Norway became a voting member of the ICRC at the Council’s Annual Business Meeting held in Anaheim, CA in conjunction with the American Association for Respiratory Care 59th International Respiratory Congress. On November 18, 2013 the International Governors voted unanimously to recognize Norway as the Council’s 27th member country. For the past four years, a large contingent of specialist nurses and physicians representing the respiratory care community from several Districts throughout Norway have participated in the AARC’s International Congress and have served as observers to the ICRC Business Meeting. This year there were nine specialists in the Norwegian contingent. Two of those individuals are specialists in Home Mechanical Ventilation and were elected by the Council to serve as Governors for Norway to the ICRC.

Sigurd Aarrestad, MD
University Hospital of Oslo, Norway
The National Center for Excellence in Home Mechanical Ventilation, Bergen Norway
Senior Consultant Pulmonary Department & Regional Coordinator South-East Norway for Home Mechanical Ventilation

Heidi Markussen, RN, Respiratory Specialist
The National Center for Excellence in Home Mechanical Ventilation
Assistant Director of the Department of Thoracic Medicine,
Haukeland University Hospital
Bergen, Norway

As Governors they are entitled to vote on all action items that come before the Council and serve as the points of contact for helping to establish international standards and projects for the advancement of respiratory care. Director Markussen and Dr. Aarrestad made formal presentations on their work entitled “Home Mechanical Ventilation: The Norway Experience” at the AARC President’s Council, the ICRC Annual Business Meeting, and as faculty presenters in the AARC Scientific Program.

View the Governors’ complete report.