Students dress as respiratory equipment: Health care students advocate lung health
Ashley Tate, News Reporter
Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: Campus Life
- Page 1 of 2 next >
What does respiratory care have to do with Halloween? For respiratory program students at Youngstown State University, this week was a time to dress up as their "favorite respiratory care equipment."
Respiratory Care Week was nationally celebrated Oct. 21 to 27, but at YSU, it was extended to this week so that Halloween was included, Terry Volsko said.
"It's a way to organize advocacy and education. There are respiratory practitioners in all 50 states," Volsko, director of clinical education for the respiratory program, said.
Volsko said they kicked off the celebration of the respiratory profession last week with a bake sale in Cushwa Hall where they raised $300 to go to scholarships for upcoming respiratory students.
As another part of the week, displays explained the profession and showed what smoking does to the lungs.
Smoking attributes to diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which are preventable diseases. COPD is one of five leading causes of death, Volsko said.
Handouts on how to quit smoking were also given to students as they passed the displays, in which students showed interest, Volsko said.
Smoking causes problems for people who have "never smoked a day in their lives," Volsko said. Not only does smoking affect smokers, it affects people who are around them because they breathe in toxins that smokers don't because of filters in cigarettes.
The program raises awareness for lung health, Volsko said, and helps students gain an appreciation for why the smoking law has changed.
Asthma is a common respiratory problem among college students and is triggered by a lot of things. People are not born with asthma, and it has no cure. Cystic fibrosis, a very bad lung disease, is something people are born with and also doesn't have a cure, Volsko said.
Infections, environmental exposures like strong perfume and smoke, exercise and being emotionally upset can all trigger asthmatic attacks that can be treated with medication, Volsko said.
Respiratory Care Week was nationally celebrated Oct. 21 to 27, but at YSU, it was extended to this week so that Halloween was included, Terry Volsko said.
"It's a way to organize advocacy and education. There are respiratory practitioners in all 50 states," Volsko, director of clinical education for the respiratory program, said.
Volsko said they kicked off the celebration of the respiratory profession last week with a bake sale in Cushwa Hall where they raised $300 to go to scholarships for upcoming respiratory students.
As another part of the week, displays explained the profession and showed what smoking does to the lungs.
Smoking attributes to diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which are preventable diseases. COPD is one of five leading causes of death, Volsko said.
Handouts on how to quit smoking were also given to students as they passed the displays, in which students showed interest, Volsko said.
Smoking causes problems for people who have "never smoked a day in their lives," Volsko said. Not only does smoking affect smokers, it affects people who are around them because they breathe in toxins that smokers don't because of filters in cigarettes.
The program raises awareness for lung health, Volsko said, and helps students gain an appreciation for why the smoking law has changed.
Asthma is a common respiratory problem among college students and is triggered by a lot of things. People are not born with asthma, and it has no cure. Cystic fibrosis, a very bad lung disease, is something people are born with and also doesn't have a cure, Volsko said.
Infections, environmental exposures like strong perfume and smoke, exercise and being emotionally upset can all trigger asthmatic attacks that can be treated with medication, Volsko said.
Be the first to comment on this story