Made up of Respiratory Therapy, Sleep Disorders, and Lifeline this area also works with North Dakota State University's Respiratory Therapy program, providing students with the clinical portion of their education.
Lifeline is a program for seniors or others who live alone and may have medical problems. An emergency response program, the participants wear a pendant or wristband that they press if they need help. The signal goes to the Emergency Room the person the program participant has named as a respondent is called. If the respondent is available he or she checks on the person or else an ambulance is sent.
Respiratory Therapy provides testing and treatment for people with lung diseases such as emphysema and asthma. The staff also provides ventilation for people who can't breathe on their own, and works closely with trauma patients and newborns that need help breathing. In addition to their work with people with breathing problems, RT runs a smoking cessation program.
Common Procedures
The RTs do a lot of pulmonary function tests both to measure lung capacity and to diagnose illness. Patients are asked to take in as much air as possible and then blow out as hard and fast as they are able. That is then compared to a "normal standard" for people their same age and weight.
Additional Information
Q. How do I quit smoking?
A. What can I use to help me quit smoking? At MeritCare, smokers can get one-on-one counseling to help break their smoking habits. If a person doesn't want to quit cold turkey, the counselors will recommend nicotine patches, gum or other over-the-counter smoking cessation aids.
Additional information about how to quit smoking is available from is available from the following organizations: