CHEST Foundation Donor Spotlight March 2019 | Page 3

CHEST FOUNDATION
GRANT RECIPIENT:
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
IN THE COMMUNITY
Ms. Armstead’s passion for supporting clinics in Guyana stems from
a deeply personal place. “Guyana is my country of birth. I left when
I was 14. I came back many years later realizing that I can give
back to the country that gave me so much.”
“This CHEST Foundation grant opened doors
for me that had never been opened before,”
—Ms. Armstead
CHEST Foundation staff met with 2017 CHEST Foundation
Community Service grant winner, Sharon Armstead, RRT,
Director of Clinical Education & Clinical Assistant Professor for
the Department of Respiratory Care at Texas State University to
understand the impact of her community service award.
Ms. Armstead’s program takes respiratory care students from her
institution on a study abroad trip to Guyana with aims to educate
Guyanese student populations about asthma and teach them
self-management skills. Additionally, she and her students work
alongside clinicians at Georgetown Public Hospital to host a mobile
asthma clinic that provides asthma screenings and education for
Guyanese students, the first of its kind at Texas State University.
As an opportunity to understand how our supporters feel about this
program and the impact this grant is having on Ms. Armstead, her
students, and the community they serve in Guyana, our foundation
staff sat down with Mike Nelson, MD, FCCP, Past President of the
CHEST Foundation and former chair of the Community Service Work
Group, to gain his perspective.
“This CHEST Foundation grant opened doors for me that
had never been opened before. Members of the community
were very open to hearing what we had to say and receptive
to the changes we suggested they make in their daily lives.
The financial portion of the award allowed me to purchase
additional spirometers for the asthma clinic, allowing for a
whole new level of outpatient testing and outreach in the
community,” Ms. Armstead noted.
Dr. Nelson continued, ”The impact that Ms. Armstead and her
team has on the people of Guyana cannot be underestimated.
One might believe that few will experience the benefit of her
educational efforts, but each person she teaches will share
this knowledge with their colleagues, and patient care will be
improved throughout the community…and country. I see this as
an extremely important and easy way to further lung health in
areas of the United States and the world that don’t have the same
access to health-care services. Certainly, this is worth our support.
Please join me and my wife in supporting the programs of the
CHEST Foundation. Like us, I know that you will feel personal
gratification in the knowledge that you have made a difference
in the lives of others.”
“ As a community physician, I support the programs for
clinical research and patient education and have always
been a strong proponent of the D. Robert McCaffree
Community Service Awards. The work of Sharon Armstead
and her team in Guyana provides an excellent example as
to why these awards are critical to other clinicians gaining
valuable experience and how their care directly impacts
patient outcomes in a community of high unmet need.”
—Dr. Nelson
chestfoundation.org