HJNO Mar/Apr 2019

34 mar / APR 2019  I  Healthcare Journal of New Orleans   Healthcare Briefs The Rebuild Center, on Gravier Street across from LSU Health’s downtown New Orleans cam- pus, is a day shelter collaborative of three non- profits working with St. Joseph Church to provide a multitude of services to people without homes. “Lt. Taylor’s project is the culmination of effec- tive community policing,” noted LSU Health New Orleans University Police Chief William Joseph. “Our officers try to get to know the people around our campus and let them get to know us. They know we have a job to do. Today was a chance to provide a little extra support with some useful and comforting gifts.” Taylor collected the donations and personally shopped for the items. She and her fellow officers assembled the bags. Taylor then recruited a band of blue elves to deliver them. “It felt great,” Tay- lor said. “I just wish we could have done more.” She’s already looking ahead to next year. “I would like to make this a yearly thing, each year bigger and better.” LSUHealth Nursing Faculty Appointed to Human Trafficking Prevention Committee Healthcare Subgroup Louisiana Human Trafficking Prevention Com- mission Chair Judge Joy Lobrano has asked Katherine Carter, DNP, PHCNS-BC, coordinator BSN-DNP Public/Community Health Nursing and instructor of Clinical Nursing; and Deborah St. Germain, DNP, RN, CEN, CNE, assistant profes- sor of Clinical Nursing at LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing, to serve on the commission’s Healthcare Subgroup. The legislatively created commission is charged with developing and coordinating human traf- ficking prevention programs; identifying gaps in prevention and intervention services; increas- ing coordination among public and private pro- grams; developing a state needs assessment and a comprehensive and integrated service deliv- ery approach; establishing a method to transi- tion human trafficking service providers toward evidence-based national best practices; devel- oping a plan that ensures that Louisiana laws on human trafficking are properly implemented; pro- vide training to law enforcement, the judiciary, and service providers; making recommendations on legislation to further anti-trafficking efforts; and developing mechanisms to promote public awareness of human trafficking. Carter is a certified clinical nurse specialist in public health and serves as a clinical and theory faculty member in the population-focused nurs- ing courses in both the traditional and RN-BSN programs at LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing. She has experience in orthopedics, pediatrics, and medical-surgical nursing, along with extensive experience in home health and hospice. Carter has served as a health facilities surveyor in the Health Standards Section for the Louisiana Department of Health. She is active in her community senior centers and local home- less shelter. St. Germain's primary areas of practice are emergency nursing, forensic nursing, and inten- sive care nursing. She has many years of experi- ence in a level I trauma center in the emergency department and trauma step-down unit. She has also worked as a death investigator in a local cor- oner's office, a practitioner in a local child abuse evaluation center, and legal nurse consultant. Current areas of undergraduate teaching are emergency nursing, forensic nursing, medical- surgical, and critical care nursing. Past areas of teaching have included pediatric nursing, nursing management in healthcare, foundations in nurs- ing, health assessment, and psychiatric nursing. Smoking Cessation Trust Offers Help for Louisiana Smokers One New Year’s resolutions that consistently appears at the top of many lists is quitting smok- ing. Louisiana currently ranks 48 out of 50 states for tobacco use according to the recently released 2018 America’s Health Rankings® Report from the United Health Foundation. Presently, 23.1 percent of the state’s adult population lights up. Accord- ing to the CDC, the percentage of adult smok- ers in the U.S. is now estimated at 14 percent (as of 2017). The state’s overall health ranking is now 50, one spot down from 49 in 2017. “With existing and potential smokers now being convinced on a daily basis that safer some- how equals safe when it comes to new, high-tech cessation tools, unfortunately, we will continue to see a steady rise of Louisiana citizens smoking at even higher rates,” said Mike Rogers, CEO, Smoking Cessation Trust Management Services. “To combat this challenge, the Trust continues to help people face their challenges by offering eligible smokers a variety of free products and services, as well as advocating for a rise in the age in which young people can purchase tobacco products to 21, to protect our youth from a life- time of addiction to nicotine. These efforts are designed to help people kick (or never start) a nicotine addiction. To date, the Smoking Cessa- tion Trust has enrolled more than 95,000 mem- bers with a goal of 200,000 by 2022.” The Smoking Cessation Trust encourages Lou- isiana smokers to ring in the New Year cigarette- free by following these five quit steps from the CDC: Step 1: Set a Quit Date Pick a date to quit smoking. This will give enough time to prepare. Really think about that quit date. Step 2: Tell Family & Friends that You are Try- ing to Quit Telling family, friends, and coworkers about a quit attempt can increase a smoker’s chances of success. By sharing what kind of support a smoker is looking for—either encouragement or account- ability—the loved one can be involved in the pro- cess. The more people a smoker has in his corner, the more likely he is to succeed. Have a spouse or friend who wants to quit too? Do it together!   Step 3: Plan for Challenges While Quitting Stopping smoking is not just about dealing with nicotine cravings. Many smokers need to work through the habitual tendencies surround- ing cigarette use. By going to a group workshop run by a certified tobacco treatment specialist (CTTS), smokers can learn how to work through cravings and triggers like stress, boredom, and Katherine Carter