HJBR May/Jun 2022

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  MAY / JUN 2022 63 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com nonprofit specialty hospital for women and infants in the United States. “I truly believe our team at Woman’s is one of the best in the world, and being recognized on a global level for our patient satisfaction scores and medical outcomes is a reminder that our community believes it too,” said Cheri Johnson, MSN, RNC-OB, Woman’s senior vice president of patient care and chief nursing officer. “We love taking care of women and babies and helping to bring new life into the world. Just playing a small part in that journey is rewarding for every- one in our organization who contributes in their own unique way.” Woman’s has been designated a Birth Ready+ facility by the Louisiana Department of Health for its work in improving perinatal and neonatal outcomes across Louisiana. Woman’s has also received the Guardian of Excellence Award from Press Ganey for seven consecutive years for being in the top five percent in the country for patient experience. The World’s Best Hospitals ranking, now in its fourth year, is intended to be a resource to help patients make a more informed and data-driven decision when choosing the right hospital for their medical needs. Hospitals in 27 countries are evaluated. This award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., using a methodology to ensure qual- ity and validity in certain data sets which include hospital recommendations from peers, patient experience, and medical outcomes. Our Lady of the Lake North’s Geaux Get Healthy Program Welcomes Healthy Blue Our Lady of the Lake North’s Geaux Get Healthy Clinical Program recently received a recent $100,000 grant from Healthy Blue Louisiana, a Medicaid managed healthcare provider. “We are excited to have this new partnership with Healthy Blue,” said Tiffany Wesley Ardoin, MD, Geaux Get Healthy program director and principal investigator. “We know that clinical care only comprises about 20% of a patient’s overall health, while the other 80% includes things like access to healthy foods and education on how to utilize them. Healthy Blue understands this, and the organization’s support of this program is proof.” Since 2018, Geaux Get Healthy has partnered with HealthyBR and Mayor Sharon Weston- Broome to promote a better and healthier life for all people in the city of Baton Rouge. Address- ing food insecurity and bridging the gap between clinical care and community healthcare is at the core of the Geaux Get Healthy program. Food insecurity is directly linked to the whole health of individuals, families, and communities. The organizations are coming together to fight hunger through an innovative approach, where physicians screen patients for food insecurity, thus providing immediate impact. This partnership will help the Geaux Get Healthy program decrease food insecurity throughout Baton Rouge. Res- idents will also learn about nutrition that high- lights affordable and healthy foods to improve their health. “Understanding the prevalence of food insecu- rity is key to making people healthier and we are proud to make resources and information more accessible to our community members,” said Christy Valentine, MD, Healthy Blue Louisiana president. “Through the Geaux Get Healthy Clin- ical Program, we believe we can drive meaningful change and improve quality of life for the commu- nities we serve. As part of Healthy Blue’s long- standing commitment to improving the health of our communities, we are addressing the complex and interconnected factors — like food, housing, social, and financial circumstances — that shape health.” Through the Geaux Get Healthy program, community members who have been identified as food-insecure participate in free cooking and nutrition classes, tour a local grocery store with a registered dietitian, and gain access to other vital resources to help improve their health. “The program was very entertaining and help- ful,” said Kelli Martin, Healthy Blue member and Geaux Get Healthy program participant. “I learned a lot of stuff I didn’t know, and I’m a chef. They taught us about shopping for healthier options by reading the labels on products, as well as how to cook more nutritious meals.” For more information about Geaux Get Healthy’s events, or to find out if you are eligi- ble to participate in its nutrition programs, go to healthybr.com/geauxgethealthy. Woman’s Selects Rene Ragas as Next CEO Woman’s Hospital has chosen Rene Ragas, FACHE, as its next president and chief executive officer. Ragas is a Louisiana native with more than two decades of experience as a healthcare exec- utive in the Baton Rouge area and surrounding regions. Most recently, he has served Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady (FMOL) Health System as CEO of Our Lady of the Angels Hospital in Boga- lusa since 2014 and Northshore Market president since 2017. “Woman’s is a unique specialty hospital in a complex healthcare market, and the Board was intentional in its search for a candidate with the right experience and knowledge to lead Woman’s through these unprecedented times,” said Terrie Thomas, MD, an OB-GYN and chair of the Board of Woman’s Hospital. “We found an excellent candidate right here in our region who is already familiar with this community and the needs of our patients to lead us into the future. Rene is familiar with this community, the culture of excel- lence that distinguishes Woman’s Hospital, and the importance of balancing the needs of mul- tiple audiences in this complex realm of health- care. While he has tremendous knowledge of the business side of the industry, Rene also has a pro- found appreciation for the importance of meeting the needs of women during some of the most vul- nerable times in their lives.” In addition to leading operations for Our Lady of the Angels Hospital, he also oversees Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital in Slidell and Our Lady of the Lake Pontchartrain Surgery Center in Mandeville, and provides oversight to a network Rene Ragas, FACHE