HJBR May/Jun 2023

64 MAY / JUN 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Hospital Rounds the Lake Trauma Center. “Equipping our schools with proper Stop the Bleed resources and training to use those resources is beneficial in preventing emergency situations from escalating.” Stop the Bleed is a national public awareness campaign that aims to provide training and tech- niques for controlling severe bleeding. It is led by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT). Woman’s Hospital’s Cheri Johnson Chairs Capital Area HeartWalk The American Heart Association named Cheri Johnson, senior vice president, Patient Care Ser- vices at Woman’s Hospital, as the 2023 Capital Area Heart Walk chair. In this role, Johnson was charged with leading a team of local executives to support fundraising efforts for the Heart Walk and the lifesaving work of the American Heart Association. “I am thrilled to serve as this year’s Heart Walk chair to support the local American Heart Asso- ciation’s efforts around CPR, blood pressure, and educating everyone in the community on how to take control of their overall health,” said Johnson. “Can you imagine how many lives we could save if every single member of our community knows their blood pressure numbers and learns hands only CPR?” she added. The Capital Area Heart Walk was held March 25 at City Hall Plaza in downtown Baton Rouge. The executive committee members included: • Matthew Valliere, CareSouth Medical and Dental • Jennifer Waguespack, Level Homes • Ashley Gravois, CSRS Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital Plants Pinwheels to Raise Awareness for Child Abuse PreventionMonth Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital recog- nized Child Abuse Prevention Month by partici- pating in the nationwide Pinwheels for Prevention campaign. Our Lady of the Lake hosted a recog- nition event with Child Advocacy Services, which is an agency providing immediate interventions for children exposed to traumatic events in the Capital Region. “Our Lady of the Lake is committed to combat- ing child abuse and neglect that affects millions of children each year,” said Rebecca Hook, MD, pediatric emergency physician at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital. “We work every day with valued community partners to ensure the wellbe- ing of children in our community.” Pinwheels for Prevention is part of a national movement to change the way people think about child abuse prevention. The campaign empha- sizes the importance of learning about healthy child development, reinforcing positive parent- ing practices, and acting on behalf of the children and families in our communities. Blue is the des- ignated color to bring awareness to child abuse prevention, and the pinwheel is the official symbol of the month-long observance. The blue and sil- ver pinwheels represent the happy, healthy child- hoods all children deserve. Local Resources to End Child Abuse: If you suspect child abuse or neglect, immediately call the Louisiana Child Abuse Hotline at 855- 452-5437 or the National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-4-A-Child. Woman’s Hospital Nurse GivenMentorship Award in Perioperative Nursing Woman’s Hospital nurse Kristy Simmons, RN, MSN, CNOR, was recognized with the Outstand- ing Achievement in Mentorship award at the Asso- ciation of Perioperative Registered Nurses’ 2023 Global Surgical Conference & Expo on April 2. The award recognizes individuals who exhibit a commitment to strengthening career develop- ment, leadership skills, and connections to help nurture professional and personal development of a perioperative nurse colleague or group. “I’m honored to be recognized for my work in mentoring other nurses in the perioperative field,” Simmons said. “This amazing group of profession- als has helped guide me through my career and inspired me to be a better nurse. I’m forever grate- ful for everything I’ve learned through AORN.” AORN was founded in 1949 to establish a national community for operating room nurses who sought to share best practices for patients undergoing surgery. AORN provides evidence- based resources to establish the standards of excellence for each phase of perioperative nurs- ing to achieve optimal outcomes for every patient. Simmons is a lifetime member of AORN with more than 42 years of experience in periopera- tive nursing, of which 39 have been spent at Wom- an’s Hospital. She has served on numerous AORN task forces and committees at the state, local, and national levels and currently serves on the Leg- acy Nurse Engagement Think Tank as well as the coordinating council of the Pediatric Specialty Assembly. Previously, Simmons earned an AORN National Outstanding Volunteer Leadership Award (2014); an AORN National Outstanding Achievement in Perioperative Evidence-Based Practice Award (2014); and Perioperative Nurse of the Year, AORN of Baton Rouge Area (2015). Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center Hosts Stop the Bleed Event for Local Middle School Our Lady of the Lake Health hosted a Stop the Bleed event at Capitol Middle School on Feb. 15. The initiative is part of the Our Lady of the Lake trauma program. Our Lady of the Lake provides schools with grant-funded Stop the Bleed kits and works with East Baton Rouge Parish schools to train school staff across the parish on how to properly care for wounds in emergency situations. The kits are installed in various locations around school cam- puses, and staff are trained on lifesaving emer- gency techniques to stop bleeding, such as using a tourniquet and packing a wound. “Our Lady of the Lake is dedicated to educat- ing our community on how to provide life-sav- ing care in the event of a trauma,” said Tomas Jacome, MD, medical director of the Our Lady of Cheri Johnson