HJBR Nov/Dec 2021

44 NOV / DEC 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs • Behavioral Health Recovery Outreach Line , call 833-333-1132. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for healthcare professionals and individuals in recovery. • Louisiana Spirit Crisis Counseling Pro- gram , visit the website at http://ldh.la.gov/ LouisianaSpirit or email the program at LouisianaSpiritInfo@la.gov. • Louisiana 211 , call 2-1-1 or visit the web- site at https://www.louisiana211.org. Free, 24/7 referral and information line that con- nects people to a wide range of health and human services. • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Louisiana , visit the website at https://namilouisiana.org. • Local Human Services Distr.icts/Authori- ties , visit the website at https://ldh.la.gov/ index.cfm/directory/category/321. Louisiana Healthcare Connections Creates Statewide Economic Impact Louisiana Healthcare Connections announced that it has created a total economic impact of $904.8 million in the state of Louisiana from 2012 to 2020, with a peak employment of 673 full-time employment jobs and a peak total payroll of $56.7 million including non-FTEs, according to a report conducted in March by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. Additionally, the report found Louisiana Health- care Connections’ investment in local busi- nesses and in-state jobs resulted in a $98.4 mil- lion greater impact compared to other Medicaid health plans, which rely more heavily on out-of- state jobs. Louisiana Healthcare Connections employs more than 40% of all in-state Medicaid health plan jobs with 331 more in-state employees than any other health plan, according to the most recent Medicaid Managed Care Transparency Report. Louisiana Healthcare Connections also sustains a large number of families in Louisiana. In 2020, it supported an estimated 1,100 house- holds and 2,981 residents. “The health of our communities is also mea- sured economically,” said Jamie Schlottman, CEO and plan president, Louisiana Healthcare Connections. “And that’s one of the reasons why we invest in local businesses, local partners, local employees, and local resources.” The analysis included capital investments in Louisiana as well as an estimate of the impacts of ongoing operations in three of the state’s met- ropolitan statistical areas: Baton Rouge, Lafay- ette and New Orleans. The study also included an estimate of the new tax revenues to the cit- ies, parishes, schools and other special districts associated with the health plan’s ongoing state- wide operations. Highlights of the study show Louisiana Health- care Connections: • Created a total economic impact of $904.8 million in the state of Louisiana from 2012 to 2020, with a peak employment of 673 full- time-employment (FTE) jobs and a peak total payroll of $56.7 million including non- FTEs, paying over $278.4 million in direct wages since operations began. • Accounted for nearly $38.6 million in total state and local tax revenue for Louisiana entities between 2012 and 2020. • Including indirect and induced jobs, peak total jobs impact was 1,283 employees and nearly $85 million in total income impact in 2020, yielding a total income impact of $417 million for the state. Ochsner Baton RougeWelcomes Three NewPhysicians Ochsner Baton Rouge has added three new physicians to the region. Rachel Bernard, DO, specializes in pediatric gastroenterology at Ochsner Medical Complex – The Grove. Bernard earned a medical degree from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in pediatrics at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital and a fellow- ship in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Desiree’ B. Dawson, MD, is a cardiologist at Ochsner Medical Complex – The Grove. After undergraduate studies at the University of Geor- gia, Dawson earned a medical degree fromMed- ical University of South Carolina. She completed an internal medicine residency and a cardiology fellowship at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport. Dawson is a member of the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Physicians. Maria Carratola, MD, is a pediatric ear, nose and throat specialist (otolaryngologist) with expertise in pediatric airway reconstruction. She sees patients at Ochsner Medical Complex – The Grove and Ochsner Health Center – Prairieville. Carratola earned a medical degree from Wright State University School of Medicine in Ohio. She completed an internship and residency in otolar- yngology at Tulane University in New Orleans and a fellowship in pediatric otolaryngology at Cincin- nati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Carratola is board-certified by the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery. Mary Bird Perkins to Offer Adaptive Radiation Therapy Program In 2022, Mary Bird Perkins will offer a break- through Adaptive MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy Program. The cancer center is acquiring an Ele- kta Unity system, a state-of-the-art MR-linac, the cornerstone of the Adaptive MRI-Guided Radia- tion Therapy Program. This will provide oncolo- gists the ability to target tumors previously not treatable with radiation therapy. Currently, there are only six cancer centers in the country offering this technology and level of treatment. With the image clarity this technology provides through its extremely powerful magnet, radiation oncologists at the cancer center will be able to visualize a tumor during treatment and apply radi- ation dosage in real time. In some cases, this ther- apy will result in reduced side effects for patients and fewer treatment sessions. It will be available to patients battling at least 40 different tumor types in areas such as the prostate, head and neck, lung, abdomen, liver, rectum and pancreas. The technology will also allow for more focused stereotactic body radiation therapy for metastatic cancers, enhancing quality of life and prolonging life expectancy. “This is an absolute game-changer for Mary Bird Perkins, our patients, and the state of Louisi- ana,” said Kos Kovtun, MD, radiation oncologist, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “First and fore- most, this new technology is going to save lives. Our patients are going to have access to one of the world’s most advanced technologies when it