HJNO Jul/Aug 2020

34 JUL / AUG 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs Louisiana Emergency Response Network Addresses Concerns on Stroke, Heart Emergencies The following Letter to the Editor was submit- ted by LERN leadership: We are concerned about a noticeable decline in hospital activations for stroke and STEMI (heart attack) across Louisiana because we suspect this decline is the result of understandable, but ill- advised, reluctance to seek immediate care due to worries and fears created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus has disrupted our daily lives in many ways including how we access medical care. In recent weeks, physicians and hospitals have worked wisely with their patients to post- pone surgeries and routine medical services that could be safely rescheduled. That pause in care was necessary. However, some aspects of medical care cannot safely wait. Stroke and heart attack are two time- sensitive illnesses that require urgent attention – even during a pandemic. A delay in care for these conditions risks irreparable damage and often death. Patients and/or their families should imme- diately call 911 when experiencing these symp- toms. It could save a life. Stroke Symptoms: Sudden loss of balance and/ or eyesight, facial weakness or numbness, arm/ leg weakness or numbness, clumsiness, speech disturbance, or terrible headache Heart Attack Symptoms: Increasing chest pain or aching sensation in your chest or arms, short- ness of breath, nausea/indigestion/heartburn, cold sweat, fatigue, lightheadedness, or sudden dizziness Louisiana’s emergency services are prepared to respond to your call and our hospitals are prepared to rapidly provide the care you need, while protecting you from exposure to coronavi- rus. Every minute matters. Sheryl Martin-Schild, M.D., Medical Director of Neurology & Stroke for Touro Infirmary and New Orleans East Hospital , Louisiana Emer- gency Response Network (LERN), and Stroke Medical Director Christopher White, M.D., Chair of Medicine and Cardiology at Ochsner Medical Center, Louisi- ana Emergency Response Network (LERN), and STEMI Medical Director LSUHealth NewOrleans Graduates Honored at Virtual Ceremonies Hundreds of graduating students in LSU Health New Orleans Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Allied Health Professions, Public Health and Dentistry were honored during virtual pre-commencement ceremonies. Faculty, students, and their families were invited to participate in the Zoom ceremo- nies. The programs included greetings from LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan; welcoming remarks from LSU Health New Orleans Chancel- lor Larry Hollier, MD; Joseph Moerschbaecher, PhD, vice chancellor for academic affairs; and the deans and leadership of each school. Class lead- ers shared recollections and acknowledgements. “The impact of the graduation of LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans’ students reaches far beyond our faculty, students and their loved ones,” said Dr. Larry Hollier, LSU Health New Orleans chancellor. “It is our graduates who take care of people in Louisiana. Some also become research scientists whose discoveries advance treatment or prevent disease and others pur- sue academic careers to join us in educating and training future generations of Louisiana health- care professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic emphasizes their critical value. Our graduates will play a large role in the medical response to this public health crisis.” The Spring 2020 Commencement Ceremony will be rescheduled once it is safe to hold large gatherings again. Crisis Counseling Text Line Now Available to Louisiana Residents A new, counseling text line is now available to provide free, confidential, 24/7 support for people in crisis. All someone has to do is text REACHOUT (all caps together) to 741741 to con- nect to a trained crisis counselor who will help individuals de-escalate, identify coping strategies, Jamie Schlottman, CEO of Louisiana Healthcare Connections, right, and Joseph Sullivan, senior vice president of operations, left, are shown as they deliver 100,000 face masks to the Louisiana Primary Care Association (LPCA) on April 9. The LPCA distributed the masks among the state’s network of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Community Health Centers (CHCs) to protect healthcare workers from COVID-19 exposure.