Page 64 - 2012-may-jun

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64
Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge  
MAY / JUN 2012
HOS P I TAL ROUNDS
St. Elizabeth
Named “Hospital
of the Year”
St. Elizabeth Hospi-
tal was named “Hos-
pital of the Year” (100
beds or fewer) at the
11th Annual Nightingale
Awards held in Baton
Rouge. This is the third time the hospital has
been honored with this designation, and the
second year in a row. The annual Nightingale
Awards are sponsored by the Louisiana Nurs-
es Foundation and the Louisiana State Nurs-
es Association. Fourteen separate awards are
given to individuals and organizations who
have exhibited quality service, commitment,
and excellence for Registered Nurses in the
State of Louisiana.
Bell Named Senior VP,
Physician Relations
George Bell was recently named Senior Vice
President of Physician Relations for General
Health System/Baton Rouge General Medi-
cal Center. In this system-wide, senior ex-
ecutive level position, Bell will serve as an
administrative liaison to both employed and
non-employed medical staff. His new posi-
tion represents a highly visible role charged
with providing continuous, two-way com-
munication with medical staff and commu-
nity physician practices, including Hospital
Medicine Group, as well as other medical af-
filiates. Previously, Bell served as Vice Presi-
dent of Physician Relations for Baton Rouge
General Physicians.
LHA Partners with
March of Dimes
The Louisiana Hospital Association (LHA)
has announced a partnership with the March
of Dimes – Louisiana Chapter to help im-
prove care for mothers and their babies
through two initiatives.
The LHA will help the March of Dimes pro-
mote the Healthy Babies Are Worth the Wait
campaign in birthing hospitals throughout
the state. This initiative is aimed at curbing
the growing number of elective, non-medi-
cally indicated deliveries prior to 39 weeks.
The campaign has two key messages: “ba-
bies need at least 39 weeks to develop” and
“if your pregnancy is healthy, it’s best to wait
for labor to begin on its own.”
The March of Dimes will also work with
the LHA on the Smart Choices, Better Health
Hospital Campaign, a new workplace well-
ness initiative for hospitals throughout the
state. The Smart Choices campaign is an
LHA board-directed initiative that is being
implemented in two phases over a three-
year period. Phase one focuses on healthy
eating, exercise, and weight loss, and phase
two focuses on smoking cessation.
The March of Dimes has created a free
tool to help employees make better health-
care decisions. Healthy Babies, Healthy
Business is a multi-dimensional health edu-
cation program for the workplace. It offers
six resources to help companies improve
employee health and the health of the com-
pany’s bottom line.
To learn more about Healthy Babies Are
Worth the Wait, visit www.marchofdimes.
com/39weeks; the March for Babies, vis-
it www.Marchforbabies.org; and Healthy
Babies, Healthy Business, visit www.mar-
chofdimes.com/hbhb. To learn more about
LHA’s Smart Choices, Better Health Hospi-
tal Campaign, visit www.SmartChoicesBet-
terHealth.org.
Ochsner Earns GIFT Above
and Beyond Award
Ochsner Medical Center-Baton Rouge’s Fam-
ily Birthing Center recently received the GIFT
Above and Beyond Award. This recognition
is awarded annually to a GIFT Certified Birth-
ing Facility within the state of Louisiana who
has demonstrated that they have taken steps
to support breastfeeding above and beyond
The GIFT’s “Ten Steps to a Healthy, Breastfed
Baby.” To receive the honor the facility has to
show a commitment and dedication to pro-
moting, supporting, and protecting breast-
feeding in their birthing center.
In 2011 Ochsner Medical Center-Baton
Rouge earned GIFT certification from the
Louisiana Maternal and Child Health Co-
alition and the Louisiana Office of Public
Health-Maternal and Child Health Program.
GIFT certification is granted to those birth-
ing centers which demonstrate a commit-
ment to breastfeeding through hospital-
wide policies that support, promote and
protect breastfeeding as the preferred and
normal method of infant feeding.
Ochsner Medical Center-Baton Rouge
employs three International Board Certified
Lactation Consultants (IBCLC’s) to assist
new moms with breastfeeding before, dur-
ing and after baby’s arrival. The hospital’s
Family Birthing Center was also designed to
Front row, left to right:
Tina Stallings, RN; Leslie
Norman, PhD, RN,
NEA-BC; Sr. Helen Cahill.
Back row: Sr. Kathleen
Cain; Susan Waguespack,
RN; Dee LeJeune, RN,
NE-BC, and Caroline
Conerly, RN.