Sleep Programs at the CDC...

APPROPRIATIONS BILLS BEING WRITTEN!
ASK CONGRESS TO EXPAND FUNDING FOR SLEEP PROGRAMS AT THE CDC!

Kudos to the The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and member organizations of the National Sleep Awareness Roundtable (NSART). These groups are seeking expanded funding for sleep activities at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and your help is appreciated. This funding will allow the CDC to improve population data collection activities, create education materials for public health professionals, create public health interventions, and establish fellowship opportunities for promising researchers.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have indicated that they will be issuing their health funding bills by mid-June. Help save lives today by contacting Congress to request increased funding for sleep and sleep disorders at the CDC! Visit NSF’s Advocacy Action Center to call or e-mail Congress today!

Be well...Sleep well,
Theresa

Terry M. Brown, DO, ABSM, Puts Positive Spin on Clinton Nap Media Fiasco

There must not have been anything sensational going on with Paris or Brittney earlier this week. I was most pleased to see a board-certified sleep specialist weigh in with a scientific explanation regarding the recent Bill Clinton nap that was followed by a mainstream media fiasco.

The former president participated in tribute services at Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem, New York to honor slain Civil Rights Leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King on Monday. News outlets appeared to go after the human frailties of the former president with even more gusto than usual -- except for the Monica Lewinsky scandal, of course. Internet video outlets reported that the Clinton microsleeps incident was viewed by an estimated half million people worldwide within 12 hours of the Dr. King tribute. Dr. King’s son, Martin Luther King III delivered a speech about his father as Clinton fought sleep.

Kudos to Terry M. Brown, DO for being the voice of reason as he commented in a news clip that appeared on WSIL-TV this week. The station’s viewing area encompasses Southern Illinois. Dr. Brown is a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM) and medical director at the Sleep Disorders Center at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro, Illinois.

Dr. Brown told reporters,

“If you don't get enough sleep, it could lead to an accident, embarrassing situations. Your cognitive functions are diminished. It's one of those things that may worsen your health in the long run...If you know you've been sleep deprived, you can take a short, preventative nap. Then you'd be more ready for a meeting. More able to stay awake. There are some studies that show cognitive function improves after a nap, almost as much as a full night's sleep."Dr. Brown also advises that individuals will know when they are sleep deprived because cognitive function is slower, and they might get the urge to take unintentional naps.

Likely, the former president is fatigued from sleep deprivation due to the rigorus schedule he keeps supporting his wife Hilary on the presidential campaign trail. Other celebrity sensationalisms have clearly taken the place of the Clinton nap story, and it is unlikely that his very public nap will weaken his standing or wound Hillary’s campaign in the least. Some politial rhetoric watchers theorize that Clinton’s human slip gained even more favor with supporters as they may ask, 'who among us has not fought the same fight (sleep) and lost'.
How can the Sleep Community advocate for napping in the frenzy of this non-stop world? I guess it all boils down to our clinical professionals taking the high road and carrying the positive nap message forward through interviews -- such as Dr. Brown did – stating that napping is not a crime. In the words of William Anthony, author of The Art of Napping, “Nappers are never caught napping, because there is no crime to catch. Nappers are merely seen napping.”

As we begin to gear up for National Sleep Awareness Week, it would be responsible of us to also give our attention and support to National Napping Day on March 10, the first Monday after the beginning of daylight savings time.


Be well, Sleep well,
Theresa

The Year-End CEU Scramble!

Greetings!

I've heard from many of you that are unable to travel to conferences before the end of the year who are also looking for solutions to obtaining CEUs to maintain credentialing. Here is an offering that might help you.

The Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine is hosting a a webinar module that consists of five special, training topics that will provide you with the CEUs required to fulfill the yearly BRPT re-certification requirement. You can access the webinars beginning November 15th. They will continue to be available to you until you complete the topics. With the webinars archived, each topic is presented to you at your convenience by a nationally known sleep technology instructor.

Topics Include:

• New Scoring Rules for the Experienced Technologist
• Managing Diversity in Sleep Lab Personnel
• Health Literacy: Educating the Patient with Sleep Abnormalities
• Adding Research to your Resume
• Is Pediatrics Right for your Adult Sleep Lab?

You can register at: https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/490579459

For more information, Email gotceus@sleepschool.com
or call 678-651-2000.

