HJBR Mar/Apr 2020

22 MAR / APR 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs are a great way to raise awareness while hon- oring those who have been impacted by heart disease, stroke, and congenital heart defects.” Songy is supported by the 2020 Capital Area Heart Walk Executive Leadership Committee, comprised of community leaders passionate about the Greater Baton Rouge area and com- mitted to improving the health of our commu- nity and to driving local support to fund criti- cal research. The 2020 Capital Area Heart Walk is set to take place March 28 at City Hall Plaza Downtown, 200 Saint Louis Street in Baton Rouge. Jan Kasofsky Resigns as Executive Director, Capital Area Human Services Capital Area Human Services (CAHS) Executive Director Jan Kasofsky, PhD, announced her res- ignation, effective Feb. 29. Kasofsky has served as the agency’s leader since 1996 when the Lou- isiana Legislature formed the Louisiana State Department of Health, Human Services District initiative--a quasi-governmental agency provid- ing directly or contracted, community-based mental health, addiction recovery, and develop- mental disabilities services.  Through her leadership, Kasofsky implemented integrated care, restructured the agency, over- saw the agency’s annual budget, and expanded services through partnerships, grants, and self- generated revenue to provide services to the parishes of Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, West Felici- ana, and West Baton Rouge. Kasofsky directed the formation of a division of prevention, the first publicly funded co-occurring disorders center for LDHReceives Federal Grant to Combat Maternal OpioidMisuse The Louisiana Department of Health has been selected as one of 10 states that have been awarded the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model grant by the Centers for Medicare & Med- icaid Services Innovation Center. The grant will allow the Department and its partner hospital, Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, to address gaps in the care of pregnant and postpartum Medicaid members with opioid use disorder. The model is CMS’s next step in a comprehen- sive strategy to combat the nation’s opioid crisis. Through this program, the Department will take the lead in testing whether the coordination and integration of clinical care and other services can improve the quality of care and reduce costs for mothers and infants. Opioid use disorder increases the likelihood that pregnant and postpartum women will expe- rience poor maternal outcomes, including pre- term labor and complications related to deliv- ery. Such problems are frequently made worse by malnourishment, interpersonal violence, and other health-related social needs. Infants exposed to opioids face negative out- comes such as a higher risk of being born pre- term, having a low birth weight, and experienc- ing the effects of neonatal abstinence syndrome. “To best address the opioid crisis in the State, the Louisiana Department of Health is bringing together the resources and funding to effec- tively respond to this health challenge,” said Dr. Rebekah Gee, former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health. “This grant allows the Department to address two critical health priorities, maternal health and combating the opioid crisis. By partnering with Woman’s Hospital, we can integrate the services that will improve the quality of care and improve outcomes for mothers and infants,” Gee said. The grant will also expand access to care and infrastructure, as well as create sustainable cover- age and payment strategies that support ongo- ing coordination and integration of care. In September of 2018, Woman’s launched the GRACE Program, which stands for Guiding Recovery and Creating Empowerment. GRACE is a care coordination program that connects pregnant women with opioid use disorder to treatment and support resources in the commu- nity. It is the only program of its kind in Louisi- ana and one of few in the nation. More than 70 women have enrolled since its inception, with more than 90 percent delivering at full term.  “As both the largest birthing hospital and the largest NICU in Louisiana, Woman’s is in a posi- tion to be a part of the solution to the opioid crisis and impact Louisiana’s families in a mean- ingful way,” said Barbara Griffith, MD, president and CEO of Woman’s Hospital. “We look for- ward to working with the Louisiana Department of Health to continue improving care and out- comes for these patients.” AssociationAnnounces 2020 Capital Area HeartWalk Chair The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association announced that Chip Songy is the chair of the 2020 Capital Area Heart Walk. Chip is a heart survivor, having undergone a dou- ble bypass procedure in March of 2018. After realizing the importance of taking care of our hearts, he now gives his time to the local Capi- tal Area AHA office making an impact through the Heart Walk campaign. Songy graduated from Louisiana State Univer- sity, receiving a law degree. Since attending LSU, Songy has written a book, Thunderbolt, retired as a partner of Stirling Properties, and served as an adjunct professor, among other career highlights. “I am excited by the opportunity to support the American Heart Association in their efforts to improve the health of our community and serve as chairman of the 2020 Capital Area Heart Walk,” said Songy. “Events like the Heart Walk Chip Songy Jan Kasofsky, PhD