HJBR Jul/Aug 2023

40 JUL / AUG 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs Know what naloxone is, where to get it, and how to administer it: • Naloxone, also known under the brand name Narcan, is a life-saving medication approved by the Food and Drug Admin- istration (FDA) to prevent opioid overdose. • Many pharmacies carry naloxone in Louisi- ana. You can get it from a pharmacy with- out a prescription. Narcan is covered by Medicaid. • Naloxone is administered as a nasal spray or by intravenous injection. • Naloxone works by rapidly blocking the effects of opioids and can restore nor- mal breathing within two to three minutes in a person whose breathing has slowed, or even stopped, as a result of opioid overdose. • However, naloxone only works to reverse opioid overdose in the body for 30 to 90 minutes. Many opioids remain in the body longer than that, making it possible for a person to still experience the effects of an overdose after a dose of naloxone wears off. • Fentanyl and fentanyl analogues are not “naloxone resistant.” More than one dose of naloxone may be required when more potent opioids like fentanyl are involved. • Naloxone will not harm someone if they are overdosing on drugs other than opioids, so it is always best to use it if you think some- one is overdosing. What Louisiana is doing: LDH has targeted Louisiana’s opioid crisis in its fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2023 business plans, with initiatives including: • Expanding access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) at 27 office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) facilities through- out the state. • Expanding access to MOUD by sustain- ing extended hours and/or 24/7 services at two opioid treatment programs (OTPs) in Shreveport and New Orleans, and extend- ing hours at two additional sites operating within Baton Rouge and Hammond. • Increasing the number of OTPs through- out the state from 10 to 11 providers to offer MOUD, including recovery support services through peer support specialists and resource coordinators. • Distributing more than 20,000 naloxone kits, as well as training on administration, to reduce overdose rates. The LDH Offices of Behavioral Health (OBH) and Public Health (OPH) jointly operate a cen- tralized system created to distribute harm reduc- tion products across the state such as safe stor- age and disposal products, fentanyl testing strips, naloxone, and more. LDH also worked closely with the Louisiana Leg- islature in 2022 to successfully decriminalize the use of fentanyl testing strips by removing them from the list of illegal drug paraphernalia. Learn more information about fentanyl and sub- stance use treatment at opioidhelpla.org. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Names Mike Miranda as Administrator for Northshore Region Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has named Mike Miranda as Cancer Center administrator for the Northshore Region. Miranda will be respon- sible for overseeing the Covington, Hammond, and Slidell Cancer Center locations. Miranda has extensive experience in the health- care industry and has served as the administrator of the Covington location since 2021. He joined the Cancer Center in 2006 and served as the pro- gram manager for the radiation therapy program from 2008 until his recent role as administrator. Miranda received a Master of Business Admin- istration with a concentration in healthcare man- agement from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. He received a Bachelor of Health Science in medical imaging from Washburn Uni- versity in Topeka, Kansas. “I’m honored to serve in this role for a region that means so much to me and my family. Saving lives is what it’s all about for me,” Miranda said. “I look forward to working with our dedicated teams on the Northshore to ensure that our sites not only meet patient expectations but continue to drive increased innovation, patient education and community outreach.” Baton Rouge Health-Tech Catalyst Awards Three Projects During Launchpad Pitch Night The Baton Rouge Health-Tech Catalyst, a regional health and life science innovation clus- ter initiative led by the Baton Rouge Health Dis- trict and funded by the U.S. Economic Develop- ment Administration (EDA) Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Build to Scale Program, recently awarded $60,000 in pilot funding to three highly innovative and competitive projects designed to advance research and innovation across area health institutions. Launchpad Pitch Night represents the culmi- nation of the Baton Rouge Health-Tech Cata- lyst pilot grant funding opportunity. At this year’s pitch night, five applicant finalists presented a range of ideas in a pitch-style competition, and three projects were selected for funding. Tues- day’s event represents the second round of Launchpad funding, which now cumulatively sup- ports six total pilot projects across its two funding cycles for a total investment of $150,000. The grant winners include: • Developing Multicellular Organoid for Pre- cision Therapy — Beverly Ogden, MD, Woman’s Hospital, and Joseph Francis, MD, Louisiana State University School of Veteri- nary Medicine. • Non-Invasive Treatment of Uterine Fibroids — Frank Greenway, MD, Pennington Bio- medical Research Center, and Beverly Ogden, MD, Woman’s Hospital in partner- ship with Louisiana State University and Uni- versity of Louisiana Lafayette. • Reconceptualizing How the Most Seriously Ill Patients Experience the ED —Mark Kan- trow, MD, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Mike Miranda