HJBR Jan/Feb 2022

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  JAN / FEB 2022 45 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com where she was the regional chief financial officer of 12 hospitals throughout Massachusetts, Penn- sylvania and Ohio, Martin served as the market CFO for Northwest Health in Northwest Arkan- sas and the CFO at several hospitals for Tenet Health Care in Atlanta. Aside from traditional CFO responsibilities, Martin is experienced in healthcare mergers and acquisitions, academic medical centers, joint ventures, and managing physician practices and clinics. Premier Health recently added joint-venture clinics in Michi- gan, Ohio, Florida and Connecticut with plans for future health system partnerships nationwide. Martin received a Bachelor of Business Adminis- tration in Accounting from Eastern Kentucky Uni- versity. She also studied at Berea College, Purdue and Ball State Universities. She’s been a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Asso- ciation since 1989. Louisiana Awarded BOLD Grant to Support and Improve Alzheimer’s Care Well-Ahead Louisiana, the chronic disease pre- vention and healthcare access arm of the Loui- siana Department of Health, has been awarded $345,000 in federal funding through the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act. Provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the funding will be used to implement effective Alzheimer’s interventions, including boosting early detection and diag- nosis, reducing risk and preventing avoidable hospitalizations. “This grant provides an opportunity take the foundation Well-Ahead has established in chronic disease prevention and management, as well as outreach to healthcare providers, and expand upon it to improve outcomes for Louisiana’s resi- dents living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia diseases, as well as those who serve as their care- givers,” said Melissa R. Martin, director of Well- Ahead Louisiana. State Rep. Malinda White (I-Bogalusa) co- authored Act 73 in the 2021 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature, which calls for an increase in general education about Alzheimer’s and other dementia diseases, as well as a specific effort to educate healthcare providers on early detection, the link to chronic diseases and effec- tive care planning. “Being a caretaker for a family member diag- nosed with Alzheimer’s opened my eyes to the travesty of this cruel disease,” said Rep. White. “I was honored to carry a bill that would help bridge the efforts to educate citizens across Lou- isiana about Alzheimer’s. I hope to connect the dots through this effort to detect Alzheimer’s at its earliest stage and at the very least, delay its onset. Hopefully, we will eventually find a cure.” According to the Louisiana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, there are approximately 92,000 people in Louisiana ages 65 and older with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, with 204,000 family members and caregivers dedicating their time to caring for them. “Early detection and diagnosis is so important to care planning for people with Alzheimer’s. This funding will support efforts to implement pro- grams and policy solutions that will improve the lives of individuals living with dementia and their family caregivers,” said Paula Shamsie, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Louisiana chapter. “The Alzheimer’s Association is commit- ted to working with the Louisiana Department of Health to develop needed strategies and resources that can help families across the state.” Well-Ahead Louisiana will work with the Alzheimer’s Association and other partners as they focus on policy, system and environmen- tal changes to promote risk reduction, early diagnosis, the prevention and management of comorbidities, and avoidable hospitalizations for residents with Alzheimer’s or other demen- tia diseases. Data will be used to set priorities, develop public health action plans, address social determinants of health and provide support for those who serve as caregivers to persons with dementia. Funded activities will align with the Healthy Brain Initiative: State and Local Public Health Part- nerships to Address Dementia, which was cre- ated by the CDC and the Alzheimer’s Association to act as a road map to ensure Alzheimer’s and other cognitive health issues are incorporated into existing public health initiatives. Well-Ahead connects communities to tools and resources that help improve the health of Louisiana’s residents where they live, work, learn and play. For more information, visit www.wellaheadla.com . Dismantling Bias inMaternal and Infant Healthcare Seminar Offered to Healthcare Providers As part of its ongoing efforts to create health equity, Louisiana Healthcare Connections part- nered with Louisiana Primary Care Association to offer the March of Dimes’ Awareness to Action: Dismantling Bias in Maternal and Infant Health- care training to healthcare providers on Dec. 8. According to the March of Dimes, the U.S. is among the most dangerous developed nations in the world for childbirth, and there’s a higher chance of maternal or infant death based on race and ethnicity. Louisiana has one of the high- est maternal mortality rates in the country, with black women dying during pregnancy at a rate four times higher than white women. “This training seeks to address the racial dis- parities and social determinants of health that contribute to the maternal and infant health cri- sis in our state,” noted Stewart Gordon, MD, chief medical officer for Louisiana Healthcare Connec- tions. “We are hopeful this training will begin to break through barriers and provide strategies for care, with healthy moms and babies as the goal.” Dismantling Bias in Maternal and Infant Health- care is an implicit bias training course that pro- vides healthcare professionals with important insights to recognize and remedy implicit bias in maternity care settings. “Community Health Centers are on the front lines of caring for pregnant women in our com- munities, and they see how racial bias and health disparities affect families,” said Gerrelda Davis, executive director of the Louisiana Primary Care Association. “It’s unacceptable that black women are dying at higher rates than all other races, and almost two-thirds of maternal deaths are preventable,” said Renee Antoine, director of maternal infant health for March of Dimes. “Awareness to Action: Dismantling Bias in Maternal and Infant Health- care seeks to recognize and remedy implicit bias in maternity care and teaches healthcare profes- sionals how to build a culture of equity within an organization.” n