HJBR Jan/Feb 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  JAN / FEB 2020 39 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com and this project’s most significant contribution will be to improve the health of individuals while reducing the collective health care burden on our state. We’re excited to welcome Dr. Phil Schauer and his program, which will further advance Pen- nington Biomedical’s profile as a global research leader in human health.” The Pennington Biomedical HeadsUp study with the Louisiana State Office of Group Bene- fits showed that severely obese adults in Louisi- ana who received bariatric surgery experienced a nearly 60 percent reduction in medical and pharmacy costs over three years after surgery compared to those who did not receive the sur- gery. Recent statistics indicate that the average employer loses $1,685 per employee per year in health care costs and lost productivity due to obesity and diabetes. Funding for the Bariatric/Metabolic Surgery program ramp-up will come from a public-pri- vate partnership including Pennington Biomed- ical, Pennington Biomedical Research Founda- tion, Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge, LSU Health New Orleans, Louisiana Economic Devel- opment (LED), and the Office of the Governor of Louisiana. Revenue dollars are expected to flow into the state’s economy from several sources as a result, including National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant dollars that will follow Schauer’s pro- gram to Pennington Biomedical. The new state-of-the-art metabolic disease treatment facility will complement Pennington Biomedical’s existing and highly impactful basic science and clinical research, Schauer said. The facility will also bring cutting-edge treatments for obesity and diabetes to Louisiana, which has the United States’ fourth-highest rate of obesity and diabetes. “By integrating expert psychologists, dieti- cians, exercise physiologists, endocrinologists, obesity medicine specialists, and surgeons under one roof we will create a unique integrated care model for managing two of the most deadly diseases of our time, obesity and diabetes,” Schauer said. “An essential part of LSU’s collective mission is bringing the nation’s best talent right here to Louisiana, and that is what we have done today through the efforts of Pennington Biomedi- cal,” LSU President F. King Alexander said. “It is impossible to overestimate the importance of attracting a researcher and surgeon of Dr. Schau- er’s caliber. Wins like this have a ripple effect, sending the message that LSU and Louisiana believe strongly in the power of research and are willing to invest in it.” Our Lady of the Lake will renovate an existing inpatient area on its campus to accommodate the surgical procedures accompanying the new project, which is expected to more than triple the annual number of bariatric surgeries at the hospital. The outpatient center will be located on the Pennington Biomedical campus. Our Lady of the Lake will also hire new support personnel at both locations. “As a nationally recognized graduate medical education and research hospital, we are hon- ored to enhance our partnership with Penning- ton Biomedical and the School of Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans in the establishment of this center for bariatric and metabolic surgery, “ said Our Lady of the Lake President and CEO K. Scott Wester. “I am confident that the creation of this center will make Baton Rouge the leading location for bariatric surgery in North America.” To secure the project, the State of Louisiana offered a competitive incentive package that includes a $600,000 marketing grant to pro- mote the center as a medical destination for bar- iatric and metabolic procedures; a $1.8 million grant for professional recruitment, relocation, and retention program costs; and a $3.5 million grant for renovations, leasehold improvements and capital equipment spending for the new cen- ter. The state funds will flow directly from LED to the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation for use in the project. The foundation will also contribute $2.5 million to support the program. “This is a perfect example of our ability to sup- plement state and federal funding with private philanthropic dollars to advance groundbreak- ing science,” said Janet Olson, Chair of the Pen- nington Biomedical Research Foundation Board of Directors. “LSU Health New Orleans has worked suc- cessfully with Pennington Biomedical and Our Lady of the Lake in the past,” said Dr. Steve Nelson, dean of the LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine. “We are excited about this new opportunity to work with one of the world’s leading bariatric surgeons, Dr. Schauer, as he establishes a center that combines his surgical and research interests in obesity.” “Our School of Medicine is just the place where collaboration can take place among a distinguished group of scientists, outstanding health care professionals, their skilled staffs, and our motivated students,” said LSU Health New Orleans Chancellor Dr. Larry Hollier. “From med- ical device development to the development of new surgical procedures and training of surgical fellows, we are poised to create a global center through this project.” The new program in Bariatric/Metabolic Sur- gery lays the foundation for a center of excel- lence that will be a key asset within the Baton Rouge Health District. Created in 2016 with sup- port from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the Baton Rouge Health District encompasses major healthcare employers spanning Interstate 10 and Perkins Road to the north and south, and Bluebonnet Boulevard and Essen Lane on the east and west. LDHReports First Vaping- related Death in the State The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed the first death linked to a vaping-associated lung injury, or EVALI, in the state. Privacy laws pre- vent the release of further information about this individual. The outbreak in Louisiana now includes 30 total cases. Among the Louisianans with these lung ill- nesses/injuries, the primary exposure factor is a combination of nicotine and THC (tetrahydrocan- nabinol), the main active ingredient in marijuana. “One death is one too many. We urge people to recognize the dangers of vaping and to stop vaping until more is known about the specific causes of lung injuries that have been occurring in people who use vaping products,” said Dr. Alex Billioux, assistant secretary of the Office of Public Health. According to statistics reported by the Depart- ment of Health, the median age of people diag- nosed with a vaping-related lung illness is 29. The youngest person is 17 and the oldest is 71. The combination of nicotine and THC accounts for more than half of all illnesses (55%) in Loui- siana, though one in five individuals (21%) with