HJBR Mar/Apr 2021

40 MAR / APR 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs expanding its family medicine services with the addition of a new clinic in Central. The clinic, which will open this summer, will be led by Shaun Spinks, MD, a board-certified family medicine physician. Until then, Spinks will see patients at the BRGP clinic in Zachary’s Ameri- cana development. Spinks received a Bachelor of Science in Ani- mal Biology and a minor in chemistry from Loui- siana Tech University. He graduated from Louisi- ana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans and completed a family medicine resi- dency at Conroe Family Medical Education Foun- dation in Conroe, Texas. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he volun- teered as a medical student at the Baton Rouge River Center with the BRG Family Medicine Resi- dency Program, inspiring him to become a fam- ily physician. During his residency in Texas, Spinks served as lead resident over the disaster manage- ment team for the residency, staying the entire week at the hospital during Hurricane Ike. The Central clinic will be located at 11111 Park Place, Suite 2. RetiredMedical Providers Encouraged to Volunteer as COVID-19 Vaccinators To boost the speed of administering COVID-19 vaccines to the community, the Louisiana Depart- ment of Health is encouraging retired medical providers to help put shots in arms. “We do not expect the vaccine to become widely available for the general public until spring or summer, but we are doing all we can now to make sure we are ready when that time comes,” said Sundée Winder, PhD, interim exec- utive director of the Bureau of Community Pre- paredness. “We appreciate qualified retired med- ical providers who are willing to join the effort to begin putting this pandemic behind us.” Those eligible to volunteer include retired: • Physicians and osteopaths, • Nurses, • Pharmacists, • Dentists, • Paramedics and emergency medical technicians, and • Physician’s assistants. Work days and times will be flexible, with mornings, afternoons, and evenings available. Personal protective equipment and training will be provided. Those interesting in volunteering should email DHHEOC03@la.gov and designate their pre- ferred work days, times, and parish or parishes. Volunteers also should register with Louisiana Volunteers in Action (LAVA), the Department of Health’s volunteer database. Terry Delord, MD, Receives Physician Summit Award Terry Delord, PhD, MD, with South Louisiana Medical Associates in Houma has been named the recipient of the 2020 Physician Summit Award from Louisiana Healthcare Connections for dem- onstrating a commitment to high quality, acces- sible care. The Physician Summit Award is given annually to the healthcare provider that achieves the high- est scores in key Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) quality measures across the health plan’s network. Delord scored the highest among Louisiana Healthcare Connections’ 27,000+ provider net- work in measures like Adults Access to Preven- tive/Ambulatory Health Services, comprehen- sive diabetes care, and cervical cancer screening. “Dr. Delord and his staff at South Louisiana Medical Associates provide our members with exemplary care, and demonstrate a commitment to quality,” says Stewart Gordon, MD, chief med- ical officer at Louisiana Healthcare Connections. “We appreciate Dr. Delord and his team for shar- ing our commitment to improving health and health outcomes, and we are pleased to recog- nize their dedication with this award.” Louisiana Joins Federal Retail Pharmacy Program to Expand COVIDVaccine Distribution The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed that the state joined the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, an effort to increase very limited sup- ply to states and make vaccines more accessible. Nationwide, the program expands the number of pharmacies that will administer vaccines. In Louisiana, 56 Walmart locations are partic- ipating in the program, which formally started Feb. 11. Their participation will mean an increase in the number of doses selected Walmarts phar- macies will receive. Because of Walmart’s prior participation in Louisiana’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the department expects the transition for currently eligible residents and participating providers will be seamless. To find a vaccine provider near you, visit the LDH COVID vaccine provider location page at COVIDvaccine.la.gov or call 211. All 56 Walmart stores in Louisiana that are part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program are listed on the cur- rent Vaccine Locations page. While participating in the partnership will result in an increase in vaccine supply, LDH cannot yet confirm how many doses Louisiana is expected to receive as a result of this partnership. Baton Rouge General Adds Dermatology Clinic at Bluebonnet Campus Azeen Sadeghian, MD, FAAD, has recently joined Baton Rouge General Physicians (BRGP) as a board-certified dermatologist and will serve patients at a new clinic at the hospital’s Bluebon- net campus. A Baton Rouge native, Sadeghian earned a medical degree at Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans and com- pleted an internship at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. She completed a clinical research fellowship and dermatology residency at Tulane Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, where she served as chief resident. Professionally, Sadeghian is active in the Loui- siana State Medical Society, sits on the advisory board for the American Academy of Dermatol- ogy and serves as the editorial committee chair for the Women’s Dermatologic Society. She also serves as a voluntary adjunct assistant professor at Tulane Health Sciences Center. CIS Electrophysiologist Implants Bluetooth Defibrillator Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) elec- trophysiologist, Robert Drennan, MD, implanted the Gallant Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD), the first of its kind with Bluetooth technol- ogy. The procedure took place on Feb. 3 at Baton Rouge General. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or