HJNO Mar/Apr 2020

38 MAR / APR 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs that can be used to prevent preeclampsia from progressing,” she said. Bayer said she will focus on a combination of two types of medical imaging techniques — con- trast-enhanced ultrasound, which uses microbub- bles to generate the ultrasound image; and pho- toacoustic imagining, which uses a short pulse of light to generate the ultrasound image. “We are using these techniques in our labora- tory to assess the impact of specific drugs that may be helpful in the treatment of preeclamp- sia,” Bayer said. “Using these new imaging tech- niques will provide more information about whether the drugs are having the desired effect on the placenta. American Heart Association’s STEMGoes Red Event Encourages YoungWomen to Explore Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math Although women fill close to half of all the jobs in the U.S. economy, they hold less than 25 per- cent of jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The American Heart Association of Greater New Orleans, and local sponsors like Entergy Corporation, strive to make significant changes to these statistics by empow- ering more women to seek careers in the sci- ences. In order to move medical breakthroughs forward, more women need a seat at the table, making significant contributions to the advance- ment of women’s healthcare. As an extension of the Go Red for Women movement, which empowers communities to build a sustainable culture of health, the Amer- ican Heart Association created STEM Goes Red, designed to encourage young women’s interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and to explore careers in those industries. The American Heart Association’s 2020 STEM Goes Red event, powered by Entergy, engaged 100 high-school girls from Einstein Charter School during a day-long event full of memorable interactions with community leaders. The girls explored STEM outside the classroom, heard insightful talks from leading innovators on industry trends, networked and explored hands on activities, and learned how to take charge of their health and well-being through Go Red. Dur- ing the day, the girls rotated through four break- out sessions covering each field of STEM. More than 5K Providers Receive Clinical Training in 2019 In support of improvements in quality of care and health outcomes, Louisiana Healthcare Con- nections, a Healthy Louisiana Medicaid health plan, made 463 free clinical training opportuni- ties available to healthcare providers across the state in 2019. “Healthcare is constantly evolving, and provid- ers need access to evidence-based, quality-driven training that keeps them up-to-date on medical advances and new models of care,” said Stew- art Gordon, MD, chief medical officer for Louisi- ana Healthcare Connections. “Making this train- ing available at no cost to healthcare providers ensures that their patients – our members – have access to the highest quality of care, and in turn, contributes to improved health outcomes.” In total, Louisiana Healthcare Connections pro- vided 463 clinical training events in 2019, award- ing nearly 676 hours of continuing education to 5,081 healthcare providers. Many of the course offerings awarded continuing education hours (CEUs) for licensure for physicians, nurses, coun- selors, and social workers. Courses focused on best practices for quality care delivery, psycho- tropic medications, systems of care, ADD/ADHD diagnosis and treatment, and other topics. In the health plan’s 2019 annual survey of pro- viders, Louisiana Healthcare Connections’ clinical training team earned a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 95. The Net Promoter Score, or NPS, measures customer experience on a scale from zero to 100. “The trainings have been extremely useful with my patients and address their dialysis treatment adherence barriers,” said Kashenna Lemieux- Bowman, LMSW, with Davita, Inc., a physical health provider with offices across the state. Courtney Farmer, with Family Solutions of Lou- isiana in Baton Rouge, added, “Our agency pro- vides behavioral health services, so the trainings are very useful to our staff while we’re out pro- viding services to the clients in our community.” In addition to the behavioral health and inte- grated care courses, the health plan hosted a free, web-based training series that enabled eligible physicians to complete the educational requirements necessary to become buprenor- phine-waivered to treat Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Conducted by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the series prepared physicians to prescribe and treat opioid depen- dency with buprenorphine in the primary care setting, significantly increasing access to the evi- dence-based treatment. More than 120 physi- cians registered for the course. “Buprenorphine has proven to be a clinically effective therapy that has the potential to reduce the rates of opioid dependency in Louisiana,” said Gordon. “By providing the training neces- sary for physicians to become waivered to pre- scribe this therapy, we are increasing opportu- nities for them to address this addiction at the point of care.” Healthcare providers statewide are encouraged to take advantage of the free clinical training offered by Louisiana Healthcare Connections. To learn more or to register for an upcoming course, visit https://www.louisianahealthconnect.com/ providers/resources/provider-training.html. Stephen R. Russo is Interim Secretary of the Department of Health Stephen R. Russo been appointed by Gov. Edwards to the position of interim secretary of the Department of Health. Russo wrote, “To say the least, I am extremely excited to head our team as we move forward with the Governor’s second term. I am also extremely humbled that the Gov- ernor of our great State has the confidence in me to maintain the Department’s course. I will surely try my best not to let him, or my fellow Depart- ment employees, down.” Russo is a lifelong resident of the Baton Rouge area and has been with the Department for approximately 24 years. He obtained an Account- ing degree from LSU, and graduated from the LSU Law Center in 1994. “During my appointment as interim secretary, Kimberly Humbles will assume the role of head of all Department legal activities. She is extremely dedicated to this Department and works tirelessly to keep LDH legally compliant. We are certainly in good hands with her at the helm.” n