Third Tuesday Employee Profile: Denise Litz-Walters, Director of Clinical Respiratory Services

This “Third Tuesday” feature highlights Denise Litz-Walters, our Director of Clinical Respiratory Programs. In this role Denise oversees our entire respiratory patient base and works with a team of professionals to coordinate care and ensure patients are receiving timely follow-up and high quality care based off the recommendations of their physician or specialist.

1.You are the “Director of Clinical Respiratory Programs” – tell us about the folks you work with and what type of issues they’re dealing with.
The Clinical Respiratory Program at CMS is staffed by 3 licensed Respiratory Therapists (RT). Combined we have over 60 years of experience in patient care.
We work closely with our oxygen and sleep apnea patients to provide expert care and support in the treatment of their condition. The RT’s provide coordinated-care by communicating with the patient’s physician, nurses, physical and occupational therapists and family members. Our biggest challenge is compliance….getting patients to use their oxygen and CPAP equipment as ordered.

2. We are hearing more and more about sleep apnea these days; what are the symptoms of sleep apnea and what should our readers do if they have symptoms?
The symptoms of sleep apnea are extreme sleepiness, frequent snoring, and irregular breathing during sleep, morning headaches, depression, difficulty concentrating, and high blood pressure and weight problems.
Untreated sleep apnea puts you at higher risk for serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and depression. Treating your sleep apnea can improve your health and increase your energy. If you think you have sleep apnea, talk to your doctor about your symptoms. Your doctor may refer you to a sleep specialist for a simple test.

3. What is the most rewarding part of your job, or more generally the job of a respiratory therapist?
The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the positive changes that happen in a patient’s life. CPAP treatment for sleep apnea can help reduce drowsy driving and the risk of motor vehicle accidents. I have seen patients’ jobs saved because they were able to get their energy back and improve job performance. Some people are able to reduce or eliminate their medications for high blood pressure.
Oxygen patients often have improved quality of life by using the small portable oxygen systems now available. Keeping your body properly supplied with oxygen can improve endurance and maintain a healthy environment for your heart, lungs, and brain.

Clinical and service excellence is the cornerstone of everything we do at Cape Medical Supply, and Denise and her team do an excellent job ensuring we are the preferred provider of services for patients in the communities we provide service to.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SLEEP APNEA AND OUR CLINCIAL CPAP SERVICES

YOU CAN JOIN DENISE AND HER STAFF TOMORROW EVENING, MAY 20, AT OUR CPAP CLINIC!