HJNO Mar/Apr 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  MAR / APR 2021 33 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com Jennesia Primas, JD, DDS, Named DCHC’s Dental Director DePaul Community Health Centers (DCHC) recently named Jennesia Primas, JD, DDS, as its dental director. DCHC, which operates 10 health centers throughout metro New Orleans, offers dental services at its Carrollton, St. Cecilia, and Gentilly health centers. Primas, who joined DCHC in December 2017, grew up in Washington, D.C., and moved to Tal- lahassee, Florida. where she completed high school. She received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Juris Doctorate from Florida State University. Upon graduation from law school, she relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. where she practiced tax com- pliance and business litigation. After much con- sideration, Primas decided to return to school for dentistry after completing a pre-medicine post- baccalaureate program. She received a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015, and received a General Practice Resi- dency certificate from the Louisiana State Univer- sity School of Dentistry. “Oral health is integral to overall health and quality of life. DCHC and the dental team play a crucial role in reducing oral health disparities and improving access to care. The convenience and affordability of the services we provide go hand- in-hand with our mission of providing high-qual- ity, compassionate health care to everyone we serve,” said Primas. “Our team also works to edu- cate our patients on the importance of children establishing a dental home by the age of one, with continued regular check-ups through adult- hood, and on the benefits of developing good oral hygiene habits.” Hope House Announces 2021 Schedule of Free Abuse Prevention Trainings Children’s Advocacy Center - Hope House, a nonprofit organization that provides forensic interviews and free counseling to child abuse vic- tims in St. Tammany and Washington parishes, will host monthly child abuse prevention trainings online for adults and children throughout 2021. All trainings are free and will be conducted via Zoom meeting by Hope House’s expert team of authorized facilitators. The trainings are nationally acclaimed and provide critical education on pre- venting, recognizing and responding to potential cases of physical or sexual abuse. “Hope House provides critical first response when cases of child abuse arise in our community, but we also focus heavily on abuse prevention and community education,” says Hope House Executive Director Thomas Mitchell. “By creat- ing a better-informed community, we can thwart needless trauma for hundreds, if not thousands, of children on the Northshore.” Hope House’s Stewards of Children abuse pre- vention training is for parents, or other adults who work with or volunteer with kids. It is evidence- based and empowering, and has been shown to work. The two-hour training includes facilitator- led discussion and compelling video featuring experts, parents and adult survivors of abuse. Participants learn specific concrete actions that they can take, as individuals and as a part of big- ger organizations, that work to protect children. Individuals can register for trainings at www. cachopehouse.org/prevention , or by emailing jessica@cachopehouse.org or calling (985) 892- 3885, ext 1. Terry Delord, MD, Receives Physician Summit Award Terry Delord, PhD, MD, with South Louisiana Medical Associates in Houma has been named the recipient of the 2020 Physician Summit Award from Louisiana Healthcare Connections for dem- onstrating a commitment to high quality, acces- sible care. The Physician Summit Award is given annually to the healthcare provider that achieves the high- est scores in key Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) quality measures across the health plan’s network. Delord scored the highest among Louisiana Healthcare Connections’ 27,000+ provider net- work in measures like Adults Access to Preven- tive/Ambulatory Health Services, comprehen- sive diabetes care, and cervical cancer screening. “Dr. Delord and his staff at South Louisiana Medical Associates provide our members with exemplary care, and demonstrate a commitment to quality,” says Stewart Gordon, MD, chief med- ical officer at Louisiana Healthcare Connections. New Lung Association Report: Ending Tobacco Use in Louisiana Critical to Saving Lives, Especially During Pandemic The American Lung Association released the 19th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report, which reveals that Louisiana received mostly fail- ing grades for its efforts to reduce and prevent tobacco use, including electronic cigarettes. This year’s report grades federal and state efforts to reduce tobacco use and calls for meaningful pol- icies that will prevent and reduce tobacco use and save lives. Even amid the pandemic, tobacco use remains a serious public health threat. Tobacco use is the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and disease, taking an estimated 480,000 lives every year. In addition to tobacco-related death and disease, smoking also increases the risk of the most severe impacts of COVID-19, making ending tobacco use more important than ever. Much like COVID-19, tobacco use and second- hand smoke exposure disproportionately impacts certain communities, including communities of color, LGTBQ+ Americans and persons of lower income. This year’s report finds that in 2021 Louisiana Terry Delord, MD, receives Physician Summit Award.