HJBR Sep/Oct 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  SEP / OCT 2020 61 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com experience to her new position. Before joining the North Oaks team, she served as the transport manager/nurse educator for the neonatal intensive care units of University Health and Louisiana State University (LSU) Health in Shreveport for a combined total of five years. Before entering management, she worked for 18 years in direct patient care as a neonatal intensive care unit staff registered nurse with LSU Health. “Exceptional patient experiences begin and end with an engaged healthcare team and strong, vibrant leaders like Tamara,” said North Oaks Health System’s Chief Nursing Officer Kirsten Riney, MSN, MHA, BSN. “I look forward to work- ing with her and our talented and dedicated staff to advance the delivery of women & children’s ser- vices and our mission of improving lives every time and with every touch.” Mitchell earned a master’s degree in health administration through Louisiana State Univer- sity in Shreveport. She completed a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. She is certified in neonatal inten- sive care by the National Certification Corporation. Additionally, she holds certification in the care of acutely and critically ill neonatal patients through the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. “I am excited to have the opportunity to expand my leadership skills as women and children’s ser- vices director,” asserts Mitchell. “We have an out- standing team, and I look forward to collaborating with them to take our services to the next level.” Rock for Spots Exceeds Goal to Support Cancer/COVID-19 Relief Local doctors put down their stethoscopes and picked up guitars, drums, and microphones for a benefit concert that raised almost $30,000 for can- cer patients and healthcare providers adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. John Lyons, founder of the event and chair of the Skin and Soft Tissue Multidisciplinary Care Team at the Cancer Center, created this fundraiser three years ago to support cancer patients and to raise mela- noma and other soft tissue cancer awareness. The fiduciary agent is the regional non-profit organiza- tion Festigals, Inc. Rock for Spots, which is typically held at a music venue, went virtual this year on July 23. Lyons said, “By going virtual with our fundraiser this year, pro- duced by ACCENT New Orleans, we gained a much larger audience.” The one-night benefit concert featured four bands created by medi- cal doctors and other healthcare professionals. The four physician-led bands included Fret Med- ics, The V – Tones, Blue Verse, and The Cupcake Strippers. This year’s proceeds will benefit cancer patients through Mary Bird Perkins-Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center’s program One Community, One Goal. “We’re overwhelmed by the incredible support at Rock for Spots this year,” said Lyons. “Many of us already donate time and proceeds from our music hobby to local charities, so it makes sense to focus those efforts on cancer care – and we had a great time in the process. This year, we also included online healthcare professionals sharing their personal stories of the pandemic.” Rock for Spots will continue to collect dona- tions on its GoFundMe page over the next four weeks. Anyone can support this cause by donat- ing at this link at https://charity.gofundme.com/o/ en/campaign/rock-for-spots Mary Bird Perkins’ Johnnay Benjamin Nationally Recognized for Community Service The Prevent Cancer Foundation recently recog- nized Johnnay Benjamin, director of early detec- tion and education, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, as a leader in cancer prevention and early detection by naming her the recipient of the 2020 Laurel Award for Dedication to Community Ser- vice. The Laurel Awards are presented annually to leaders from around the country in health equity, national leadership, and community service. Since joining the Cancer Center in 2010, Ben- jamin has played a pivotal role in managing the Cancer Center’s community prevention, educa- tion, and early detection initiative, Prevention on the Go, and has taken the established program to new levels of success. She has provided stra- tegic guidance for the program, analyzing trends and creating action plans to help bring lifesav- ing screenings to those at highest risk in the most disadvantaged areas. During Benjamin’s tenure, the Prevention on the Go program has screened 59,000 individuals, bringing the overall total since the initiative began in 2002 to nearly 100,000 screenings. She has also expanded the Cancer Center’s signature large-scale Baton Rouge out- reach event, Fest for Life, to appeal to a broader audience and expanded it to other Mary Bird Per- kins locations in Ascension, St. Tammany, and Ter- rebonne parishes.  “Johnnay is extremely passionate about improv- ing the health and wellbeing of every member of our community,” says Renea Duffin, vice presi- dent, cancer support and outreach, Mary Bird Per- kins Cancer Center. “She is always willing to go above and beyond to accelerate the Cancer Cen- ter’s mission to improve survivorship and lessen the burden on cancer. Johnnay and her Prevention on the Go team spends many of their nights and weekends at community cancer screenings, which are held during times and at locations most con- venient for the participants. Her unwavering com- mitment to enhance cancer prevention and early detection on the community level makes her the perfect recipient for the Laurel Award for Dedica- tion to Community Service.” Tamara Mitchell, MHA, BSN, RN, RNC-NIC, CCRN-K Johnnay Benjamin