HJNO Mar/Apr 2020

DIALOGUE 14 MAR / APR 2020 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Chief Editor Smith W. Hartley What is the historical significance of Touro to New Orleans? Manny Linares  Touro is rich in NewOrleans history. It was founded in 1852, and is New Orleans’ only community-based, faith- based, not-for-profit hospital. Judah Touro founded Touro Infirmary on the principals of Judaism, and it is by those principles that we provide the highest quality and most com- passionate healthcare. Touro provides services to care for our community at every stage of life, but our his- tory of delivering babies is a staple in New Orleans. Generations of families were born at Touro, and we are honored to be the place where NewOrleans babies come from, and somuchmore. As we continue to growwith the needs of our community, we want our patients to continue to see Touro as their community hospital, providing the most advanced healthcare options, and the best place to receive care. Editor What are some of the biggest chal- lenges you face? Linares  A challenge for healthcare in gen- eral is the rising costs of care. Our patients struggle with high insurance premiums, and hospitals struggle to offset costs in any way that we can. That is a challenge we all face, and one that, unfortunately, isn’t going away. Themost important factor is the patient, and providing each individual with the care they need. Patient access to care is a big challenge we face, especially in NewOrleans. Somany members of our community are not receiv- ing preventative healthcare, which can lead to significant health problems in the future. Our goal is to improve the health of our community, and that means looking at more outreach opportunities, and creating access points outside of the hospital walls where patients can receive the care they need. M anuel “Manny” Linares joined Touro as president and chief executive officer in July 2019. An accomplished healthcare executive with more than 30 years of experience, Manny previously served as market chief executive officer for Tenet Healthcare Corporation in Florida. Manny has served in several leadership roles during his tenure, and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in strategic planning, compliance regulations, improvingoperational efficiency, and increasing market share. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Health Services Administration from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. As president and CEO of Touro, Manny has made great strides in increasing patient access, service line growth, and implementing operational improvements and efficiency. Manny has also influenced the growth of new services at Touro, launching a senior care program in 2020. With an aging patient population in New Orleans, Touro has developed a comprehensive senior care program, including a new inpatient unit and emergency department specializing in geriatric medicine. For over 167 years, Touro has served as New Orleans’ community hospital, and under Manny’s leadership, that commitment to community will strengthen. Manny’s transparent leadership style and open- door policy has strengthened the culture of Touro, and employee engagement is at an all-time high. Since joining the Touro team in July, Manny has fully embraced Touro and the New Orleans culture. A self-described foodie, Manny loves receiving recommendations from Touro staff on the best places to eat, and he hasn’t been disappointed yet. With experience being Touro’s focus in 2020, Manny plans to continue the hospital’s growth and success, and elevate the patient, physician, and employee experience at Touro.