HJBR May/Jun 2022

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  MAY / JUN 2022 45 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com “We are so excited to bring the Capital Area Heart Walk back to our community this year,” said Kerin Spears, executive director, Capital Area American Heart Association. “This event is so much more than just a one-day thing where we get together and walk for a good cause. we are grateful for the support from Dr. Dunbar, Our Lady of the Lake, Ochsner Health, the Baton Rouge community and all our local sponsors and organizations that help us continue to fund the much-needed lifesaving research of the American Heart Association, while getting heart health tips about being active even while we are still spend- ing more time at home.” The funds raised at all Heart Challenge events fund the mission of the American Heart Associa- tion to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives while supporting priority issues in the Capital area. This year’s Capital Area Heart Walk was spon- sored by Our Lady of the Lake, Bernhard Capi- tal Partners, Care South, Ochsner Baton Rouge, Aetna, Associated Grocers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, CSRS, Doyle Electric, Farm Bureau, Level Homes, Patton Brantley Realty Group, Performance Contractors, The Baton Rouge Clinic, The Celtic Group, The Lemoine Company, Woman’s Hospital, Milton J Womack, and Worley. Local media sponsors included Guar- anty Media and WBRZ-TV. Our Lady of the Lake Physician GroupWelcomes Mohammad Al Efishat, MD, FSSO Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group wel- comes Mohammad Al Efishat, MD, FSSO, to its team of surgeons at the Surgeons Group of Baton Rouge. A surgical oncologist as well as a pancre- atic and hepatobiliary surgeon, Al Efishat treats conditions of the pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and bile duct, as well as abdominal tumors. “Dr. Mo” was born and raised in Amman, Jor- dan, and received a medical degree from the Uni- versity of Jordan. He later moved to the United States and completed an internship, residency, complex surgical oncology fellowship, and advanced hepatopancreatobiliary fellowship at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Fluent in both English and Arabic, Al Efishat is board- certified in both general surgery and complex surgical oncology by the American Board of Sur- gery. At Our Lady of the Lake, he will be conduct- ing minimally invasive robotic surgery to treat vari- ous conditions and cancers, including pancreatic and liver cancer. Al Efishat also serves as a clinical assistant pro- fessor at the LSU School of Medicine. Surgeons Group of Baton Rouge is located at 7777 Hennessy Blvd., Suite 612. Crisis Counseling Program Receives $9.2M in Additional Funding to Support Hurricane Ida Survivors The Louisiana Spirit Crisis Counseling Program (CCP) operating under the auspices of the Loui- siana Department of Health’s Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) is receiving $9.2 million in additional funding from the Federal Emergency Manage- ment Agency (FEMA). This funding will allow Hur- ricane Ida survivors access to disaster behavioral health and emotional support resources. FEMA awarded this supplemental funding through the Immediate and Regular Services Programs Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program grants. The funds allow OBH and five local governing entities (LGEs) to pro- vide short-term crisis counseling services to sur- vivors located within the impacted communities. They include: • Capital Area Human Services District (CAHSD): Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Point Coupee, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana parishes • Florida Parishes Human Services Author- ity (FPHSA): Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes • Jefferson Parish Human Services Authority (JPHSA): Jefferson Parish • Metropolitan Human Services District (MHSD): Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Ber- nard parishes • South Central Louisiana Human Services Authority (SCLHSA): Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, and Terrebonne parishes St. Martin and Iberia parishes under Acadiana Area Human Services District (AAHSD) are being covered under OBH. CCP services include reducing stress and pro- viding emotional support; assisting survivors in reviewing their disaster recovery options; promot- ing the use or development of healthy coping strategies; connecting survivors with appropri- ate people and agencies that can assist providers in their rebuilding efforts; and referrals to other disaster recovery programs. These services offer direct outreach through door-to-door canvass- ing and other venues that support survivors. CCP helps survivors work toward recovery from a situ- ation or disaster through personal self-determi- nation or resilience. Since Hurricane Ida made landfall, OBH’s crisis counselors have been available across the state at various shelters, base camps, Disaster Recov- ery Centers and other similar sites to support those affected by the storm. To date, crisis coun- selors have assisted more than 27,000 individu- als and businesses with direct outreach services that includes individual and group counseling, and brief supportive contacts. Another resource available through CCP is the Keep Calm helpline at (866) 310-7977, operated by VIA LINK, a local call center provider. The Keep Calm helpline provides trained, compassionate counselors to support Louisianans through this difficult time. Counselors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with information and ser- vice coordination, linking callers to mental health and substance abuse counseling services. All calls are confidential. Louisiana Healthcare Connections Expands SNAP- Match Support with St. Helena Farmers Market As part of its ongoing commitment to creating health equity and fighting food insecurity, Loui- siana Healthcare Connections has partnered with the St. Helena Farmers Market (SHFM) to expand reach of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Pro- gram (SNAP) benefits. Beginning on April 8 in Greensburg, SHFM shoppers who have a Loui- siana Purchase EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card will receive a three-to-one match for up to $15 in purchases, getting a total of $20 worth of fresh foods and produce for spending $5. “Helping ensure access to fresh foods is one of the ways we support nutritious eating — a