HJNO May/Jun 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  MAY / JUN 2020 35 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com Verification Portal at https://lsbn.boardsofnurs - ing.org/licenselookup. The second emergency rule amended LAC 46:XLVII.4513 with respect to authorized prac- tice of APRNs. Under the emergency provisions, APRNs are allowed to work at sites not previously reported to the LSBN in collaboration with phy- sicians in which there is a current collaborative practice agreement in place. State agencies are given the authority through La. R.S. 49:953(B) to adopt temporary rules to cre- ate emergency provisions to prevent an imminent peril to the public health, safety, or welfare. The emergency actions taken will increase the num- ber of RNs and Advanced Practice RNs available to take care of all Louisianans during this current health crisis. Resource for Children: Caroline Conquers her Corona Fears A trio of LSU Health New Orleans Clinical Reha- bilitation and Counseling colleagues, who are counselors and Registered Play Therapists, have developed a creative and innovative resource for parents and caregivers to help children cope with the stress and anxiety of the COVID-19 pan- demic. The book is helping children not only in New Orleans, but all over the United States. “Caroline Conquers Her Corona Fears allows kids to discover ways to cope with the many evolving changes through playful, alleviating techniques,” said Erin Dugan, PhD, CRC, NCC, LPC-S, registered play therapist supervisor, pro- fessor and interim head of the Department of Clinical Rehabilitation and Counseling at LSU Health New Orleans School of Allied Health Professions. “When cases began appearing in New Orleans and our University was making plans to imple- ment remote learning, we knew we needed to create a resource, a bibliotherapy resource, to help support the children during the COVID- 19 pandemic,” said Associate Professor Krystal Vaughn, PhD, CRC, NCC, LPC-S, registered play therapist supervisor. Bibliotherapy is a technique where therapists use books as a tool to treat mental or psycho- logical disorders. “It has gained much recogni- tion over the years and especially helps connect kids to current events, thoughts and feelings,” added Dugan. “We knew it would be important to find ways to connect with our patients as this pandemic has increased the stress levels and worry levels of not only our clients, but their family members as well,” noted Assistant Professor Kellie Camel- ford, PhD, LPC-S, NCC, an assistant professor in the department. They started brainstorming. What would the children be thinking about? What would con- cern them the most? What questions would they have? What information would be the most help- ful? And, what was the best format to reach the children? “Dr. Camelford started doodling and drawing, and that’s when we collectively thought it might be fun to have it as a coloring book since that is a great activity for kids to utilize as a coping tech- nique,” said Vaughn. “Coloring is often a coping technique I share with clients of all ages as a way to reduce stress or anxiety,” Camelford said. “There’s something freeing for someone to have only one task to focus on that is mindless and mindful all at the same time.” Camelford also illustrated the book. “Drawing, doodling, and coloring are techniques that I use as a personal coping technique and probably why I enjoyed working on this project so much.” What began as an idea in a meeting in a confer- ence room quickly began to take shape, and as much more than a simple coloring book. “We would pass the book off to one another to make edits and share ideas,” recalled Vaughn. “It became a passion project that we would work on at night during the first hectic week of working remotely and training to provide for telehealth services.” Caroline Conquers her Corona Fears is a coping skills book that children can enjoy while learning to navigate the strange new world of the COVID- 19 pandemic. They travel along with Caroline, a New Orleans girl who is the main character. Her journey takes her through her school closing, staying at home with her family while her parents work, and she goes to school on her computer. They see her question why her friends can’t come over and why she can’t hug her grandmother. It explains terminology like “social distancing” and “flattening the curve.” The book offers numerous coping skills, the development of a coping bag, and a visual sched- ule to organize their days. “What started out as a way to help our clients in our clinic has really taken off nationally,” Vaughn said. “Since we posted this booklet on our web- site, it is accessible to many and we made it free because we know many are in need of resources,” Dugan said. “We’ve had extreme outreach from schools in Oregon to hospitals in Chicago looking to use the book and thanking us for making the book available so that they can give it to mem- bers of their community.” “We have been surprised at the impact this small project has made throughout the nation and humbled that we have created a resource that people connect with,” added Camelford. “The project was fun for me because it allowed me the opportunity to practice what I preach. At a time when things were unknown and changes were fast-paced, I could focus on simplistic images to create and draw.” Caroline Conquers her Corona Fears is free and available for download at https://alliedhealth. lsuhsc.edu/clinics/docs/CarolineConquersHer- CoronaFears32020.pdf. Underlying Health Conditions ShowNeed for Community Health Centers Recent media reports regarding the high COVID-19 death rate in the New Orleans area point to various health problems experienced by many people in Louisiana. Some of these condi- tions include diabetes, hypertension, heart dis- ease, and obesity. Michael G. Griffin, president/ CEO of Ascension DePaul Services, noted that health centers, such as the 10 he oversees in the New Orleans area, operating as DePaul Commu- nity Health Centers (DCHC), are key to helping patients address these health conditions. “Oftentimes, many of the patients we treat are visiting a healthcare provider for the first time in many years. Patients, especially those in under- served populations, suffer with underlying or undiagnosed health conditions for a long time. Thanks to our mission, the accessibility of our health centers, our sliding fee scale, and the out- reach that we employ, we’re able to better serve