HJBR May/Jun 2024

34 MAY / JUN 2024  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs Partners. The partnership will preserve the LOS and BROC legacies and brands and enable us to combine strengths and resources to better serve our communities with advanced orthope- dic care. We are committed to delivering person- alized, compassionate care to our patients while driving innovation and excellence in orthopedics and preserving an independent, physician- led practice model.” The formation of Gulf South Orthopedic Partners is expected to occur over the next several months with a launch in the third quarter of 2024. Louisiana Healthcare Connections Sponsors Events Focused onWomen’s Health Louisiana Healthcare Connections, a Medicaid health plan serving the Louisiana Department of Health and a wholly owned subsidiary of Cen- tene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), is sponsoring sev- eral events promoting women’s health with a par- ticular focus on addressing the disparities faced by African American women. In partnership with Delgado Community College and sponsorship of other key events, Louisiana Healthcare Con- nections is taking a stand to advocate for better health outcomes for all women, including moth- ers and children across the state. The alarming rates of maternal mortality in the United States, particularly among African Amer- ican women, have prompted Louisiana Health- care Connections to double down on its commit- ment to health equity. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Louisiana currently has the highest maternal mortality rate in the coun- try, at 58.1 deaths per 100,000 live births. For Black mothers, this rate is approximately four times higher than for white mothers. Recogniz- ing the urgency of these issues, Louisiana Health- care Connections sponsored the Speak Up Event in collaboration with Delgado Community Col- lege on April 11. The public event and reception was held in the Delgado Allied Health Building in New Orleans. Louisiana Healthcare Connections is also sponsoring two, upcoming Well Woman Events on May 4 in Baton Rouge and June 29 in Lake Charles. Visit https://themaxinefirm.ticketleap. com/the-well-woman-baton-rouge-2024/ for Baton Rouge or https://themaxinefirm.ticketleap. com/the-well/ for Lake Charles to register. The Well Woman Events are designed to educate and empower women, enabling them to advocate for their health effectively. These events will feature panel discussions with com- munity subject matter experts and healthcare providers, along with breakout sessions cover- ing crucial topics such as maternal health, nutri- tion, hypertension, diabetes, and mental health. Louisiana Healthcare Connections’ involvement in these events underscores its dedication to reduc- ing healthcare inequities and working towards achieving health equity for all. For more information about the Well Woman Events, and Louisiana Healthcare Connections’ efforts in promoting maternal health, please visit www.louisianahealthconnect.com . Former Health Secretary Accepts LSU Position LSU has hired Courtney Phillips, a former state health secretary who worked for Gov. John Bel Edwards at the height of the COVID-19 pan- demic, to be a top administrator overseeing healthcare for the university system. Her official titles will be vice president of health affairs and chief health officer. The LSU System includes medical and health- care graduate schools in New Orleans and Shreveport as well as Pennington Biomedical Center, which focuses on healthcare research, in Baton Rouge. LSU also has a medical residency program with several hundred doctors in training and manages the last remaining state public hos- pital in Independence. Phillips will not manage any of LSU’s campuses or their leadership teams in her new position, according to a LSU press release released Tues- day, the day after this story was first published. Instead, she will be “maximizing opportunities” in order to improve healthcare across the state of Louisiana. “[Phillips] will work across all campuses and in collaboration with each of you to maximize our financial well-being in all things health-related, enhance operational efficiencies, develop new revenue streams, and leverage related strengths across campuses,” wrote LSU President Wil- liam “Bill” Tate in an email to LSU’s leadership Monday. Tate said Phillips would report directly to him as the head of the university. Her new LSU position existed previously, but had not been filled in sev- eral years. Its job duties have also been adjusted, Tate said. Phillips ran the state health department for Edwards from 2020 until April 2023, when the agency was managing the COVID-19 outbreak and launched an unprecedented vaccine pro- gram. She also previously served as a top admin- istrator in the healthcare department for former Gov. Bobby Jindal. Though she worked for Edwards, a Demo- crat, Phillips has advised and helped Republican Gov. Jeff Landry with healthcare matters since he won election last fall. She was a member of the governor’s health care transition council and helped current Louisiana Health Secretary Ralph Abraham with health care financing issues when Landry came into office. While state health secretary, Phillips oversaw more than just the COVID-19 crisis. She adopted the extension of postpartum insurance coverage for Medicaid recipients from six weeks to one year, and the expansion of dental coverage to people with intellectual and developmental dis- abilities in the Medicaid program. But she was also in charge of the health depart- ment during a high-profile, botched evacuation of several hundred nursing home residents to a warehouse in Independence during Hurricane Ida. Phillips has a Ph.D. in Public Policy from South- ern University as well as a Master’s Degree in Pub- lic Administration and Bachelor’s Degree in Kine- siology from LSU. The LSU Board of Supervisors will also have to approve Phillips’ hiring before she can become a permanent employee. Printed with permission. O’Donoghue, J. (2024, April 8). “Former Louisiana Health Secretary for John Bel Edwards Gets High-Profile Position at LSU.” The Louisiana Illuminator, Apr. 8, 2024. https://lailluminator.com/2024/04/08/former- louisiana-health-secretary-for-john-bel-edwards- gets-high-profile-position-at-lsu/ n