Lake Charles – The Dr. Walter O. Moss Regional Medical Center (WOMRMC) in Lake Charles, La., has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval for its advanced certification in heart failure by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission's national standards for health care quality and safety in advanced heart failure care.

Houma – The Internal Medicine Residency Program of Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center (LJCMC) in Houma, La., received five-year accreditation status from the Residency Review Committee for Internal Medicine of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Five-year accreditation status is the maximum length of accreditation that a program can receive.

Lake Charles - With the holidays fast approaching, a thoughtful effort at W.O. Moss Regional Medical Center is sending season's greetings to recovering soldiers at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

New Orleans – The new LSU Health – Bayou District Health Center, 3943 St. Bernard Ave., in New Orleans, provides a full range of healthcare services for children and adults in the Bayou District neighborhood. "Our collaboration with the Bayou District Foundation illustrates our ongoing efforts to deliver quality healthcare to our patients in a timely and convenient manner," said Dr. Roxane Townsend, Interim LSU Public Hospital Interim CEO. Services include sick visits for minor illnesses, annual physical exams, screening for high blood pressure and diabetes, immunizations and KIDMED.

Tonia Chauvin, RN, Program Coordinator, holds the Top Improver Award. Stacey Pellegrin, RN, to the left, and Shanna Ledet, RN, make daily rounds to give the initiative its highest chance of success.

Houma – Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center (LJCMC), in Houma, La., has won the 2011 Top Improver Award for clinical performance from Press Ganey for remarkable improvement in discharge instructions for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). LJCMC pursued this initiative to provide safe, quality care to patients and to ensure that patients knew their healthcare needs after leaving the hospital.

Baton Rouge -- The LSU Mid City Clinic, in Baton Rouge, honored World AIDS Day, on December 1, with a Balloon Release, free HIV rapid oral testing, raffles for gas cards, HIV education, refreshments and more.

The Louisiana Rural Health Association (LRHA) honored Senator Ben Nevers at the LRHA Annual Rural Health Care Awards Luncheon on November 7, 2011, with its Rural Legislator of the Year Award. The award recognizes a Louisiana legislator for outstanding leadership in promoting legislation to benefit access to quality care in rural communities.

Baton Rouge – Five nurses at Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center (LJCMC) in Houma, La., and eight nurses at the Interim LSU Public Hospital (ILH), in New Orleans, were honored at the 25th annual Great 100 Nurses celebration. The event honors 100 great registered nurses in Louisiana and their contribution to their profession and state.
Honorees included, from LJCMC, Wendy Rotolo, Paige Robichaux, Shane Robichaux, Linda Steck and Fabian Whitney and, from ILH, Sequilla Gant, Brannon Gillies, Goldie Huguenel, Janice Hynes, Michelle Keller, Patricia Keller, DNS, Kenya Knox-Lewis and Dorothy Naquin-Plaisance.

SHREVEPORT—Paper medical records this week were replaced by iPads and touchscreens at LSU Health Shreveport as the LSU Health System became the first statewide, public health care network in the UnitedStates to deploy electronic health records at its hospitals and physician clinics.

Dr. Janice Hudson, left, physician at the South Baton Rouge Clinic, receives the NCQA Certificate of Recognition from Angela Gourney, RN, EKLMC RN Manager Off-Site Clinics.

Baton Rouge – The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has announced that the Earl K. Long Medical Center (EKLMC) South Baton Rouge Clinic at the Leo S. Butler Community Center has received Level 2 recognition from the Physician Practice Connections-Patient Centered Medical Home (PPC-PCMH) program for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long-term patient-physician relationships.

Sharon Bergeron (left), Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence president, presents Dr. Mary Eschete with the James J. Buquet Jr. Award of Distinction at the Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence's annual gala Thursday.

Growing up on a farm, young Mary Eschete’s father taught her the importance of giving back to the community.

“No one ever left our farm without a bunch of vegetables or a carton of eggs,” Eschete said. ““I was taught then, when you do a little bit extra in certain places, you get a lot back extra in others.”

Eschete, who is now a doctor at Terrebonne General Medical Center and Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center, recently got a lot back. She was awarded the James J. Buquet Award of Distinction by the Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence at its annual gala.

Lisa Miley, BMC radiology tech, talks of her experiences fighting and surviving breast cancer.

