HJBR Jan/Feb 2021

62 JAN / FEB 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Hospital Rounds and health equity; • Population health initiatives that focus on healthcare access and ambulatory care qual- ity metrics, and connecting patients with community resources they need outside of healthcare; • Community engagement, with the Center hosting events such as health fairs, com- munity clinics, and workforce development opportunities; • Advocacy to work with our government leaders to improve public policy around health. “Unfortunately, health disparities and inequi- ties are real and pose significant concerns for our people and our state. I’m grateful to Ochsner and Xavier University for coming together to develop a comprehensive strategy to address these pressing issues and the Brees Dream Foundation for sup- porting this important work,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “Louisiana has consistently been one of the least healthy states in our nation, and we know that COVID-19 is especially dangerous for those who suffer from diabetes, high blood pres- sure and other chronic illnesses. This is why I cre- ated the Louisiana COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force to delve into the cause and possible solu- tions. It’s more important than ever to help ALL of our people get – and stay – healthy.” Ochsner Scholars Program With the country and state facing a critical short- age of trained healthcare providers, Ochsner is continuing to invest in additional education and workforce development programs to train the next generation of physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, and all allied health professionals. Starting in 2021, Ochsner is creating the Och- sner Scholars Program, which will cover medical school tuition for medical students who choose to practice psychiatry or primary care in Louisiana with Ochsner. The program will help meet a crit- ical physician shortage in Louisiana. The schol- ars program will also focus on nursing and allied health providers to grow and enhance workforce development programs for Ochsner employees. For physicians: Ochsner is committing $15 mil- lion over the next five years to cover medical school tuition for medical students who choose to practice psychiatry or primary care and commit years to improve health and reach the vision of ranking 40 by 2030. The first five years will include $100 million in investments to programs including: Community Health Centers Over the next three years, 15 community health centers will open in underserved areas across the state. Each clinic will tailor services to its patients, expanding access to primary and preventive care, as well as behavioral health. This summer, the Brees Dream Foundation announced a $5 million gift to support these clin- ics. This significant investment supports Ochsner’s long-term efforts to reduce barriers to healthcare by making services affordable, convenient, and accessible to all, targeting specific areas with access issues and higher emergency department utilization. Ochsner’s Community Health Center locations include: • Orleans and Jefferson Parishes (6) • Northshore • Baton Rouge (2) • Shreveport (2) • Monroe • Lafayette (2) • Lake Charles Ochsner Xavier Center for Health Equity Ochsner recognizes that health inequity, whether due to race, ethnicity, gender, or low socioeconomic status, contributes to poor health and is a complex issue that requires careful inves- tigation and novel solutions. To better understand the challenges related to these factors, Ochsner is partnering with Xavier University to develop the Ochsner Xavier Center for Health Equity. “Our health outcomes are driven by social fac- tors, social determinants of health. It is so impor- tant that we come together to face these issues head on,” said Xavier University President Reyn- old Verret, MD. “This center has the potential to profoundly improve the wellbeing of our commu- nities here in Louisiana.” The Center will focus on five key strategies to address health inequity in Louisiana: • Outcomes and health service research; • Education which includes workforce devel- opment to create a diverse and inclusive pipeline of healthcare providers and train- ing so that all healthcare providers under- stand the importance of diversity, inclusion to work at Ochsner for at least five years. Kicking off in 2021, it’s expected to ramp up to support 30 students annually receiving their medical edu- cation at LSU Health Shreveport or the University of Queensland Ochsner Clinical School. At least half of the scholars in the program will be from underrepresented groups or from lower socio- economic backgrounds. Ochsner is committed to training physicians that are representative of the communities it serves. Ochsner will work with its academic partners to create a pipeline of stu- dents for this program. For nursing and allied health: Building upon Ochsner’s current workforce development pro- grams in the communities we serve, Ochsner is committing $15 million over the next 10 years in workforce development programs in partnership with Louisiana’s community and technical colleges to grow the pipeline of nursing and allied health professionals in Louisiana. The investment sup- ports tuition and workforce programs, like MA to LPN, surgical tech, lab tech, and LPN to RN training programs and will positively impact more than 3,000 students, including Ochsner employ- ees within the first five years. The Ochsner Scholars Program builds upon Ochsner’s recent announcements with Loyola Uni- versity to create a new four-year, full-time under- graduate nursing program and Xavier University to launch a new physician assistant program. As well as the Alton Ochsner Medical School Schol- arship which supports a Xavier graduate to attend LSU Health Shreveport who is committed to prac- ticing in Louisiana. Woman’s Hospital Bariatric ProgramEarns Distinction Through Blue Cross Blue Shield The bariatric program at Woman’s has again earned the Blue Distinction Specialty Care Cen- ter Plus designation from Blue Cross Blue Shield, a recognition it has held since January of 2018. Woman’s is the only Baton Rouge hospital and one of nine in Louisiana to earn this distinction, given only to providers that meet nationally estab- lished objective quality measures. Bariatric surgery, commonly referred to as weight loss surgery, is one of the few weight loss treatments that have a history of proven results. Two of the most commonly performed bariatric