HJBR Nov/Dec 2022

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  NOV / DEC 2022 63 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com management as a fellow of the American Col- lege of Health Care Executives. He first joined Our Lady of the Lake as an administrative fellow in 2008 before eventually serving as director of operations and director of finance for Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group. Cordasco’s career took him to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia, then Texas Children’s Hos- pital in Houston. Cordasco spent six years with Texas Children’s, leading strategic expansions of the neurosciences, genetics, mental, and behav- ioral health programs. He played an instrumen- tal role in improving U.S. News & World Report rankings, with pediatric neurosciences rising to ranking second nationally. He returned to Baton Rouge with the goal of offering premier pediatric care to the children of Louisiana without having to leave the state. “It is a privilege to be afforded this opportunity to further develop our pediatric ministry through- out the region,” Cordasco said. “I am looking for- ward to collaborating with the many talented phy- sicians, leaders and teammembers who have built the incredible foundation we are blessed to have. Our future success will be measured by our ever- increasing ability to adequately care for the most complex cases. Children and their families should not have to leave our state to receive the expert care they deserve.” Baton Rouge General Welcomes Robotic Surgeon Karalyn Bentley, MD Karalyn R. Bentley, MD, a board-certified gen- eral surgeon, recently joined Baton Rouge Gen- eral’s Advanced Robotics Institute. Bentley uses the most advanced, minimally invasive robotic techniques for hernia and abdominal wall recon- struction, diseases of the esophagus and stom- ach, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and colon and endocrine surgery. In addition to treating var- ious types of cancer, Bentley specializes in bar- iatric surgery. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma Col- lege of Medicine, Bentley completed a residency in general surgery at Methodist Dallas Medical Center followed by a fellowship in advanced gas- trointestinal and minimally invasive and robotic surgery at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medi- cal Center. She is a member of the American Col- lege of Surgeons, the Society for American Gas- trointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, and the American Hernia Society. Our Lady of the Lake Health Celebrates 10 Years in Livingston Parish Our Lady of the Lake Health celebrated 10 years of serving the Livingston Parish community on Sept. 12 with a special event at the Our Lady of the Lake Livingston campus in Walker. Opening its doors in 2012, Our Lady of the Lake Livingston became the first and remains the only provider of 24-hour emergency services in the parish. The 170,000-square-foot medical com- plex also includes outpatient services that pro- vide conveniently located care, including lab ser- vices, imaging services, and physician offices. Additionally, primary care doctors and a variety of specialists, including cardiologists, pediatrics, and orthopedic specialists, occupy the on-site physi- cian office space. “Our mission calls us to serve when and where we are needed,” said Stephanie Manson, chief operating officer of Our Lady of the Lake Health. “Exactly 10 years ago, we answered the call to serve the people of Livingston Parish, and through our emergency department and our patient care we continue to bring a Spirit of Healing.” The medical complex has supported the com- munity during hurricanes, severe winter weather, the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2016 flood — where it acted as the staging area for the National Guard, accepted patients via high water vehicles, boats and air lifts, and provided medical care as a safe haven throughout the crisis. In total, Our Lady of the Lake Livingston has had more than 1 million visits over the past 10 years, including nearly 300,000 emergency patients. “As Livingston Parish has continued to grow over the last decade, it has become even more crucial to be able to provide for the needs of our citizens,” said Livingston Parish President Lay- ton Ricks. “Having a partner like Our Lady of the Lake Health make this kind of commitment to our community has improved the lives of our people beyond simply the numbers of people receiving care. It has made Livingston Parish a better place to live.” As part of the Our Lady of the Lake Health net- work, Our Lady of the Lake Livingston has access to a vast network of resources and nearly 600 providers covering more than 40 distinct special- ties. Other facilities in the Our Lady of the Lake Health network include the Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, Assumption Community Hos- pital, Our Lady of the Lake Ascension, and Our Lady of the Lake North. “As we look forward, Our Lady of the Lake Liv- ingston will continue to serve with excellence in care, ongoing community engagement, health promotion and recommitment to the mission,” said Sybil Cotten, senior director of Our Lady of the Lake Livingston. “This campus combined with Our Lady of the Lake Health’s vast family of services—including acute and primary care, trauma, the Children’s Hospital and so many other resources—is uniquely positioned for an exciting future. We feel blessed and will remain commit- ted to the community we are privileged to serve.” Ochsner BRWelcomes New Medical StaffMembers Several new medical staff members across vari- ous specialties have joined Ochsner. Caitlin Coco, MD, is a pediatric urologist at Och- sner Medical Complex – The Grove. After under- graduate studies at LSU, Coco earned a medical degree from the LSU Health School of Medicine in Shreveport. She completed a residency in urolog- ical surgery at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City and a fellow- ship in pediatric urology at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas. Michael Villasin, MD, is a primary care sports Karalyn Bentley, MD