HJNO Sep/Oct 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  SEP / OCT 2020 31 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com • YWCA of Northwest Louisiana in Shreveport • The Extra Mile in Alexandria • Total Community Action in New Orleans “The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges to our state, and as part of our mission to transform health in Louisiana, we are commit- ted to partnering with community organizations and healthcare providers to address those chal- lenges,” said Jamie Schlottman, CEO and plan president of Louisiana Healthcare Connections. “We are very appreciative of all our community partners for helping us to get this support to the families and individuals who need it most.” DCHC Receives $60K from Delta Dental Community Care Foundation to Provide Dental Services to Vulnerable Communities DePaul Community Health Centers (DCHC) received a $60,000 grant from the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation to subsidize the dental care of low-income patients and to assist DCHC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This marks the fifth consecutive year that the foundation awarded funding to DCHC to support patients who have little or no dental insurance. “The Delta Dental Community Care Founda- tion is to be commended for its efforts in support- ing community health centers and the patients we serve, and we are thankful for this partner- ship,” said Michael G. Griffin, president/CEO of DCHC. “Unfortunately, many of our patients can- not afford dental care, and they too often dis- miss the effect their oral health has on their over- all health. This funding enhances the holistic care patients receive at our ten health centers by covering a portion or all of their dental care expenses.” DCHC works to address various social determi- nants of health that prevent or reduce patients’ access to healthcare. The DCCF was founded in 2011 to increase access to dental care for persons in underserved communities. “The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations to increase access to care for vulnerable populations,” said Kenzie Ferguson, vice president for foundation and corporate social responsibility for Delta Den- tal of California and its affiliates. “We are proud to work with DePaul Community Health Cen- ters and support the important work its team is doing to provide vital care during this pandemic in Louisiana.” CIS Now Seeing Patients in Uptown NewOrleans Having practiced cardiology for 40 years, Dr. Sid Bhansali is now partnering with Cardiovas- cular Institute of the South to provide advanced cardiovascular care to patients in Uptown New Orleans at 2633 Napoleon Avenue #500. He is joined by CIS interventional cardiolo- gists, Drs. Owen Mogabgab and Michael Gaglia, in seeing patients at this location.  This partnership expands Bhansali’s services while continuing to provide high-quality cardio- vascular diagnostics and treatment to the com- munity. Together, these three cardiologists will bring an advanced level of expertise close to home for those in the Uptown area. Mogabgab and Gaglia also see patients at CIS clinics in Harvey and Luling. CIS has 19 locations throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. Tulane Scientists Find a Switch to Flip and Turn off Breast Cancer Growth, Metastasis Researchers at Tulane University School of Med- icine identified a gene that causes an aggres- sive form of breast cancer to rapidly grow. More importantly, they have also discovered a way to “turn it off” and inhibit cancer from occur- ring. The animal study results have been so com- pelling that the team is now working on FDA approval to begin clinical trials and has published details in the journal Scientific Reports. The team led by Dr. Reza Izadpanah exam- ined the role two genes, including one whose involvement in cancer was discovered by Tulane researchers, play in causing triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC is considered to be the most aggressive of breast cancers, with a much poorer prognosis for treatment and survival. Iza- dpanah’s team specifically identified an inhibi- tor of the TRAF3IP2 gene, which was proven to suppress the growth and spread (metastasis) of TNBC in mouse models that closely resemble humans. In parallel studies looking at a duo of genes - TRAF3IP2 and Rab27a, which play roles in the secretion of substances that can cause tumor for- mation – the research teams studied what hap- pens when they were stopped from functioning. Suppressing the expression of either gene led to a decline in both tumor growth and the spread of cancer to other organs. Izadpanah says that when Rab27a was silenced, the tumor did not grow but Sid Bhansali, MD Owen Mogabgab, MD Michael Gaglia, MD