumers identify facilities using qualified respiratory therapists to provide respiratory care. Hospitals earning the designation promote patient safety by agreeing to adhere to a strict set of criteria governing their respiratory care services.

To qualify for the recognition, Piedmont documented that it meets 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 or hold the certified respiratory therapist or registered respiratory therapist credential.
· Respiratory therapists are available 24 hours.
· Other staff qualified to perform specific respiratory procedures and the amount of supervision required for them to carry out specific procedures is designated in writing.
· A doctor of medicine or osteopathy is designated as medical director of respiratory care services.   

“The citizens in your community are lucky to have a facility such as yours in which they can be assured of receiving high standards of respiratory care,” said Sherry Milligan, associate executive director of the association in a letter to Piedmont.

 Respiratory therapists are specially trained healthcare professionals who work under doctor’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.
 The AARC has 37,000 members nationwide. To view a list of hospitals that received the recognition, visit www.younglunghealth.org.