Be well-Sleep well,
Theresa

CEU Webinars- Live or On-Demand

No Cost CEU Webinars by DeVilbiss Healthcare Education Department

Worth 1 Credit Each
Audience: Sleep Technologists and Respiratory Therapists

DeVilbiss Healthhcare has positioned itself as a leader in providing complimentary continuing education lectures for clinical professionals in the field so individuals may meet their CEU requirements. Webinars from DeVilbissClinicalEducation.com help you keep your professional education and certifications up-to-date easily, and at no cost. We offer a variety of clinically-relevant topics as both live and on-demand courses. This means you can access CEU courses from the comfort of your home or office. Two types of Webinars are offered: Live and On-Demand

“Research Review: Clinical Management of Poor Adherence to CPAP”
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM EDT

This Webinar will focus on advances in research regarding the consequences of sleep apnea and methods to improve adherence to treatment. It examines medical and psychological consequences of sleep apnea and non-restorative sleep. Some of these studies also utilize behavioral methods, based on psychological theories of behavior change, in an attempt to enhance treatment adherence in newly diagnosed patients with sleep apnea syndrome.

Meet Your Sleep Technologist CEU Requirements From Home or Office. To pre-register for the live Sleep Webinars, go to www.devilbissclinicaleducation.com

Other Sleep Topics in On-Demand Archives available for 1 CEU Credit each:

Audience: Sleep Technologists & Respiratory Therapists
* “How to Start an OSA Patient Education Program in Your Sleep Lab”
* “Latest Findings on CPAP’s Impact on Strokes, Diabetes, Parasomnias & Impotence”
* “Research Review: Clinical Management of Poor Adherence to CPAP” (Available On- Demand after Sept. 19, 2007)

Respiratory Category Topic Areas for Live Webinars Include:

Audience: Respiratory Therapists
*“Asthma Healthy Home Guidance for Your Patients and Their Families”
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

This Webinar will discuss how to identify environmental asthma triggers and biological pollutants in the home. You will learn how to help your patients and their caregivers locate pollutants and minimize allergens. Additionally, nebulizer cleaning and compressor filter replacement will be covered.

Respiratory On-Demand Archives:
* “Practical Aspects of Oxygen Conserving Devices” “Ambulatory Oxygen via Transfilling Technology According to GOLD and LTOT”
* “Tips and Techniques for Helping Your Patients Live With Supplemental O2”
* “Economic and Therapeutic Factors Driving Home Oxygen Technology” (delivered in two-parts)
* “Striking GOLD in the Home Care Market”
* “Advances in Compressor Nebulizer Technology”
* “Asthma Healthy Home Guidance for Your Patients and Their Families” (Available On-Demand after Sept. 19, 2007)

For more information, contact Theresa Shumard, Sleep Advocate & Manager of Clinical Services & Education for DeVilbiss at theresa.shumard AT devilbissHC dot com (email address spelled this way here to avoid spam-bot intrusions. Please use standard email format for contacting Theresa by using the @ sign for "AT" and . for the "DOT" as listed above).

Current Concepts of Sleep 2007 A Great Success

More than 500 attendees are participating in the Current Concepts of Sleep 2007 Conference this weekend in Tampa, FL. The event is being held at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina. The organization of this conference is hard to beat. I don't think I've ever seen a better run conference and the site is perfect. Kudos to organizers, longtime sleep professionals, Janice East and David Gregory and their respective staffs for a job well done.

The annual event is sponsored by area hospitals: Morton Plant Mease Health Care, St. Anthony's Health Care, All Children's Hospital, Tampa General Hospital, and University Community Hospital.

This symposium is aimed at advancing an interdisciplinary understanding of sleep-related medical disorders. Information on advanced laboratory techniques is provided to the sleep technologists and updated diagnostic tools will be presented to practitioners. The latest information in pediatric, adolescent, and adult sleep disorders is being discussed. Separate tracks are provided for the Sleep Clinician, Sleep Technologists and Therapists, and Primary Care Providers. The primary focus of the speakers within each track is to address the individual needs of the attendees so they can integrate new concepts into their practices. Individuals will be able to attend sessions from any of the tracks as space allows. There is a fourth track designed for Educators including School Psychologists and Nurse Practitioners.

SAVE THE DATE and Earn Continuing Education Credit

Sept. 19, 2007 1:00 – 2:00 pm Eastern Time

Live Webinar: “Research Review: Clinical Management of Poor Adherence to CPAP”

Webinar registration opens soon, and you can also register just before the Webinar begins. There is no fee to attend, and all you need to participate is a computer with an Internet connection and an open phone line. Multiple people can attend under one registration. They can all watch from one computer and listen to the audio on speaker phone. But it is still necessary to register individually. This allows attendance tracking for CEU reporting, and also a way for you to receive communication and logon instructions about the Webinar and CEUs via email.
*CEU Credit-granting provider approved by both sleep technologist and respiratory therapist credentialing organizations, the BRPT and NBRC.
*One CEU will be given per lecture.

On-Demand Webinars

For those of you that missed the last live CEU Webinars we presented at DeVilbiss, you can still earn CEUs. Just contact me and I will let you know how to attend “on-demand” Webinars you can access anytime. You would need to take the post-quizzes to receive credits.

