Kevin Marr, RRT, CPFT, BSIT, MBA, director of respiratory care services at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson and South campuses, had the honor of announcing last week that the Banner – UMC Tucson Respiratory Therapy team was named the AzSRC Respiratory Therapy Department of the Year.
The honor came during the Arizona Society of Respiratory Care (AzSRC) 51st Annual Conference, Aug. 10-11, at the Wigwam Resort in Phoenix.
“I would like to share a great accomplishment that our department (BUMCT-RT) won in Phoenix,” Marr said. “I am very proud of this team and their ability to adapt to rapid change.”
James Knepler, MD, a UA associate professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine (PACCS), director of interventional pulmonology and medical director for respiratory therapy, congratulated the entire team for the recognition.
Sairam Parthasarathy, MD, interim division chief, PACCS, echoed Dr. Knepler’s sentiment: “This is a badge of honor that has been awarded to our outstanding respiratory care team that includes therapists, technicians, doctors and administrative staff working in tandem to offer the best that respiratory science can provide.”
Marr noted the award took into account the unit’s inheritance of blood gases and co-oximetry services from the hospital’s main lab in 2016, its Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) program which performs around 700 patient studies a month, and its bronchoscopy team that manages a suite of services in the Endoscopy Lab. This last involves diagnostic and interventional procedures that include endobronchial ultrasounds (EBUS), bronchial thermoplasty, navigational bronchoscopy, stent and endobronchial valve placements, fiducial markers and pleuroscopies—minimally invasive procedures to allow access to the pleural space of the lungs.
“All of this is in addition to providing excellent related care in a Level 1 Trauma Center, four adult ICUs, and pediatric services in the PICU/NICU (Level 4),” Marr added.
EXTRA INFO
The 11th Annual Asthma & Allergy Clinical Conference, also known as “Wheezing & Sneezing in the Desert,” will be hosted by the Arizona Asthma Coalition on Saturday, Oct. 7, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale’s Shea Campus. For further information, contact Barbara Burkholder at barbburk5@msn.com or visit the conference webpage. To learn more about the coalition, see: www.azasthma.org