Cathy Townsend Email & Phone Number

Houston, Texas Area

I began my career here at St. Lukes Episcopal Hospital in 1986 as a new graduate and stayed here until 1991. I was rehired here almost 19 years later as a staff therapist. Able to work in all units, my primary area being in the Progressive Care Unit. Here I am able to use my experience and knowledge to wean longer term patients off the ventilator. Now Baylor CHI St. Lukes Hospital, it is comforting to work in a very organized, Christian environment and deliver exceptional patient care.My primary focus is providing education and trach training to patients, caregivers and family members.

Houston, Texas Area

Having developed a passion for pulmonary rehab during my time at Acuity, I took a contract position at this very innovative clinic. I performed all necessary duties of a pulmonary rehab respiratory therapist including assessment and screening of new and existing patients, monitoring during their exercise sessions, teaching and breathing retraining. As this job was contract based, I left for a job with full time benefits, but continued to work here to help out on occasion.

Houston, Texas Area

Having worked as a supervisor for 18 years in LTAC, I was recruited to become the Director of this new start up LTAC. During my time at this facility, I recruited excellent staff therapists which improved the quality of patient care. All aspects of this new department were brought up to speed and functionality including equipment, charting, staffing, improving the hospital's standing in the Med Center community and Physician relationships. My duties included the hiring, training, teaching of all respiratory care staff, maintaining the ABG lab, ensuring improved delivery of respiratory care and monitoring the quality thereof. I formulated an Inpatient Pulmonary Rehab program that was quite successful and helped to attract patients to this hospital. When the hospital began to deteriorate, I left for a more stable hospital system.

6441 Main St. Houston, Tx 77030

The hospital opened in July 1991, and I came in September. During my long employment, I experienced all levels of a LTAC, from start up to helping run a very busy respiratory care department. The first LTAC in Houston, we achieved great success in weaning patients off the ventilator that all other major hospitals in the Med Center had given up on. We formulated protocols that worked and gained a respected reputation. As a supervisor here for 18 years, I promoted a positive work atmosphere. I assisted all of the managers with their duties through the years, in some cases performing duties of the manager, while the job was being transitioned. My knowledge of Respiratory Care became well rounded from supervising and training employees, mentoring existing staff, developing an excellent working relationship with all physicians, teaching families and patients, performing bronchoscopies, changing out all types of tracheostomy tubes, as well as managing difficult airways, EEGs, EKG, ABGs, being present in all procedures involving conscious sedation, barium swallows, CT scans and transports. Being a supervisor at Kindred taught me how to handle running the dayshift smoothly in a very busy and stressful environment successfully. I had turned down the offer to become manager here several times as I was very happy being a supervisor. However, when offered a chance to be part of a start up again, I left for the opportunity.

Associate'S Degree, Associate Degreee In Applied Sciences

Education record