Respiratory Care Now Two-Time Winner of Apex Award for Excellence

ChristianaCare has earned its second consecutive Apex Recognition Award from the American Association for Respiratory Care for excellence in respiratory care in the acute care setting.

ChristianaCare is one of only 14 acute care health systems nationwide to receive Apex, bestowed to health systems that demonstrate best practices in respiratory care.

Respiratory therapist Annie Wolfskill, BS, RRT

Respiratory therapists care for patients who have difficulty breathing because of chronic illnesses such as asthma and emphysema and patients who need emergency breathing support. ChristianaCare’s respiratory therapists have been on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 can cause fatal lung complications such as pneumonia, sepsis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

John Emberger, BS, RRT-AACS, FAARC, CPHQ

“Achieving back-to-back Apex recognitions demonstrates the value of the amazing team of respiratory therapists who serve their patients with love and excellence,” said John Emberger, BS, RRT-AACS, FAARC, CPHQ, director of Respiratory Care.

“Despite the unforeseen challenges that this pandemic has brought, our respiratory therapists continue to be exceptional today and even better tomorrow, serving our community with outstanding clinical care.”

ChristianaCare’s respiratory care team is comprised of more than 150 caregivers. They manage the ventilators, airways, and other critical supportive therapies for patients at ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital and Christiana Hospital.

Guided by ChristianaCare’s organizational values of love and excellence, they champion best practices and evidence-based medicine, and they lead quality improvement projects that improve patient safety.

ChristianaCare’s exceptional team of respiratory therapists cares for patients in Wilmington and Christiana hospitals.

“What motivates me is knowing that I am making a difference in these patients lives with the help of my team,” said Annie Wolfskill, BS, RRT.

“The communication and teamwork across the multidisciplinary teams have been beyond amazing. Everyone has come together during this time and shown how strong our frontline can be.”

This supportive system contributes to why ChristianaCare’s respiratory therapists are recognized by the American Association for Respiratory Care as among the best in the nation.

“Respiratory care departments everywhere are coming off a hard year,” said AARC President Sheri Tooley, BSRT, RRT, RRT-NPS, AE-C, CPFT, FAARC. “Their skills and stamina have been tested like never before.

“As a vital component to a patient’s care team, respiratory therapists work hard each day to deliver quality patient care. These teams reach high standards and bring specialized skills, unique to respiratory care departments. We are thrilled to honor these organizations as Apex Recognition Award recipients.”

Learn more about careers at ChristianaCare.

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