On October 3, LSU Bogalusa Medical Center hosted the 2011 Pink Tea Celebration, an afternoon to honor breast-cancer survivors and to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Refreshments included a special pink tea in antique teapots. Open to the community, the tea presented breast-cancer prevention education and survivors who shared their personal stories of courage.

The first annual Lallie Kemp Foundation Family Fall Festival in downtown Independence on September 24 featured 20 highly talented teams in the Louisiana Wild Game Cookoff. Fending off intense competition, the SDT Waste & Debris team emerged as the winner.

SDT's Clay Richardson, Dave Pettit and Terry Case won with their excellent Bacon Duck Wrap. They took home the first-place prize of 3 deluxe combo pot kits.

New Orleans – The Interim LSU Public Hospital (ILH), in New Orleans, is one of only five health systems in the nation chosen to participate in the Antimicrobial Stewardship Mentored Initiative.

ILH was one of more than 90 institutions that participated in the competitive application process.  Applicants were required to assemble a multidisciplinary team and propose an antimicrobial stewardship improvement project that would be conducted over the next six months.

Independence – The Lallie Kemp Foundation will host the first annual Family Fall Festival on Saturday, September 24, 2011, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in downtown Independence, La., on East Railroad Avenue.

A highlight of the festival will be the Louisiana Wild Game Cook-Off featuring only Louisiana wild game. All dishes will be cooked on the festival grounds.

After lawmakers had raised questions for months about the University Medical Center project, the Legislature's Joint Budget Committee gave its approval Friday, without objection, for the state facilities office to launch construction for the Charity Hospital successor. The 424-bed campus is projected to open in 2015.

Houma – Naveed Awan, FACHE, Director of Ancillary Services at Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center (LJCMC) in Houma, Louisiana, recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the nation's leading professional society for healthcare leaders. Fellow status represents achievement of the highest standard of professional development. To obtain Fellow status, candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including passing a comprehensive examination consisting of 230 questions, meeting academic and experiential criteria, earning 40 hours of continuing education credits and demonstrating professional/community involvement. Fellows are also committed to ongoing professional development and undergo recertification every three years.

The UMC board voted unanimously on September 8 to endorse a business plan for the new academic medical center in New Orleans. The vote followed the presentation of the plan by a consultant who said not building the new hospital would cost the state more money in trying to upgrade and maintain the old interim hospital. The business plan will be presented to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget next Friday.

Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death for those five through 34 years of age. On August 23 and 24, the LSU Level 1 Trauma Center hosted a national training conference, "Safe Travel for All Children: Transporting Children with Special Needs."

During the two-day training, certified technicians were educated on the proper child restraint selection and installation for children who require additional needs to ride safely while traveling. The practicum included child seat fit and selection for six families.

Baton Rouge -- Three hundred Earl K. Long Medical Center employees, ranging from maintenance staff to physicians, attended the EKLMC Stress Relief Fest on the hospital campus. With the music of Kenny G and the aroma of scented candles, the festively decorated area featured a slide show of serene scenery and five stations with stress-relief strategies, tips and de-stressors.

Bogalusa – The LSU Bogalusa Medical Center (BMC), in Bogalusa, La., has received a $181,190 grant from the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) for its two school-based health centers (SBHC). The grant will allow the Bogalusa Middle School and the Bogalusa High School SBHCs to purchase new equipment, update both health-center facilities and expand healthcare services to the student populations at both schools. "The school-based health centers are of vital importance to our community," said Senator Ben Nevers. "LSU BMC does a great job keeping our kids healthy and ready to learn."

Lafayette -- The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) has granted three-year accreditation with commendation to University Medical Center (UMC) in Lafayette, La.

New Orleans -- The mobile health center is part of an initiative between the Interim LSU Public Hospital and the March of Dimes to provide prenatal and gynecological care in Mid-City, Bayou District (the former St. Bernard housing development) and the Upper 9th Ward. At a ribbon-cutting Tuesday, health officials announced that the mobile center will visit each area once a week for two-day periods and will provide services to women, mothers and children up to 2 years old. Services include screenings, prenatal and postpartum care, gynecological exams and immunizations.

Lafayette -- The University Medical Center Foundation in Lafayette, La., has selected Dr. Alan Broussard as its Physician of the Year. The Foundation also selected Janet Leger, RN, Head Nurse of UMC's Medicine Unit, its Nurse of the Year. Maia Marceaux received this year's President's Award from Dr. Paul Azar, Jr., the UMC Foundation President.

