Spotlight on…. Kitty Collins, Seton Medical Center

Kitty Collins, RRT, has worked with COPD patients for 33 years.  An Outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation Coordinator at Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas, Collins also serves as a volunteer with the American Lung Association and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Association of Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (TACVPR).  Over the years, she has had great success planning and executing awareness events, and is currently planning activities for COPD Awareness Month 2007.

What kinds of events do you have in the works for COPD Awareness Month in November?
We are hosting a clinical conference on COPD for primary care physicians and other health care providers, along with a Grand Rounds presentation for Residents.  We are also planning a dinner for COPD patients and their guests featuring guest speakers and discussions around the theme “Living Well With COPD.”

We are also offering spirometry screenings where we will also show the Learn More Breathe Better® educational video.

In addition to these events, we also have secured Mayoral proclamations in both Austin and Georgetown, Texas and the Texas Society for Respiratory Care (TSRC) has requested a state proclamation as well.

How are you promoting these events and activities?
We actively promote through physician and hospital newsletters, radio announcements, local TV news programs, and posting flyers throughout the city and physicians offices.  We’ve also placed a newspaper article profiling someone living well with COPD and we’re utilizing the Learn More Breathe Better® print and radio PSAs to help get the word out.

How did you get involved in planning and promoting these types of awareness events?
I started teaching pulmonary rehabilitation at Texas State University in 2002.  I was looking for activities that would engage the students and I started spirometry screenings at various Seton locations.  Ideas for additional activities were inspired by the GOLD Web site and the National Lung Health Education Program (NLHEP).  Gretchen Lawrence of NLHEP has assisted us with several events since the beginning.

What recommendations would you give to other organizations who are interested in raising COPD awareness in their communities/organizations?
Plan well in advance and seek out support from other partners in the community.  We’ve had great support from our local chapter of the American Lung Association. The program Director in Austin, Laura Chapman, was instrumental in getting us started four years ago.  We worked together and formed a committee consisting of dedicated people –over the years we’ve added new committee members that have helped to expand our reach in the community.

Getting local media to pay attention to COPD has been a challenge in the past.  Seeing all of the national attention that’s been given to COPD over the last year because of NHLBI’s efforts means that we’ll be even more successful in promoting our local activities.