American Lung Association honors DVH therapist

Desert View Hospital’s cardiopulmonary manager has been named Rural Respiratory Therapist of the Year by the American Lung Association of Nevada.

John Foresee was one of five people honored at the 28th Advances in Respiratory Care conference held on May 16.

“This is the first time our Nevada Respiratory Therapists have been honored for the important work they do as health care professionals. We are very proud of the respiratory therapy professionals that we have in our state and hope these awards will increase awareness of the work they do to help people live healthier lives,” Nevada’s ALA Executive Director Allison Newlon Moser said in a statement.

Foresee has lived in the Pahrump community for 18 years and has served at DVH since the hospital opened its doors eight years ago. He has 30 years of experience working as a registered respiratory theriapist.

DVH Chief Executive Officer Kelly Adams and Assistant Administrator Randy Cuff said they nominated Foresee for his exceptional commitment to the Pahrump community. They said he has been an active participant in community health fairs and Rural Healthcare Foundation events hosted by the hospital and in the past year has also instituted a monthly Better Breathers Club to counsel those living with breathing difficulties.

“John is the respiratory therapist you would want at your loved one’s bedside. He is trusted by physicians, staff, and co-workers. His number one priority is patient care throughout the hospital. He takes his position seriously and is always looking for ways to improve his department,” Cuff said in his nomination of Foresee. “One of his greatest qualities is training the staff on patient protocols that provide a higher level of care. He is open to change within his department and the hospital. He takes pride in assessing the patients’ needs and giving suggestions to physicians for the care that is needed.”

Foresee is also a great role model who is well liked by his staff and other DVH employees, Cuff added.

“John is a good example to his staff and the managers at DVH. He has an open-door policy and is willing to obtain feedback from staff. He has a strong work ethic that sets the expectation and is contagious throughout his department,” he said. “Many of his staff could get a job at a larger hospital, but they prefer to stay at Desert View Hospital because of John.”

Foresee was unaware he had been nominated for the award when he was invited to attend the Advances in Respiratory Care conference last week.

When he walked into the luncheon, however, he said he knew something was going on when he saw not only his fellow DVH staff members, but his wife waiting to greet him.

“I was wondering what was going on when I walked into the lunch and saw several managers from DVH, and my wife, sitting there, but I had no idea I was getting the award,” Foresee said. “I feel honored and I’m very grateful.”

Foresee said that although he was given the award, it’s not just about what he does that makes a difference.

“It’s really about all the people we serve, and treating our patients with a high level of care,” he said. “And it’s about my department, who are always willing to go above and beyond and go the extra mile to do whatever needs to be done. Really this is about all of them. This only happens because we’re a team.”