"The Foundation's ongoing effort to recognize our staff is made easy with the high-quality professionals who serve our patients," said Larry Dorsey, UMC hospital administrator. "We hold Dr. Broussard's work in training new physicians in high regard. The breadth of Janet Leger's experience and service, ranging from nursing management to implementation of our electronic health record, has been invaluable, and Maia Marceaux's contributions coordinating our medical students from New Orleans are essential to maintaining our high standards."

Independence - "Louisiana Life" magazine has named Lallie Kemp Regional Medical Center, in Independence, La., a top Louisiana hospital in recognition of its quality healthcare. The magazine's July/August issue places LKRMC in its premier category of "Top Hospitals Overall" in the state. LKRMC also makes the elite list of "Top 10 in Louisiana for Prostatectomy in 2011."

LKRMC also placed in the category "Awards by Region and By Hospital." In the region the magazine identifies as Baton Rouge and plantation country, LKRMC is recognized for being "Top 10 in 2011 for Prostatectomy."

The magazine also recognized LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport as a top hospital overall and in its region, a top 10 hospital for spine surgery in 2011 and winner of the Spine Surgery Excellence Award.

The magazine relied on HealthGrades, a healthcare research company, to determine the hospital list.

New Orleans -- The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) has granted three-year accreditation with commendation to the teaching hospital cancer program at Interim LSU Public Hospital in New Orleans, La.

Lafayette – University Medical Center in Lafayette, La., has received the prestigious Pro Patria Award from the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Committee for UMC's exceptional support of our national defense. ESGR is an agency of the Department of Defense. UMC is the only public sector institution in Louisiana to receive this prestigious award, which is also given to a business with 500 or more employees and a business with fewer than 500 employees.

New Orleans – The National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) has accepted Mary Kelly, RN, Interim LSU Public Hospital (ILH) Hospital Assistant Nursing Director and Healthcare Clinical Planner, into the 2011 class of the NBNA Founders Leadership Institute, which will be held July 15, at the NBNA 39th Annual Institute and Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Kelly has served as ILH Assistant Nurse Administrator and Associate Hospital Administrator, Compliance Division, for both ILH and the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans (MCLNO) and as ILH Interim Associate Hospital Administrator, Patient Care Services.

Baton Rouge – LSU Bogalusa Medical Center (BMC), University Medical Center (UMC) and Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center (LJCMC) each received the 2010 Louisiana Hospital Capstone Quality Award, presented by eQHealth Solutions, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Louisiana.

Baton Rouge - Construction of the LSU Urgent Care Center in north Baton Rouge is on an "expedited schedule" for completion, the state's chief construction manager said Friday. "We want to get this done," Assistant Commissioner of Administration Jerry Jones said as he participated in ground-breaking ceremonies for the $2.6 million facility. The facility will be a 7,000-square-foot extension of LSU Health's North Baton Rouge Clinic, 5439 Airline Highway.

New Orleans – Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater and Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce Greenstein joined health care and higher education leaders Monday to break ground on the new University Medical Center in New Orleans, a $1.2 billion teaching hospital that will improve health care across the state and create hundreds of jobs in the area.

New Orleans – U.S. News Media Group has named Interim LSU Public Hospital (ILH), in New Orleans, La., one of its top ranked hospitals in the greater New Orleans area. It recognized the ILH Ear, Nose and Throat specialty in particular for its outstanding healthcare. Of all 40 hospitals in the New Orleans metropolitan area, ILH was ranked within the top five.

HOUMA — Even before the Cancer Resource Center officially opened at Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center, it was helping patients. Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the new Center offers patients the use of computers so they can get the latest, and the best, medical information as well as wigs, hats, scarves, prosthetics and well trained volunteers.

Baton Rouge -- Dr. Michael Kaiser, LSU HCSD Chief Medical Officer, discusses on "Safety Net Matters," the blog of the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, the all-encompassing and ever-present culture of patient safety at the seven HCSD hospitals. He discusses HCSD patient safety initiatives in place system-wide and data specificity on patient safety improving to such a degree that LSU now measures performance at the hospital, unit and provider levels. "We've allowed each hospital to implement strategies that suit them best, while we've simultaneously built infrastructure to meet our goals," he says. Follow the blog here.

