HJBR Sep/Oct 2025

30 SEP / OCT 2025  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs He is a summa cum laude graduate of the Uni- versity of Notre Dame and earned a medical degree from the University of Iowa Carver Col- lege of Medicine. He completed residency train- ing at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and obtained research experience at both the Univer- sity of Iowa and the University of South Dakota. Elson is also a credentialed Gamma Knife Icon physician, a certified applier of SpaceOAR, and a member of the Southeast Louisiana Radiation Oncology Group (SLROG). DavidM. Bellar Officially Assumes Role as FranU’s President Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Univer- sity’s new president, David Bellar, PhD, began his tenure on July 14. FranU’s board of trustees announced the appointment of Bellar as the fifth president of the university after a national search in February of this year. Bellar joins FranU from the University of West Florida where he served as the dean of Usha Kundu, MD, College of Health. He has a doctor- ate in exercise physiology from Kent State Uni- versity, a master’s degree in secondary educa- tion from John Carroll University, and a bachelor’s degree in biology and life science chemistry from John Carroll University. TrackingMedicaid Patients’ Work Status May Prove Difficult for States A provision in the tax and spending bill Pres- ident Donald Trump signed into law July 4 will require the 40 states plus Washington, D.C., that have expanded Medicaid to check paperwork at least twice a year to ensure those enrollees are volunteering or working at least 80 hours a month or attending school at least half time, Statelines journalist Shalina Chatlani reported in a July arti- cle published in the Louisiana Illuminator. The new law provides states $200 million for fiscal year 2026 to get their systems up and run- ning. But some experts say states will have diffi- culty meeting the deadline with that funding and worry enrollees might lose their health benefits as a result. The new rules apply to states that expanded Medicaid to adults between the ages of 19 and 64 with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty CIS Uses Javelin Peripheral IVL Catheter for PAD The Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) has begun using a new non-balloon-based treat- ment to address difficult-to-treat calcified periph- eral artery disease (PAD). Usage of the new treatment began in July when Satish Gadi, MD, interventional cardiologist at CIS, used the Jave- lin Peripheral Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL) Cath- eter to treat PAD in the legs. Manufactured by Shockwave, the Javelin Peripheral IVL Catheter — part of the Shock- wave Medical Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL) Sys- tem— is designed to treat calcified blockages in the peripheral arteries, including the iliac, femo- ral, popliteal, and infra-popliteal arteries. PAD is a condition where arteries in the legs become narrowed, reducing blood flow. It can cause leg pain and mobility issues and also increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and limb amputation. Using controlled sonic pressure waves, the Jav- elin catheter gently fractures calcium within the artery wall, helping to restore vessel flexibility and enable successful crossing and treatment. This technology is used prior to balloon angioplasty or stenting to improve outcomes in heavily cal- cified arteries. APHA Joins Others to Sue HHS, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., for Unilateral Vaccine Change The American Public Health Association (APHA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Amer- ican College of Physicians (ACP), Infectious Dis- eases Society of America (IDSA), Massachusetts Public Health Alliance (MPHA), Society for Mater- nal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), and a pregnant physi- cian, are suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy for his actions changing COVID-19 vac- cine recommendations for children and pregnant people, for dismissing 17 members of the Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and appointing replacements who have historically espoused anti-vaccine viewpoints. The lawsuit asks for preliminary and permanent injunctions to enjoin Secretary Kennedy’s rescis- sions of Covid vaccine recommendations and a declaratory judgment pronouncing the change in recommendations as unlawful. The lawsuit charges that a coordinated set of actions by HHS and Secretary Kennedy were designed to mislead, confuse, and gradually desensitize the public to anti-vaccine and anti- science rhetoric, and that he has routinely flouted federal procedural rules. These actions include blocking CDC communications, unexplained can- cellations of vaccine panel meetings at the FDA and CDC, announcing studies to investigate non- existent links between vaccines and autism, uni- laterally overriding immunization recommenda- tions, and replacing the diverse members of ACIP with a slate of individuals biased against sound vaccine facts. The anonymous individual plaintiff in the lawsuit is a pregnant woman who is at immediate risk for being unable to get the COVID-19 vaccine booster because of the secretarial directive, despite her high risk for exposure to infectious diseases from working as a physician at a hospital. AndrewElson NamedMary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Radiation OncologyMedical Director Andrew Elson, MD, radiation oncologist at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, has been appointed as the medical director of radiation oncology there. In this leadership role, Elson will oversee the cancer center’s radiation oncology services and technology portfolio, help drive the devel- opment of clinical strategies and best practices, and lead initiatives that support patient-centered care. Elson has been with Mary Bird Perkins since 2015. Andrew Elson, MD