HJNO Jul/Aug 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JUL / AUG 2020 29 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com populations. We are committed to working col- laboratively with partners like Feeding Louisi- ana and our network of healthcare providers to address the needs of Louisiana families in these unprecedented times.” Feeding Louisiana welcomes donations to help meet the increased demand for assistance. Monetary donations are preferred to help mini- mize the need for person-to-person contact. For more information, visit www.FeedingLouisiana. org/take-action. Families and individuals in need of food assistance can call 211 to locate help in their area. DePaul Community Health Centers Donate Masks to NO Police Department DePaul Community Health Centers (formerly Daughters of Charity Health Centers) donated 1,000 three-ply surgical masks to the New Orleans Police Department. Michael Griffin, president/ CEO of DCHC, personally delivered the masks to NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson immedi- ately after receiving the request. “PPE supplies are in high demand and hard to acquire. I am happy that we were able to donate masks to the New Orleans Police Department. We need our first responders more now than ever as we address the challenge of helping our city overcome the COVID-19 virus. DCHC is proud to assist NOPD’s valuable work,” said Griffin. COVID-19 Support Program Assists Providers with Grant Writing, Small Business Loan Applications Louisiana Healthcare Connections is providing assistance to network providers in Louisiana who are seeking relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic through the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the CARES Act. In-network providers may access a dedicated online portal of Provider Financial Support & Resources, where they can research benefits they may be eligible for and work directly with experts to apply for them. Louisiana Healthcare Connec- tions, a Healthy Louisiana Medicaid health plan, is providing access to these resources to aid pro- viders in grant writing and business loan applica- tions, among other key activities, through its par- ent company, Centene. “There are more than 27,000 healthcare provid- ers, hospitals, clinics, and specialists in our net- work, and every day, they are stepping forward to care for one of the state’s most vulnerable pop- ulations on the frontlines of this COVID-19 pan- demic,” said Jamie Schlottman, CEO of Louisiana Healthcare Connections. “We are proud to pro- vide access to these key benefits and resources to our network providers who have been economi- cally impacted during this time.” The program will help providers apply for var- ious benefits including small business loans, a paycheck protection plan, and various grants for which they may be eligible. This includes Feder- ally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), behavioral health providers, and community-based behav- ioral health organizations, Centers for Indepen- dent Living (CILs), and long-term service and sup- ports organizations operating on the front lines. This resource also helps providers explore additional funds through state offered loans and grants by working with nationally recognized healthcare consultants, organizations, state gov- ernment agencies, and former SBA executives. In addition to the online portal, provider partners will have access to webinars and one-on-one con- sulting with key experts. Healthcare providers who are in-network with Louisiana Healthcare Connections can visit https://www.centene.com/covid-19-resource-cen- ter/provider-assistance.html for more information. LSUHealthcare Network Debuts Drive-Through Eye Pressure Checks LSU Healthcare Network is providing drive- through eye pressure checks in New Orleans. Patients, by appointment only, drive to the back of the LSU Healthcare Network clinic at 3700 St. Charles Ave. where they are met by techs in full personal protection equipment (PPE.) After veri- fying patient information, the techs conduct the eye pressure checks, and the patients are on their way in minutes. LSU Healthcare Network is the first in the area to provide the service. “It’s a way to check eye pressure without increasing COVID-19 risk spread,” said Lena Al- Dujaili, MD, clinical assistant professor of oph- thalmology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine and a glaucoma specialist at LSU Healthcare Network. “It’s mostly for glaucoma patients but is available to any patient who needs eye pressure checked during this time.” Regular eye pressure checks are crucial for man- aging glaucoma. The instrument used at the Healthcare Network is called a tonopen, which lightly touches the eye after the patient is given a numbing drop, to give an intraocular pressure reading. High pressure is a hallmark of glaucoma, which untreated, can lead to damage in the optic nerve that may eventually result in blindness. Not only are the tests used to aid in the diagnosis of