Care for caregivers: endowment to support respiratory therapists

Published on January 30, 2025

“When you care for a person, we can change our world,” says Don Smailes, cofounder of ARH Healthcare Foundation.  

That sentiment inspired Smailes and fellow directors at ARH to create a $750,000 student awards endowment at NAIT in 2024. Before that, in 1969, the same sentiment led Smailes to found Associated Respiratory Services (ARS). The first company of its kind, it was dedicated to improving Albertans' quality of life by providing homecare to treat chronic respiratory illnesses. 

In honour of his life’s work, the student awards are named for the respiratory health pioneer. The Don Smailes Respiratory Therapy Award was established to lighten students’ financial burdens and help them continue their education in a high-demand, essential health-care profession.   

“We realize that it can be costly for people to go into the profession, and we wanted to make sure that we could support the best people and perpetuate the growth of respiratory therapy,” says ARH director Rick Snyder.  

Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, students entering their second year in the Respiratory Therapy program will be able to apply for the bursaries. They're valued at at approximately $6,000 each, and preference will be given to those attending NAIT from rural areas.

Rural access for respiratory care 

“Respiratory therapists are essential to Alberta's health-care system,” says Terry Schlitter, associate dean of the School of Health and Life Sciences. 

“They work on the front lines with patients who have chronic conditions like asthma, as well as patients in critical care, needing breathing support in hospital and homecare settings. They save lives, really, and we’ve seen that especially during the pandemic.” 

While COVID-19 highlighted the importance of respiratory therapists, there continues to be strong demand for skilled practitioners in Alberta. Now, thanks to ARH, students will have the support to succeed and continue their studies in the three-year program.  

What’s more, this support will help improve access to respiratory therapists for Albertans throughout the province. 

Over the past five years, on average, 10% of Respiratory Therapy students attend NAIT from outside of Calgary, Edmonton and surrounding suburban areas. ARH board members hope that having access to student awards will encourage those from rural areas to advance their education and take those skills back into their communities – a benefit to residents who currently travel to nearby cities to access respiratory therapy services. 

“Respiratory therapists have a lot of responsibility caring for patients,” says Schlitter. “We need to ensure that we're training the students to be highly competent health-care professionals.” 

Endowment dedicated to respiratory health caregivers 

“Having been exposed to the health-care system since the 1960s, you see the challenges, you see the opportunities and you see the need,” says Smailes, who once served as the head of respiratory services at Royal Alexandra Hospital.  

Smailes established ARS when he saw patients in need of ongoing care after discharged from the hospital.  

“Don is a visionary who realized that if we're going to look after patients properly, we have to offer services other than just acute care,” says Snyder.  

In its early days, the company didn’t take payment from patients in need of home respiratory care, until direct billing processes were set up through Alberta’s health-care system. Services were in demand, and as the company grew, several of the employees hired were respiratory therapists who shared Smailes’ dedication to high-quality patient care.  

When ARS was sold in the early 1990s – after having grown into the U.S. and beyond – Smailes and employees created the ARH Healthcare Foundation to fund the education of respiratory therapists. 

“When I look at it from my perspective, the creator, God, entrusted us to serve and care for people,” says Smailes. “Throughout my journey, I’ve been blessed by colleagues who have made that happen – and it’s those people who decided to reinvest to see our work continue.”  

He credits those colleagues with helping lead ARS’s growth and advancing its mission to improve the quality of life for patients with respiratory illnesses. Some of them became company owners and foundation directors – including Rick Snyder and Dr. Al Sperry (Respiratory Therapy ’86).   

Nevertheless, it became clear to those directors what they should name the award.

“It’s our privilege to honour Don for what he’s done not just in Alberta but across Canada and the world,” says Sperry.  

As an educator and Albertan, Schlitter appreciates the legacy of Smailes and ARH’s dedication to patient care. “ARH Healthcare Foundation is easing that financial burden for the students, creating a ripple effect that will benefit the entire community,” she says.  

“Those students will graduate with the skills to be successful, to provide life-saving care. That act of generosity will have a long-lasting impact that we'll see within our health-care system in the province.” 

Student Awards

If you are a full-time student or an apprenticeship student, you may be able to apply for NAIT Awards.