Avala is the first and only hospital in Louisiana offering patients minimally invasive arthroscopy procedures to diagnose and treat joint problems utilizing Arthrex’s NanoScope.

The state-of-the-art NanoScope systems uses a high-definition image sensor technology to provide surgeons with a needle-sized, single-use camera system. This provides patients will smaller incisions, less scarring, and faster recovery times.

Louisiana’s case rates of primary and secondary syphilis, congenital syphilis, and gonorrhea improved from 2017 to 2018, showing the Louisiana Department of Health’s efforts toward STD prevention are making a positive impact during a time when STD rates across the United States have been dramatically increasing.

The Department said the 2018 National CDC STD Rankings, released Tuesday, are an example of the recognition its hard work is garnering. The CDC report shows the state’s rankings declined among three of the four sexually-transmitted diseases the report surveys.