A Respiratory Disease Club as a Community Service

In an effort to expand its service to the community, the Little Company of Mary Hospital, Evergreen Park, Illinois, committed the time and effort of its respiratory therapy department staff to establishing a club for respiratory disease patients. Cosponsored the effort with the Chicago Lung Association, the respiratory therapy department and the hospital participated in program planning and speaker input, agreed to provide meeting facilities, refreshments, and emergency care when required, and arranged to refer to the club all inpatients who might benefit from club membership after discharge. The lung association undertook public relations activities through information to the press and other media and through announcements to community organizations and individual club members. The lung association also agreed to provide various materials relevant to meeting topics. Results of a questionnaire survey of club members and their families support the conclusion that this kind of group can help chronic respiratory disease patients better understand and cope with the problems associated with their conditions and can encourage them to take a more active interest in their own care.