HJBR Sep/Oct 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  SEP / OCT 2020 57 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com able to continue our support of Mary Bird Per- kins,” said DeEtte DeArmond, founding member, Gonzales Area Foundation. “Raising this amount of money in the midst of the pandemic shows the commitment this community has to helping one another. We look forward to continuing our sup- port in the years to come to help provide essen- tial needs for patients in the future.” Riney Promoted to Chief Nursing Officer of North Oaks Health System Kirsten Riney, MHA, MSN, BSN, has been pro- moted to chief nursing officer of North Oaks Health System. “With nearly 30 years of results-oriented nurs- ing leadership experience and advanced edu- cation under her belt, Kirsten has the expertise, knowledge and tenacity to help guide the health system’s mission of improving lives and vision to become the region’s most trusted healthcare partner for exceptional quality, safety, and experi- ence,” said North Oaks Health System President/ Chief Executive Officer Michele Sutton, FACHE. “We are fortunate to have someone of Kirsten’s caliber and tenure join the executive leadership team.” A 26-year veteran employee of North Oaks Health System, Riney’s career has come full cir- cle. As a new graduate in 1990, she first joined the North Oaks team as a labor and delivery staff registered nurse. After three years in this role, she departed North Oaks for her first foray into mid- dle management at nearby Northshore hospitals. Six years later in 1998, she returned to North Oaks as coordinator of women and children’s ser- vices rising to the position of director in 2009. She became assistant vice president of patient ser- vices in 2012 and vice president of patient ser- vices in 2015. Through her ongoing work with the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative, North Oaks Med- ical Center eliminated elective deliveries before 39 weeks in 2011 to help improve infant mortality rates in the state. The hospital has maintained zero elective deliv- eries in the nine years since, earning national acclaim from the Institute for Healthcare Improve- ment and other hospitals for pioneering the practice. Also under Riney’s tutelage, North Oaks inno- vated a nurse residency program and reinstated nurse technicians as a job class to achieve a 93% retention rate among new graduate nurses. To promote ongoing professional development and career advancement for the health system’s nurses, she was likewise instrumental in the imple- mentation of a charge nurse training academy and clinical ladder program. Riney earned master’s degrees in both nursing and healthcare administration from the Univer- sity of Phoenix in Arizona. She graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University with a bache- lor’s degree in nursing. “It is with great enthusiasm that I accept this promotion,” Riney said. “I look forward to con- tinuing to advocate for our patients, staff, and the future of North Oaks Health System as chief nurs- ing officer.” Summer Camp for Pediatric Burn Survivors Goes Virtual Camp Catahoula, Baton Rouge General’s week- long away camp for pediatric burn survivors, was reimagined this year because of COVID-19. This year’s Camp Catahoula in Quarantine was presented by Shell and was mostly virtual with everything campers need hand-delivered in care- fully curated boxes, which included craft supplies, yoga mats, ingredients for cooking demonstra- tions, and camp t-shirts. The virtual camp incor- porated many of the event’s usual elements, like arts and crafts, a talent show, movie night, and a water day. Camp days consisted of twice-daily Zoom calls, featuring crafts, making a mug cake with BRG chefs, and practicing dances for the camp talent show. Over the course of the week, campers will also have the opportunity to attend a socially distant, in-person meet up, complete with a meal to take home for the whole family and boxes of school supplies to help them get ready for a new school year. “We’ve been able to recreate a fun experience for the campers virtually, but we also know how important it is for the kids to feel supported and be around other burn survivors,” said Dr. Tracee Short, BRG Regional Burn Center medical direc- tor. “The optional in-person meet-ups give us the chance to safely provide that support, which is so important in their emotional healing, as well as some sense of normalcy during this stressful time.” Camp Catahoula is a collaborative effort of vol- unteers from Baton Rouge General staff, as well as the Baton Rouge Fire Department, Louisiana State Police, (IBEW) and Brothers Keepers, a fire- fighters’ motorcycle club. Several organizations support the BRG Foun- dation by raising funds to send local children to the camp without any expense to their families. This year, Camp Catahoula’s primary sponsor was Shell. Other supporters included the Baton Rouge Fire Department, Baton Rouge State Fair Founda- tion, Brother’s Keepers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Louisiana State Police, and many adult burn survivors and staff. “Presenting Camp Catahoula is a natural pro- gression for Shell,” said Rhoman Hardy, Shell vice president, U.S. Gulf Coast. “A little over two years ago we were pleased to help make possible the outdoor children’s therapy/play area as part of Baton Rouge General’s Regional Burn Center expansion. Now Camp Catahoula allows us to expand on the theme of meeting the needs of our region’s youngest burn survivors.” Ochsner Health, Pennington Biomedical TeamUp on COVID-19 Prevalence Study Pennington Biomedical is working with Ochsner Health on a Baton Rouge COVID-19 Prevalence Study. COVID-19 PCR and antibody testing are free and participants will be chosen as a statisti- cally representative “mini-Baton Rouge” sample. If you are interested in being chosen, you may Kirsten Riney, MHA, MSN, BSN