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Respiratory Therapy

It is our staff's mission to provide the highest quality respiratory care and promote wellness throughout our community. All of our Staff Therapists are licensed by the State of Georgia with maintenance of licenses and certifications in Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). In addition, our staff is either a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) or Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) in affiliation with the National Board of Respiratory Therapists. We are all members of Union General Hospital's "Rapid Response Team", which performs immediate patient assessment in the event of an acute change in observed status.

Our Pulmonary Lab is state-of-the-art offering full pulmonary function testing with body plethysmography. The lab can measure:

Pre & Post Bronchodilator testing
Forced Vital Capacity (flow volume loops)
Maximum Volume Ventilation
Body Plethysmography or Nitrogen Washout
Diffusion Capacity (DLCO)
Methacholine Challenge Testing
MIP/MEP testing

We also offer Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) with a physician order.

BETTER BREATHERS CLUB
MEETS THE FIRST WEDNESDAY EACH MONTH @ 1PM,
2nd Floor Classroom A

We now offer a FREE community service in close affiliation with the American Lung Association. Its role in the community is to offer patient-centered, community-based educational opportunities and support to persons with chronic lung disease. No appointment necessary!

Locations:

Union General Hospital
35 Hospital Rd
Blairsville, GA 30512
Central scheduling at 706-439-6450 for cardiac support testing including EKG and Holter Monitors

Director: Lisa Riley, BSRT-RRT
Hours of Operation: The Pulmonary Laboratory is open from 8AM - 4PM by appointment. The Respiratory Therapy Department provides care to patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Pulmonary and CPET Lab appointments can be made by calling central scheduling at (706) 439-6450.

Chatuge Regional Hospital
110 S Main St
Hiawassee, GA 30546
To schedule Pulmonary Function studies, please contact Scheduling at (706) 896-2222. For cardiac support testing including EKG and Holter Monitors, please contact Respiratory at (706) 896-7147.

Director: Kitt Beesley, BSRT-RRT
Hours of Operation: The Pulmonary Function Laboratory is open from 9am-5pm by appointment only. The Respiratory Therapy Department provides care to patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Therapist are available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. We strive to provide excellence through highly professional and qualified staff and use quality assurance measures and continuous improvement indicators to deliver the best respiratory care possible.