HJNO Jul/Aug 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JUL / AUG 2021 25 receive their training at the MD Andersons of the world. If you look at the roster of our oncologists and inspect or review where they trained, they’ve been trained at Har- vard, at MDAnderson, Memorial Sloan Ket- tering. The premier cancer centers in the U.S. are where the team at Mary Bird Per- kins trained, so patients have the benefit not only of receiving the same course of care locally that they would have received at MD Anderson, but they also receive it from phy- sicians and providers who trained at those major academic programs. Editor So, a little about you. You wear at least two hats at Mary Bird Perkins — chief operat- ing officer and chief of medical physics. Do you prefer one over the other? Fontenot I don’t know if I can answer that one, Dianne. It probably depends on when you ask me. I was touched by cancer at a very young age; I grew up with an interest in wanting to get involved in some way, to help in whatever way that I could, patients who had a cancer diagnosis. I didn’t know how I would do that when I figured out that that’s what I wanted to do, but it was something that was important to me. I found my way into physics as an undergraduate student and had no idea what I was going to do with that degree as it applied to what my goals were until I, just by happenstance, was made aware of the field of medical physics, which was an ideal fit for me because it really is the intersection of the science of technol- ogy with the art of medicine. I enrolled in the graduate school at MD Anderson in Houston and got a PhD in medical physics there, got board certified in medical physics and practiced here at Mary Bird starting about 13 years ago. And that’s what I wanted to do. That was my motiva- tion. The academic program that Mary Bird Perkins has with LSU to support medical physics is partly what drew me here, and being able to get involved in education and research in oncology as a medical physicist were all things that appealed to me. Somewhere along the way, very early on, early detection program would not be available without so many businesses, in- dividuals, grantors and others in the com- munity offering support to patients who otherwise would not be able to receive care. In addition, there are often assistance programs available. Your staff sees more late-state cancer diagnoses than other parts of the coun- try, so your team is working with sicker patients and having more end-of-life discussions than their counterparts — how do you help support the stress that brings to the staff’s mental health? The physicians who have these discus- sions with patients are uniquely trained to deliver this kind of information to patients. Internally, we have programs that physi- cians and team members can access if needed. We do offer a unique Team Lavendar program, which offers timely emotional, spiritual and physical support to staff in dis- tress. Team members can discuss feelings, explore coping mechanisms and extend additional resources for support continuum to employees who have experienced emo- tional distress due to patient tragedy and/ or loss during the course of their daily du- ties at TGMC. This fosters an environment that promotes self-care, self-reflection and emotional support to reduce compassion fatigue and burnout. What do you find typically attracts healthcare workers to cancer care at the Cancer Center? The Terrebonne General Health System and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center team of physicians and other healthcare professionals that work with patients are special. It’s not something every healthcare provider can or wants to do, but fortunately we have the most talented people in the region who have chosen oncology as their calling and work to put patients and their families at the center of all they do each and every day. The pandemic has shifted healthcare workers, especially nurses, around the country. Are there positions the center is currently finding challenging to fill? We’ve been fortunate in that the Can- cer Center’s nurses and other providers are extremely loyal to our patients, and we haven’t seen the tremendous turnover other facilities have seen. Many of our staff members are from this area, and caring for their community made up of their family and friends is one of the benefits that they cite as a significant advantage of being a part of the Cancer Center team. We are ex- tremely proud of our entire team’s dedica- tion to our mission. Has the establishment of MBPCC made a difference in cancer mortality rates in Terrebonne parish? While we don’t have a specific way of determining a difference in mortality rates, we do have data related to our Prevention on the Go program, which we believe does have an impact on mortality rates and bet- ter outcomes. Following is data since we started our Prevention on the Go program in Houma in 2009. • Total number of screenings 12,425 • Patients with abnormal findings: 1,269 • Cancers Diagnosed: 58 What do you see in the future for oncolo- gy centers like Terrebonne General Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center? The continued advancement of highly- individualized treatment plans, specialty cancer physicians and the ability to treat more cancers as chronic diseases. Will you please describe the “la cloche de la vie” and explain what it means to your patients and staff? “La cloche de la vie” means “The Bell of Life.” On the last day of a prescribed treatment plan, our patients get to ring the bell. The last day of treatment offers a special time of celebration. Spouses, chil- dren, mothers, fathers and the care team surround the patient as they ring La Cloche de la Vie, or The Bell of Life. The bell signifies the end of one journey and the beginning of another. The ringing of the bell is for all to hear — some patients choose to gently ring it while others strike it hard. Regardless of how they choose to cel- ebrate this triumph, it is an unprecedented moment of joy. Diane Yeates has served as the chief operating officer at Terrebonne General Health System since 2007 and has served the hospital in various capacities since 1989. Her extensive previous roles with TerrebonneGeneral include serving as chief financial officer, director of patient financial service, and director of budget reimbursement. Mary Bird Perkins Partnership, Terrebonne General Health System continued...