HJBR May/Jun 2023

42 MAY / JUN 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American College of Radiology (ACR). “These accreditations serve as a shining exam- ple of our organization’s commitment to clinical excellence. Through our exclusive focus on can- cer care, Mary Bird Perkins and our physician part- ners continue to set the standard for the high- est quality care throughout the communities we serve,” said Jonas Fontenot, PhD, MBA, presi- dent and CEO, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Cen- ter. “I could not be prouder of our teams. Their commitment and dedication advance our mis- sion to improve survivorship and lessen the bur- den of cancer.” The credential received from ASCO, Quality Oncology Performance Improvement (QOPI), is a rigorous certification process that compares clinical performance from the cancer center to data from other practices across the country. To become QOPI-certified, the cancer center sub- mitted to an evaluation of their entire practice and documentation standards. Additionally, a sur- vey was conducted to ensure the facility met key standards in areas of treatment. These recertifica- tions are for Mary Bird Perkins’ medical oncology programs at its Essen Lane and Woman’s Hospital locations. The cancer center’s Baton Rouge Gen- eral and Gonzales locations, which house its new- est medical oncology programs, have received their inaugural certifications. Louisiana Hematology Oncology Associates (LHOA) is Mary Bird Perkins’ exclusive medical oncology group for five locations throughout the state. LHOA has been QOPI-accredited for many years and has pioneered medical oncology prac- tices throughout Louisiana, treating thousands of patients. The credential received from ACR, Radiation Oncology Practice Accreditation, is the gold stan- dard for this specialty. The ACR is the nation’s old- est and most widely accepted radiation oncology accrediting body, with 30 years of accreditation experience. The ACR seal of accreditation rep- resents the highest level of quality and patient safety. Several Mary Bird Perkins radiation oncol- ogy programs received accreditation as a result of the recent ACR review. Locations receiving reac- creditation include the following: Baton Rouge Essen Lane, Woman’s Hospital, Covington, Gon- zales, Hammond, and Houma. The cancer center’s newest radiation oncology program in Natchez, Mississippi, received ACR for the first time. Physician leadership for ACR certification is pro- vided by Southeast Louisiana Radiation Oncology Group (SLROG), providing exclusive services for seven Mary Bird Perkins locations. LDH’s Office of Behavioral Health Introduces Initiatives Serving Children, Adolescents The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) is introducing five new and additional initiatives focused on the behavioral health of children and adolescents and their families. These initiatives, titled “Services from the Start: Providing Behav- ioral Health Support for Louisiana Families,” focus on improved access to early childhood, adoles- cent, and family behavioral health services. The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the challenges facing adolescents’ and children’s mental health, causing altered experiences at home, school, and during in-person social inter- actions. The pandemic also highlighted the need for increased access to healthcare and social ser- vices as an alarming number of young people struggle with feelings of helplessness, depres- sion, and thoughts of suicide. In response, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Acad- emy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association have declared a national state of emergency in child and adoles- cent mental health. “Improving and expanding mental health ser- vices for Louisianans of all ages is the culmination of years of deliberate planning and focus, and I’m proud my administration has taken on this task in a thoughtful and targeted way,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “The Louisiana Department of Health’s work to expand crisis services, add capacity for substance use treatment, and use evidence-based treatment for other behavioral health needs will help us address the trauma and other challenges brought on by the pandemic and the many disasters Louisianans have become so accustomed to.” “It has been our top priority over the past few years to confront the crises Louisiana residents have been facing with behavioral health strate- gies that improve the quality of life for our resi- dents and hold the promise of a brighter future for Louisiana’s children,” said LDH Secretary Courtney N. Phillips, PhD. “The five initiatives we are announcing today are critical new addi- tions to the current array of specialized behav- ioral health services, and I am confident that our behavioral health partners will be able to use them to increase access to services and ultimately improve health outcomes.” Recognizing the need to address the behav- ioral health crisis, OBH is building upon services currently available to Medicaid-eligible children and adolescents through five additional initia- tives currently under development through Fis- cal Year 2024. Initiative 1: Expanding substance use residen- tial treatment facilities for women and depen- dent children. Pregnant women and women with dependent children are among the most vulnera- ble of all populations in need of stable residential services for substance use disorder (SUD) treat- ment. Louisiana currently has 3 statewide provid- ers. However, in order to geographically diversify and expand capacity of treatment programs that allow children up to 12 years old to accompany their mothers, OBH will identify additional provid- ers to fill statewide gaps in services to establish additional treatment beds. Initiative 2: Implementing Early Childhood Supports and Services (ECSS). ECSS will provide screening, evaluation, and referral services and treatment for children from birth through age 5 and their families through evidence-based behav- ioral health treatment. This includes support for enhancing positive caregiving relationships and comprehensive care coordination addressing family needs, including families’ environmental risks and social determinants of health. OBH intends to pilot ECSS with an early adopt- ing entity while pursuing a contractor for long- term management of the statewide program through a request for proposal (RFP), which is expected to be released in calendar year 2023. Initiative 3: Building the foundation for state- wide youth crisis services. Expanding upon the Medicaid adult crisis services continuum intro- duced in LDH’s Fiscal Year 2022 business plan, LDH is committed to extending Mobile Crisis Response (MCR) and Community Brief Crisis Support (CBCS) services to youth. With an antic- ipated launch in spring 2024, MCR is an initial