HJNO May/Jun 2019

Healthcare Journal of NEW ORLEANS I  MAY / JUN 2019 55 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com Delahoussaye completed undergraduate stud- ies in biology from Louisiana State University. He started his medical career at Tulane Emergency Department as a paramedic while pursuing a medical degree.  He obtained a medical degree fromLSUHSC-NewOrleans and continued to the institution’s General Surgery Residency Program, where he served as chief resident in 2017. Dela- houssaye furthered his education by completing the Minimally Invasive/Bariatric Surgery Fellow- ship program from Jackson South Community Hospital in Miami in 2018. “Introducing the LINX® procedure underscores how dedicated St. Bernard Parish Hospital and the entire Ochsner Health System is to advanc- ing our local healthcare options.This is just one of themany innovative ways we are providing treat- ment for chronic conditions close to home,” said Kim Keene, chief executive officer, St. Bernard Parish Hospital. NewTulaneMultidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Clinic Enhances Care, Convenience Tulane Health System recently created the Tulane Multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Clinic, which brings patients and family members together with medical oncologists, urologic sur- geons, and radiation treatment specialists to dis- cuss all possible treatment options in one con- venient visit. “We’ve assembled the most experienced and busiest prostate cancer treatment team in the Gulf South region,” said Dr. Spencer Krane, a urologic surgeon at Tulane Medical Center. “We want to share this expertise with patients and families who need us. And we want to try and take away some of the stress of an incredibly stressful time.” The new clinic is for patients who have received a prostate cancer diagnosis and would like to review all possible options or discuss a second opinion of a current treatment plan. “And we know that waiting can sometimes be the most difficult aspect of the treatment process, so it’s important that one of us sees any patient who calls within 48 hours of that inquiry,” said Dr. Kendra Harris, a radiation oncologist at Tulane Medical Center. “From there, we can arrange a more in-depth evaluation with the entire group.” The physicians from all three disciplines will meet with patients in one, convenient setting. They will also monitor and discuss all cases in weekly reviews. A patient navigator will coordi- nate any needed follow up appointments or tests, as well as coordinate any education and support group needs. “And patients will have access to the world- renowned care provided throughout Tulane Health System,” said Dr. Pedro Barata, a medi- cal oncologist at Tulane Medical Center. “That means not only the latest, most comprehensive treatment options, but also access to cutting- edge clinical trials.” The Tulane Multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Clinic is located within the Tulane Cancer Center. Whittington Named Chief Executive Officer of Hood Memorial Hospital Mike Whittington has been named chief exec- utive officer (CEO) of Hood Memorial Hospital in Amite. Whittington, who has nearly 30 years of health- care leadership experience, assumes the role as part of a recent cooperative endeavor agree- ment between Tangipahoa Parish’s two hospital service districts, doing business as North Oaks Health Systemand HoodMemorial Hospital.The agreement calls for North Oaks Health System to provide consultative services and leadership to HoodMemorial Hospital fromDecember 3, 2018 to December 31, 2019. “Mike is a tested,trusted,and successful leader at NorthOaks with both clinical andmanagement expertise,” said Charles Guzzardo, chairman of Hood’s Board of Commissioners.“We believe that Mike is perfect for this assignment.” Whittington has been serving North Oaks as assistant vice president of acute care informat- ics since 2013, working with electronic health record technology. In addition to his administra- tive responsibilities, Whittington has continued to stay involved in direct patient care as a family nurse practitioner with North Oaks Primary Care & After Hours Clinic in Ponchatoula since 2015. He began his healthcare career at North Oaks in 1990 as an intensive care unit staff registered nurse.In 1993,hewas promoted to administrative nursing supervisor, and then transferred to the role of nursing information systems analyst in 2000. Whittington has also served as director of patient services from 2002-2010 and assis- tant vice president of critical care services from 2010–2013.  Whittington earned a Master’s Degree in Nurs- ing through Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. He also holds both an Associate Degree in Nursing through Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Loyola University in New Orleans. He is certified as a family nurse practi- tioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.  Tulane Neuroscience Center First in Region to Use Innovative AneurysmTreatment The Tulane Neuroscience Center’s neurosurgery team became the first in the Gulf South region to successfully deploy an innovative new treatment for brain aneurysms, just two months after it was approved for use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration. “This new procedure really changes the land- scape of how we treat these types of aneurysms,” said Dr. Aaron Dumont, who performed the pro- cedure along with Drs. Peter Amenta and John Nerva. “These are typically treated with an inva- sive brain surgery. Now, we have a new, minimally invasive technique that is much safer and more efficient. The procedure took 20 minutes, the patient went home the next day, and he’s doing great.” A brain aneurysm is an abnormal bulging or bal- looning of an artery in the brain caused by weak- ness in the vessel wall. These aneurysms fill with blood and can rupture, causing serious problems including severe functional disability, cognitive loss, and even death. Often aneurysms that occur where one vessel splits to two can have a wide base and require a surgical solution, in which a physician performs brain surgery and blocks blood flow to the aneu- rysm by applying a small metal clip to its base. The WEB™ Aneurysm Embolization System deployed at Tulane Medical Center uses a cath- eter to insert a small device in a patient’s leg that