HJBR Mar/Apr 2023

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  MAR / APR 2023 47 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com with Louisiana State University (LSU) to oper- ate a nationally-recognized graduate educa- tion program in medical physics, known as the Dr. Charles M. Smith Medical Physics Program. The medical physics team consists of over 10 board-certified medical physicists who support the center through clinical service, research, and education in various locations throughout Loui- siana and Southwest Mississippi. The joint pro- gram received its name from the late Charles M. Smith, MD, of Sulphur, Louisiana — a beloved family medicine practitioner who devoted his career to helping Louisiana families. In 2021, his estate bestowed a gift of $7.8 million to further Mary Bird Perkins’ medical physics program. “I want to thank Dr. Fontenot and the entire Mary Bird Perkins team for their warm welcome,” said Stathakis. “Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has a strong reputation for providing high-qual- ity, compassionate care that incorporates leading- edge technology and innovation. I look forward to lending my experience toward furthering Dr. Charles M. Smith’s legacy and strengthening Mary Bird’s mission: to improve survivorship and lessen the burden of cancer through expert treatment, compassionate care, early detection, research, and education.” Our Lady of the Lake Health, Ascension Parish Partner to Expand Access to Healthcare Services Our Lady of the Lake Health and Ascension Par- ish Government have entered into a cooperative endeavor agreement to provide enhanced access to healthcare services to residents of Ascension Parish. With the agreement, the parish and Our Lady of the Lake will jointly operate the Ascen- sion Parish Health Unit and the Ascension Coun- seling Center. This partnership will also increase educational outreach and community events that improve physical and mental health and quality of life for Ascension Parish residents. “For over 22 years, Our Lady of the Lake Health has been committed to serving the people of Ascension Parish at Our Lady of the Lake Ascen- sion and the 11 Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group clinics throughout the parish,” said Chuck Spicer, Our Lady of the Lake Health president. “We go where we are called to serve, and we look forward to continuing our commitment to Ascen- sion by expanding the services we provide to the Ascension Parish Health Unit and the Ascension Counseling Center.” Our Lady of the Lake Ascension is a full-service hospital with 78 beds and more than 475 employ- ees providing inpatient and outpatient services, 24/7 emergency care, surgical care, and more. Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group includes 11 affiliate clinics throughout Ascension Parish with 39 primary care providers and 31 specialists. Our Lady of the Lake will operate the parish’s public health services and assume operational expenditures and billing for these operations. Existing employees of these units will remain employees of Ascension Parish in their current capacity and continue to receive parish benefits, including observed holidays. All existing services of both the health units and the mental health units will remain in place. “The mental and physical welfare of our citizens is a top priority,” said Clint Cointment, Ascen- sion Parish president. “This agreement affords the parish the ability to enhance and expand pub- lic health and mental health offerings, health and wellness campaigns, preventative screenings and many other events and services in a way that we would not be able to on our own. Our Lady of the Lake is the leading healthcare provider in our region and will provide access to the expertise, technology, equipment, knowledge, and provid- ers necessary to improve the quality of life and health of our residents.” “Patients will now have access to Our Lady of the Lake’s secure online patient portal, MyChart, where they can quickly and safely access their health information,” according to Chris Tre- vino, MD, chief medical officer of Our Lady of the Lake Ascension. “The partnership also pro- vides citizens greater access to care through telehealth and additional on-call services with 24-hour, seven-day-a-week coverage. Referrals to needed primary care and specialist appointments will become easier as patients will have access to Our Lady of the Lake’s broad provider network.” Other terms of the agreement include the pro- vision for Our Lady of the Lake to provide psychi- atric services and providers and to work with will- ing public agencies such as the Council on Aging, Sheriff’s office, school board, health and mental health units, and the recreation department to offer events, classes, support groups, and screen- ing events. Our Lady of the Lake has also agreed to contribute to annual public health and wellness events and campaigns. Our Lady of the Lake Health will begin this joint operation of the Ascension Parish Health Unit and Ascension Parish Mental Health Unit this summer. Baton Rouge Health District Launches $500K + New Workforce Initiative The Baton Rouge Health District (BRHD) recently secured more than $500,000 in antici- pated workforce development funding from the Huey and Angelina Wilson Foundation, health district member institutions (including local hos- pitals and health affiliated organizations), and the federal Economic Development Administration to launch a new healthcare-focused workforce strat- egy aimed at addressing the expanding work- force talent gap in healthcare. Over the next three years, BRHD will utilize these funds to establish an employer-driven regional health workforce framework that will encompass new recruitment, retention, and development initiatives to raise awareness of the health district as a prime destination to pursue a health career, receive training, or advance career opportunities. Some of the anticipated new pro- gramming will uniquely focus on offering indi- viduals living at or under the ALICE (Asset Lim- ited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold the opportunity for healthcare career training and placement. “Health education and workforce are a key Health District priority,” said Steven Ceulemans, executive director of the Health District. “Our goal is for the Health District to be a center for advanced education, clinical practice, and work- force development in healthcare; and for our organization to serve as a nationally competi- tive workforce intermediary by creating align- ment and synergy between our partners. The heart of a healthy and vibrant community is a strong, inspired healthcare workforce. This ini- tiative will enhance the talent-base we currently have employed and create more opportunities to attract and develop new talent to pursue career pathways in healthcare within our community.”