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New England Polysomnographic Society (NEPS)

There is still time to register for the NEPS 5th Annual Meeting August 23-24, 2007, in Portsmouth, NH at the Frank Jones Center, 400 US Highway 1 Bypass, 03801. For more information, visit the NEPS Web site.

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Remember Your Sleep Techs!

AAST Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week October 1-7, 2007

Traditionally held in March, the annual Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week recognizes the critical role that sleep technologists play in the provision of quality medical care for people with sleep disorders. Don't forget to honor your staff in some way!

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Remember Your Dually-Credentialed Staff!

AARC National Respiratory Care Week October 21-27, 2007

There are lots of ways to celebrate and to honor your sleep staffers with respiratory care backgrounds. The AARC has listed 100 Ideas for Respiratory Care Week - - A compilation of new ideas, RC Week successes from the past, and ideas borrowed from other groups.

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Pickwick Fellowships

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has announced two postdoctoral fellowship opportunities for 2008. Since 1995, the NSF Pickwick Postdoctoral Fellowship program has provided funds to enable young researchers to devote full-time professional effort to mentored research in sleep or sleep disorders. Fellowships are available for basic, applied or clinical research. Visit NSF's Web site for information on how to apply.

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ASMF and AASM Strengthen Commitment to Research

The American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF) in 2007 alone has awarded more than $1.1 million dollars in new grants to advance the study, understanding and practice of sleep medicine through research. Grants awarded this year will fund strategic research that documents the efficacy of new or established practice pathways and confirms outcomes of patient care delivered by sleep medicine specialists.

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Be well. Sleep well.

Theresa

Sleepmate Technologies Receives Accreditation as A-STEP Provider

Sleepmate Technologies recently received accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) as a Provider of the Accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program, A-STEP.

A-STEP provides participants with standardized education and training that develops a knowledge-base about sleep medicine and the professional skills required of a sleep technologist. As a staff member at a sleep facility, a sleep technologist administers sleep tests to patients as well as therapeutic services. The sleep technologist also assists the sleep physician with patient care and education.

A-STEP is a two-step training program that includes an 80-hour educational course (STEP 1) and an 18-month on-the-job training and e-learning program (STEP 2). Sleepmate Technologies has earned a two-year accreditation as an A-STEP Provider, meaning that the education offered by Sleepmate Technologies, STEP 1 course has met the standards of accreditation designated by the AASM. The accreditation process involved a detailed evaluation of Sleepmate Technologies program, including faculty, curriculum, resources and assessment.

“The American Academy of Sleep Medicine congratulates Sleepmate Technologies on fulfilling the high standards required for receiving accreditation as an A-STEP Provider,” said Alejandro D. Chediak, MD, AASM president. “Sleepmate Technologies A-STEP is a significant resource to the local community as it ensures that those who assist in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with sleep disorders are well-trained and that patients suffering from sleep disorders receive the highest quality of care.”

Individuals interested in receiving formalized education and training in sleep technology by enrolling as an A-STEP participant at Sleepmate Technologies can contact Sleepmate customer support at 804-378-8265.

Sleepmate also provides classroom training, developed with education partners including DeVilbiss Healthcare, for the new and experienced sleep professional. Registry Review, Scoring Workshop, CPAP Workshop, Basic and Intermediate Polysomnography, Pediatric Sleep, Webinars, and most recently, an accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program (A-STEP). Our classes offer AARC Continuing Education Credits. Visit http://www.sleepmate.com/.

Kittens Catchin’ Catnaps, Dozing Dogs and Pooped Parrots

The National Sleep Foundation Launches

“My Pet Loves Sleep Contest” and Asks Americans to Share Favorite Photographs of Sleeping Pets

Twelve Weeks of Photos Judged Online; Winning Photographs Available in Pet Winner’s Gallery for All the World to See!

What: The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) wants all-time favorite photos of your pet stealin’ 40 winks! Why: NSF wants to share photos of America’s most adorable sleeping pets with everyone who visits www.sleepfoundation.org/pets [NOTE: The site goes live July 2]

When: The contest launches on Monday, July 2 and continues until Sunday, September 30. Each week for 12 weeks, NSF Web site visitors will vote online for the cutest sleeping pet of the week. All 12 winners will be featured on NSF’s popular Web site. Where: Submit your most cherished sleeping pet photograph by visiting www.sleepfoundation.org/pets All entries received during the week (beginning each Monday and ending each Sunday for 12 consecutive weeks) will be judged by participating NSF Web site visitors.

How: Email a color digital photo with a maximum of 150 K and resolution of 72 dpi maximum by visiting www.sleepfoundation.org/pets NSF will post all photo entries received during a specific week in the Sleeping Pet Photo Gallery and encourage all NSF Web site visitors to cast their vote. The weekly “sleeping pet” winner will be determined by which photo receives the most votes during the designated seven-day period. Only one vote per NSF Web site visitor is allowed per week.

