HJBR Nov/Dec 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  NOV / DEC 2020 55 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com access to care for even more patients despite the challenges of this pandemic,” said Sean Casteel, vice president and chief operating officer of Baton Rouge General Physicians. “The expansion at our Mid City campus is an impactful addition that our entire team is proud of.” Wise earned an undergraduate degree from Nicholls State University and a medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. He completed an obstetrics and gynecology internship and residency training at University Health in Shreveport. He is a mem- ber of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Smith received a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of South Alabama, a Bache- lor of Science in Nursing from Our Lady of the Lake College, and an Associate Degree of Sci- ence in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Nurs- ing from Louisiana State University. She is certified in basic life support and the Neonatal Resuscita- tion Program and is an advanced nurse lactation consultant. Hogs for the Cause Expands Fundraising Efforts Hogs for the Cause announced its plan to part- ner with Our Lady of the Lake to build the Hogs for the Cause Family Residence on its Children’s Hospital campus in Baton Rouge and has com- mitted $2.25 million toward construction costs. The Hogs Family Residence will serve as on-cam- pus housing for families across Louisiana and the region who have a child receiving ongoing health- care treatment at the children’s hospital. “We have broadened our mission to include building Hogs Family Residences, a place for the most critical patients and their families to stay,” said Becker Hall, co-founder and chief execu- tive officer of Hogs for the Cause. “This second Hogs Family Residence will serve as a model for future houses in cities across the country.” The first Hogs Family Residence was built in New Orleans in 2017. In addition to building Hogs Family Res- idences and the main stage event held in New Orleans each year, Hogs for the Cause is launch- ing a community fundraising effort to take place around the country.” “Every family of every child treated at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital will have the opportunity to benefit from The Hogs Family Res- idence, regardless of the type of medical condi- tion that has brought the child to our hospital,” said Dr. Trey Dunbar, president of Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health. “It’s so important that we support all our families. The support this house brings goes beyond improving the lives of fam- ilies of children with medical needs, it improves our patient’s healing environment.” “One can only imagine the stress a family faces when they are dealing with a serious health issue affecting a child,” said Dr. Lori A. McBride, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital. “Having a Hogs Family Res- idence on campus will bring a positive and calm- ing experience to help our patients’ families keep their focus where it should be—on their child’s recovery.” “Pediatric brain cancer is now the leading ter- minal cancer in children,” said Hall. “While Hogs for the Cause exists to fill the void between what families can afford and what insurance provides, the need is growing. Our new goal is to expand our fundraising campaigns to communities across the country, allowing money raised in each com- munity to stay in that community.” Hogs for the Cause 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing Hogs to sacrifice a significant portion of its annual funding. Hogs for the Cause, which began as a pig roast with a few friends hoping to raise money for a young boy with pediatric brain cancer in 2009, has grown into one of the most highly acclaimed barbeque competitions and music festivals in the country. The funds from the festival allow the organization to help thousands of families through direct grants and funding programming at chil- dren’s hospitals. Since its inception, the organi- zation has made grants totaling $1.52 million in direct grants to families battling pediatric brain cancer and $2.2 million to hospital programs and other public charities. While the main event was canceled in March of 2020, Hogs for the Cause was able to continue to make contributions to families in need and distributed $528,000 in grants during fiscal year 2020. Hogs is launching a peer-to-peer socially driven community fundraising platform that will serve the organization well through social media outlets. Fundraising for any size campaign can be done through a variety of social media promotions, and potentially will incorporate events and activities from backyard barbeques, pop up dinners, and service nights at restaurants. Corporate match- ing programs will also be a part of the plan. Hogs will provide support in setting up these campaigns and assure that money raised stays local. As part of this new fundraising initiative, Hogs has created a rewards program to show its appre- ciation for community fundraising efforts and has partnered with brands such as Big Green Egg, Yeti, and Sparkle City to provide the rewards to fundraisers as they achieve their goals. The top two fundraisers will have an opportunity to initiate a second round of fundraising. The group raising the most money overall will be awarded a back- yard barbeque hosted by Hogs and a local, James Beard award-winning chef and BBQ pitmaster. For more information about Hogs for the Cause and its events, fundraising, grants and charitable contributions, visit www.hogsforthecause.com . Woman’s Hospital Installs Infrared Body Temperature Detector to Reduce COVID Screening Time In an effort to reduce wait times to enter the facility and improve processes around COVID-19 precautions, Woman’s Hospital has installed an infrared body temperature detector in its Physi- cian Office Building. This technology allows for zero-contact temperature check with high accu- racy. It works by taking a person’s temperature through the wrist and forehead as they walk through the scanner. “This new device will allow us to screen more than 70 people per minute, while also reduc- ing the number of staff needed to monitor the entrance,” said Amy Beal, manager of patient ser- vices for Woman’s Hospital. Woman’s continues to take precautions to pro- tect patients and staff against COVID-19, includ- ing mask usage, limited visitation, and tempera- ture checks. Ochsner Health Offers Free Virtual Visits to Lake Charles Residents Displaced by Hurricane Laura Ochsner Health is offering free urgent care tele- medicine visits via Ochsner Anywhere Care to Lake Charles and its area residents who have been