New Orleans - The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) Council of Governors has approved the nomination of and appointed Dr. Juzar Ali ACCP Governor of Louisiana.  The Council serves as an important portal with other leadership positions throughout the ACCP and strives to enhance the overall mission of the ACCP.  As Governor of Louisiana, Dr. Ali will inform ACCP constituents in the state of ACCP efforts.

The ACCP is the global leader in providing education in cardiopulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine to optimize health and advance patient care and promotes the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chest diseases through education, communication, and research.

To Our Sister Hospitals,

On behalf of the Chabert family, I would like to thank everyone for participating in mass fund-raising efforts to support our employees involved in the accident. Your response to this tragedy has demonstrated how our LSU Hospitals step up to the plate to help each other. Each of our ten hospitals is known for the compassionate and quality care given to our patients. Your kindness and generosity show that we care for each other, just as we care for our patients.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Rhonda Green, CEO
Chabert Medical Center

Linda George, a 32-year employee of Earl K. Long Medical Center, in Baton Rouge, received the 2010 Outstanding Health Initiative Program Award from the American Cancer Society for her support of cancer patients and referrals to the Cancer Society of Greater Baton Rouge. As a social worker, George assists patients with home placement, transportation, prescription assistance and other medical necessities. Earl K. Long Medical Center also received the 2010 Outstanding Program Delivery of Services Award for outstanding services provided for cancer patients at the hospital and clinics. George accepted the plaque on behalf of the hospital at the recognition celebration on January 27, 2011, at the Hilton Capital Center, in Baton Rouge.

Baton Rouge -- The fourteenth annual LSU Healthcare Effectiveness Forum, "Driving Cultural Change in a Changsing Environment," recognized achievements of hospitals throughout the LSU Health Care Services Division (HCSD). The LSU HIV Disease Management Program received the TRRRAQSSS Award for "Improving Screening for Sexually-transmitted Diseases in LSU HCSD HIV Outpatient Clinics: Benefits for the Patient and Public." This project resulted in dramatic improvements in screening for sexually transmitted diseases (STD's) at all LSU HIV clinics. Screening rose 300 percent for Chlamydia (from 18 percent of patients to 74 percent), more than 500 percent for gonorrhea (from 10 percent to 74 percent) and 12 percent for syphilis (from 68 percent to 80 percent), a long-time screening priority.

HOUMA -- Crewmembers of Acadian Ambulance's newest emergency medical helicopter recently demonstrated the aircraft's capabilities to the staff at L.J. Chabert. The $5.5 million dollar chopper was built by American Eurocopter and is one of six Acadian hopes to have in place by July. An Acadian spokesman says the new fleet is faster and quieter than older models, adding that each aircraft can carry two patients instead of one and is capable of traveling in inclement weather.

LAFAYETTE – The January 2011 issue of "Research Brief," a publication of the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, features the superior efforts of University Medical Center to implement patient safety education and training at UMC. Read about UMC taking part in this NAPH initiative, in collaboration with the National Patient Safety Foundation and Kaiser Community Benefit Fund, in "The Patient Safety Initiative at America's Public Hospitals: The Year One Overview."

Emily Schwarze/houmatoday.com Dr. Michael Garcia accepts South Louisiana Medical Associates' Large Business of the Year award Wednesday night at the Houma- Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet.

HOUMA — South Louisiana Medical Associates, a graduate medical-education practice for local teaching hospitals, was honored as the chamber's Large Business of the Year Wednesday night. "It's pretty exciting, a big surprise," Medical Director Michael Garcia said in accepting the award during the annual banquet, which was held at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.

New Orleans -- One of the Air Force's most prestigious awards, the Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award, was presented to Col. Charles W. Chappuis, the state air surgeon and former medical group commander for the 159th Fighter Wing, for demonstrating the highest qualities of leadership in the performance of his duties and in the conduct of his life. Col. Chappuis is Chief of Surgery at University Medical Center in Lafayette, La.

New Orleans – The NBC news program "Dateline" will feature Mitch Handrich, RN, an MICU staff nurse at the Interim LSU Public Hospital (ILH), as part of a volunteer medical group that parachuted and hiked to two remote mountainous villages in Haiti that are still suffering from the devastating earthquake of a year ago. Handrich learned to parachute for this mission. The story airs this Sunday, January 9, at 6 p.m. Handrich was part of a team that included three doctors, three registered nurses, three nurse practitioners, an ophthalmologist, a dentist and a veterinarian for villagers' animals.