EORH Black Lung Coordinator Attends Training Seminar in Washington, D.C.
04/16/09

MARTINS FERRY--Melissa Grimm, Project Director and Outreach Coordinator for the Respiratory & Occupational Lung Disease Clinic at East Ohio Regional Hospital, recently completed a training seminar sponsored by the Health Resources & Services Administration in Washington, D.C. Grimm was one of only two black lung specialists from across the United States to be selected.

Grimm was invited to apply to the program by the Ohio Department of Health. Only 24 individuals were chosen from the hundreds of applicants across the country to participate.

"They chose 24 people to participate, but due to the broad range of areas included, only two were selected who worked actively with black lung cases," Grimm explained.

The primary purpose for the program was to provide leadership training to people who work in outreach roles, particularly in rural communities. Its goal was to teach them how to communicate effectively with state and federal legislators in order to gain the funding needed to keep their programs going.

"They provided a lot of practical information regarding how to get the word to representatives about what we need and what we’re doing for our patients," Grimm explained. "We learned a lot about talking to their staffs to assure that our messages are reaching the appropriate people."

The Respiratory & Occupational Lung Disease Clinic at East Ohio Regional Hospital is a federally funded program designed to provide benefits to qualifying individuals who suffer from lung diseases developed from working in coal mines or other high-risk occupations. It provides testing, diagnosis and rehabilitation. The clinic serves a broad area, including Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

"The program is provided through federal funds and it’s vitally important for us to get the word out to people that we’re here and we can help," explained Lynn Swider, Director of CardioPulmonary Services at EORH. "That’s why training our staff in how to communicate is critically important.

Grimm, a certified respiratory therapist, recently had an article published in American Profile, which detailed her own family’s battle with respiratory disorders and how that influenced her decision to become a respiratory therapist.