HJBR Nov/Dec 2021

42 NOV / DEC 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs an independent consultant assisting organiza- tions with operations including healthcare sys- tems operations, Medicare and Medicaid. In previous roles, Gillies worked with organiza- tions to support their participation in the 340B Drug Discount Program and provided leadership and accountability for the Medicaid line of busi- ness for three regional care collaborative orga- nizations (RCCOs) set up through the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing’s Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC). He has also served as a regional administra- tor for Health Resources & Services Administra- tion (HRSA) and as the director of Community Health for the Texas Department of State Health Services. Gillies holds a Master of Public Administration in Health Policy & Administration from Texas Tech University. $7.8MGift Supports LSU, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center A $7.8 million estate gift from the late Charles M. Smith, MD, of Sulphur, Louisiana, will advance cancer treatment through a longstanding part- nership with LSU and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center that began in 1980. LSU and the Cancer Center leverage their education and research expertise through a joint medical and health physics program. A family medicine practitioner who devoted his career to helping Louisiana families, Smith devel- oped an appreciation for the critical role of phys- ics and medicine while undergoing lifesaving can- cer treatment. Motivated to ensure access to the same quality of care in his home state of Louisi- ana, Smith established the Dr. Charles M. Smith Chair in Medical Physics at LSU in 2006, shortly after LSU and Mary Bird Perkins announced his commitment to significantly enhancing the med- ical physics education and research programs. The LSU-Mary Bird Perkins partnership was forged under the leadership of LSU Professor Emeritus Kenneth Hogstrom and the Cancer Cen- ter’s president and CEO, Todd Stevens. Stevens recruited Hogstrom, his former colleague at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, as well as Kevin Carman, former dean of what is now LSU’s College of Science. This innovative partnership is one of the only medical Emergency Prescription Assistance ProgramNow Live in Louisiana People impacted by Hurricane Ida and who are uninsured can get their prescriptions free of charge. The Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) is part of the federal govern- ment’s disaster response approach. Run by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, EPAP is designed to assist people without health insurance in a federally-identified disaster area replace prescription drugs, vaccinations, medi- cal supplies and other equipment that they need. For those patients with insurance, the pharma- cies will bill the person’s insurance provider. People who live within the parishes of the defined Louisiana disaster area and do NOT have any form of prescription insurance should call the EPAP enrollment hotline at 1-855-793- 7470. You will be asked to provide information to enroll in the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) and receive no-cost services out- lined above. For more information on EPAP, access https:// www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/epap/ Pages/default.aspx on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website. Pharmacies across Louisiana are open and able to help meet the needs of residents, including in South Central Louisiana (LDH Region 3). In addi- tion to all Walmart stores being open and able to dispense medications, the following pharma- cies have notified LDH they are operational in Region 3: St. James Parish • Gem Drugs Gramercy, 1635 LA-3125, Gramercy. St. John the Baptist • Gem Drugs Reserve,139 Central Ave., Reserve. St. Mary Parish • Baldwin Drugs, 702 Main St., Baldwin. • Cashway Pharmacy of Franklin, 1419 Hospital Ave., Franklin. Lafourche Parish • Bayou Drug Store, 1615 St. Mary St., Suite F, Thibodeaux. • D&M Pharmacy, 1772 Canal Blvd., Thibodaux. • Willow Bark Pharmacy #2, 606 LA-20, Thibodaux. Terrebonne Parish • Broadmoor Drug Center, 6096 W. Park Ave., Houma. • Haydel’s Drug Store #2, 831 Grand Caillou Road, Houma. • Lloyd’s Remedies, 3696 W Main St., Gray. • Total Pharmacy Services, 7806 W Park Ave., Houma, 70364. • Willow Bark Pharmacy, 2138 Bayou Blue Road, Houma. • Haydel’s Drug Store #3, 4752 LA-311 #100, Houma. • Wolfe’s Pharmacy, 5458 LA-56, Chauvin. BatonRouge General Opens High- Risk Breast Clinic at Mid City Baton Rouge General (BRG) has opened a high- risk breast clinic at its Mid City campus, provid- ing specialized care to women at risk for devel- oping breast disease and who are underinsured or uninsured. The clinic is led by Everett Bonner, MD, surgi- cal breast oncologist. Bonner holds a fellowship in surgical breast oncology fromMemorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He grad- uated from LSU School of Medicine and com- pleted a surgery residency at Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, Georgia. “While hospitals focus on another COVID surge, we have to press on for patients with other diseases, like cancer, as we help them fight for their health in a healthcare world that’s short on staff and resources,” said Bonner. “By opening this clinic, we’re helping break down barriers to care and ensure that all patients with breast can- cer or at high risk for the disease have access the same high-quality care and expertise.” The clinic is located within the Family Health Center at BRG’s Mid City campus, at 3401 North Blvd., Suite 200. Louisiana Department of Health Announces New Medicaid Executive Director Patrick Gillies has joined the Louisiana Depart- ment of Health as the new Medicaid executive director. Gillies has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare administration on both the state and federal levels. He most recently worked as