If you want your pet to win, send a My Pet Loves Sleep E-card (available at www.sleepfoundation.org/pets) and encourage your friends and family to join in the fun and vote. Once the week is over, winning photographs will be housed in the Sleeping Pet Winner’s Gallery. Visit www.sleepfoundation.org/pets for additional details. Contact: Lisa Tumminello; National Sleep Foundation; ltumminello@sleepfoundation.org; 202-347-3471, x211

I think it's great to see something on the lighter side regarding sleep from NSF. Now, not that I am playing favorites or anything, but this is the sleeping pet picture that should win! My dearest Princess Peanut Fi`do. What do you think? Isn't she the best sleeper?

Be well...Sleep well (and VOTE FOR PEANUT :-)

Theresa

Historic Portsmouth, NH host to the 5th Annual NEPS Conference August 23 & 24

If you need a summer, family getaway that includes sleep education that earns you continuing education credits, the New England Polysomnographic Society (NEPS) may have your tonic… And, a trip to New England is never complete without stopping in the historic coastal city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Registration is now open for the NEPS 5th Annual Meeting, August 23-24, 2007, at the Frank Jones Center, 400 US Highway 1 Bypass, Portsmouth, NH, 03801. The conference brochure is posted on the society’s web site and lists lecture information. For additional information, e-mail NEPS President Bethany Munn at info@nepolysomnographic.org.

Here are some links to area attractions:
New Hampshire Seacoast Beaches & Parks
Sleep Tech Leisure Guide
Lake Winnipesaukee & Lake Sunapee (There are 273 lakes and ponds in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire—great fishing too!)
History buffs

Pictured above, John Paul Jones, foreground, oversees preparations for the launch of his vessel CSS Ranger in 1777. In the background is Colonial Portsmouth. The painting is by world famous maritime artist John Stobart. http://www.portsmouthchamber.org/historyintro.cfm

Hope to see you there!

Be well...Sleep well,

Theresa

Online Sleep Videos and Health Fair

1. Sleep Diagnosis & Therapy Features Online Videos

Kudos to the online site of Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy for producing video interviews with leading sleep specialists and making them available to viewers. I contacted Alan Hickey, publisher, to ask him about the venture. “The videos are the beginning of an ongoing project for us.” He added that the editorial board for Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy, the online format, wants to provide online visitors with clinical and scientific sleep information and updates with more viewer appeal in order to meet the needs of those looking for news and advances in sleep medicine. The journal is the publishing company’s flagship offering, and the online presence as an augmentation to its hardcopy journal. The site also offers a blog and industry buyer’s guide which serves as a directory of sleep equipment manufacturers and distributors.

I am personally thrilled to see innovative formats such as this appearing on our radar screens because we, as sleep professionals, appear to be joining the ranks of other fields in that we like choices on the formats in which our news is delivered to us. Some of us like print publications. Some of us prefer online editions. Many of us consume both!
The first two videos produced by Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy include interviews with Prof. Peretz Lavie and Marc Pritzker, MD, FACC. Lavie is a world-renowned authority on the psychophysiology of sleep and sleep disorders. He is leader of the Technion Sleep Laboratory, chairperson of the Behavioral Biology Department in the Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, and is the incumbent of the Andre Ballard Chair in Biological Psychiatry. Pritzker is a cardiologist at Minneapolis Cardiology Associates, Minneapolis Heart Institute in Minneapolis, MN. He is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases with clinical interests in complex heart disease, heart failure, wounds, and pulmonary artery hypertension.
2. First Online Health Fair Includes NSF

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) was chosen by Revolution Health to be part of an online “health fair.” The founder of Revolution Health is Steve Case, best known as the co-founder and former chief executive officer and chairman of America Online (AOL). RevolutionHealth.com, a free online health and medical web site that combines expert content and online tools with the power of social networking, today announced its first online health fair to be held on June 18-30, 2007. Revolution Health is partnering with ten national nonprofit organizations including Autism Speaks, the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, and the Society for Women's Health Research, among others.
Revolution Health will make a donation to each of the participating nonprofit groups, based on the number of visitors to that group's 'booth.' The maximum donation that Revolution Health will make to the participating groups is $100,000, with a maximum donation of $10,000 per organization.
Increasing public awareness of the importance of sleep, increasing public recognition of the signs and symptoms of sleep disorders, launching promising new investigators into careers in sleep research and advocating for sleep-friendly policies in the public and private sectors are central to the mission of NSF. The foundation relies on grants, sponsorships, memberships and other contributions to help provide comprehensive education and awareness programs.

Case reached his highest profile when he played an instrumental role in AOL's merger with Time Warner in 2000. Case resigned from the Time-Warner board of directors in October 2005, to spend more time working on Revolution LLC, a holding company he founded in April 2005.

Be well. Sleep well,

Theresa