HJBR Sep/Oct 2021

32 SEP / OCT 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs Bankston, MD, has chosen to depart from the Superdome sidelines. Bankston officially stepped away effective July 1. Baton Rouge General Opens NewClinic in Central Baton Rouge General (BRG) has opened a new family medicine clinic in Central, led by Shaun Spinks, MD, and Daniel Daire, FNP. With the Fast Pass registration option, patients can check in for appointments with the BRG app or at an on-site kiosk and fill out their forms ahead of time, elimi- nating the clipboards and stacks of papers while sitting in a waiting room. 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 Hurri- cane Katrina, he volunteered as a medical student at the Baton Rouge River Center with the BRG Family Medicine Residency Program, inspiring him to become a family physician. During his res- idency in Texas, Spinks served as lead resident LPHI, Healthy Blue Announce Racial and Health Equity Learning Lab The Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI) and Healthy Blue hosted its inaugural Symposium on Racial and Health Equity in Louisiana, held in March 2021, and continue with the announce- ment of the first cohort for the Racial and Health Equity Learning Lab. A video, designed to give viewers a sense of the spirit and purpose of the partnership, symposium and outcomes, is avail- able at http://bit.ly/2021RacialHealthEquityLA. “We are thrilled with the amount of interest in both the Symposium and Racial and Health Equity Learning Lab,” said LPHI CEO Shelina Davis. “Racism is a public health crisis and declar- ing it as such allows us to educate community members and public health professionals on its decades-long impact on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and begin to address it here in Louisiana.” The Symposium brought together more than 550 individuals and organizations from across Louisiana and beyond. The event explored how systemic racism has impacted public health efforts for generations, and LPHI officially declared rac- ism a public health crisis. Symposium speakers and panelists answered participant questions and discussed topics including the impact of poverty on community health; the intersection of men- tal health, the education system and mass incar- ceration; and how the healthcare industry can address race-based disparities and access to quality healthcare. Donation to Cancer Center Benefits Ascension Parish Cancer Patients In its continued effort to ensure that expert can- cer treatment, early detection programs and vital support services are available to the residents of Ascension Parish, the Gonzales Area Founda- tion recently donated $80,000 to Mary Bird Per- kins Cancer Center in Gonzales. The funds will be used to provide services and programs at no cost to cancer patients and their families. One of the programs that will benefit from the donation is the cancer center’s survivorship initia- tive, which helps ensure patients and their fami- lies have access to advanced supplementary care in the form of support groups, exercise classes, educational events and much more. A portion of the proceeds are directed toward the cancer center’s Prevention on the Go program, which provides prevention, education and early detec- tion services, including the successful Live Well Ascension event. These services help to detect cancer in its earliest stage, when better outcomes are more likely. “Survivorship services are a key element of comprehensive cancer care and we are proud to be able to help fund these services locally for our Ascension Parish residents,” said DeEtte DeAr- mond, a founder of the Gonzales Area Founda- tion. “Being able to raise this amount of money during a difficult time shows the commitment this community has to helping one another. We look forward to continuing our support in the years to come to help provide vital services for patients, survivors and their loved ones.” NO Saints Head TeamPhysician Larry Bankston, MD, Steps Away fromSidelines After serving four seasons as head team phy- sician for the New Orleans Saints, Larry “Chip” The Gonzales Area Foundation recently donated $80,000 to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Gonzales. The funds will be used to provide services and programs at no cost to cancer patients and their families.