HJBR Jan/Feb 2024

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  JAN / FEB 2024 61 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com in the top 40. The hospital’s oncology program ranked #23 in the U.S., followed by pulmonology at #31, neonatology at #34, and endocrinology at #39. “Our teams have worked incredibly hard to earn this well-deserved national recognition,” said Mark W. Kline, MD, physician-in-chief and chief medical officer for Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “The Newsweek rankings reflect our ongoing commitment to provide the highest level of care for children across our region. Our hope is that no child has to leave the state for the expert, lifesaving care that he or she needs, and I am incredibly proud to stand alongside our team of pediatric experts in delivering the highest level of care for more children than ever before.” The Newsweek America’s Best Children’s Hos- pitals rankings are based on survey results from more than 2,000 healthcare professionals and hospital managers with knowledge about pedi- atric care, along with results from patient satis- faction surveys and publicly reported hospital quality metrics relevant to pediatric care. The pro- gram aims to provide information and insights to help its readers find the best children’s hospitals nationwide. Woman’s Hospital Hosts Light to Remember Memory Stroll Woman’s Hospital hosted Light to Remember on Oct. 15 in honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. The event was held at the East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library and included a memorial walk through Independence Commu- nity Park Botanic Gardens followed by a candle- light reflection in memory of babies lost. The Light to Remember Resource Village pro- vided guests with support and information from Saul’s Light, Maddie’s Footprints, BR Perinatal Counseling and Woman’s Hospital. Our Lady of the Lake Health Chief Nursing Officer Honored as Southeastern Distinguished Alumni Our Lady of the Lake Health Chief Nursing Offi- cer Nicole Telhiard, MD, was honored as a distin- guished alumnus at Southeastern Louisiana Uni- versity’s Alumni of the Year Awards. The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves among the best of Southeastern graduates and have used their degree to become successful in their chosen fields on the local or state level, have demonstrated service to the University, and made contributions to their communities. “I am proud to serve alongside Nicole and admire her dedication as Our Lady of the Lake’s Chief Nursing Officer,” said Chuck Spicer, Our Lady of the Lake Health president. “Nicole is passionate about her team, committed to patient safety, and exemplifies our mission. We congrat- ulate her on receiving a Distinguished Alumni Award from Southeastern Louisiana University.” Telhiard received a bachelor’s in nursing from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1994 before receiving a master’s in nursing from Loyola Uni- versity in New Orleans and a doctorate in nurs- ing Practice from Rush University. She’s worked for Our Lady of the Lake for more than 30 years and has served as chief nursing officer for the last eight years. “My time at Southeastern led me to the nursing career I have today, and I am honored to be rec- ognized among its distinguished alumni network,” shared Telhiard. “I continue to use the knowledge I gained at the University and through my time at Our Lady of the Lake to not only advance in my career but to foster our next generation of nurses.” Ochsner Health is Recipient of the 2023-24WebMDChoice Awards Ochsner Health was named among the “Best Hospitals According to Patients & Health Care Providers” by WebMD, an online publication for health news and information. The 2023 WebMD Choice Awards recognized a select group of 167 health systems with Elite Choice Awards, WebMD Patient Choice Awards, and Medscape Physician Choice Awards. Results were gathered via a survey of a national audience encompassing thousands of patients and health- care clinicians to determine which hospitals they believe deliver the best quality and treatments. The awards program identifies the “best in class” health systems in a local region from a consumer perspective across five specialties: oncology, car- diology, orthopedics, neurology, and gastroen- terology. In addition, the award program identi- fies healthcare providers’ perspectives on which hospitals or health systems they consider best for care in their area. The WebMD Patient Choice Awards and Med- scape Physician Choice Awards recognize hos- pitals and health systems within the top 30% of patient and provider preferences in a local mar- ket, while WebMD Elite awards are given to top health systems that are preferred by patients and physicians two to one over competitors for a spe- cific specialty in their local market. Ochsner met these criteria for all categories: • Oncology – Elite Choice. • Cardiology – Elite Choice. • Orthopedics – Elite Choice. • Neurology – Elite Choice. • Gastroenterology – Elite Choice. “We are honored to be the only health system in Louisiana and one of 26 hospitals across the nation to be named the Elite Choice in all five spe- cialties in the 2023-24 WebMD Choice Awards,” said Robert Hart, MD, chief physician executive, Ochsner Health, and president, Ochsner Clinic. “These awards reflect the voices of patients and physicians, echoing our top priority of putting patients first in everything we do at Ochsner. We are committed to continuing to provide high qual- ity care to the Gulf South region.” Our Lady of the Lake Health, Traction Sports Performance Announce Joint Venture Our Lady of the Lake Health and Traction Sports Performance have announced a partnership that will combine Our Lady of the Lake’s medical expertise with Traction’s integrated training sys- tem, helping to improve athletic performance, Nicole Telhiard, MD