HJNO May/Jun 2021

64 MAY / JUN 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS Hospital Rounds diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy for LCMC Health and its member hospitals. Toni is a subject matter expert on the topics of diversity, strategy and action planning, health- care equity, health and healthcare disparities, community health, cultural competency, execu- tive coaching, customer/patient experience, and social marketing. “LCMC Health strives to reflect diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do by providing healthcare that speaks to our richly diverse com- munity while creating a welcoming and supportive workplace for all,” said Greg Feirn, CEO, LCMC Health. “Toni’s strategic vision and expertise will help further our commitment to equity, by sup- porting our mission of providing health, care, and education beyond extraordinary.” Toni has spent more than two decades focus- ing on diversity and inclusion and health equity and disparities in healthcare. Most recently, she was the inaugural vice president and chief diver- sity and inclusion officer for the Roper St. Francis Healthcare System in Charleston, South Carolina. She served in a similar capacity for the St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital in Pontiac, Mich. “My passion for the work of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in healthcare is longstanding and is fueled by my personal commitment to social jus- tice,” said Flowers. “I have always enjoyed the rich history and culture of New Orleans, and the city itself is representative of diversity. It’s like a great bowl of file gumbo, with all the variety of ingre- dients working together to please the palate. I am thrilled to join the dynamic leadership team at LCMC Health.” Flowers is a member of the executive committee of the American Leadership Council for Diversity in Healthcare and serves as faculty for the Insti- tute for Diversity’s Certificate in Diversity Manage- ment Fellowship. She also serves as an advisor and executive coach to health systems and health- care executives across the country. Toni has been recognized nationally by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for her excellence in program development and the reduction in health disparities. She is a certified social and emotional intelligence coach and has received multiple diversity-related certifications from Cornell University and Georgetown Univer- sity. She is a nurse and medical anthropologist, and for more than 20 years she has served inter- nationally as a medical missionary to many coun- tries throughout Africa, South America, and the West Indies. In 2018 and 2019, Becker’s Hospital Review named Toni one of 50 “Great African American Health Administrators to Know,” noting her influ- ence in impacting how organizations approach healthcare delivery, the development of health- care policy, and advocating for the next genera- tion of leaders. SMHBoard of Commissioners Approves Bond Refunding Issue Chairman of the Board of Slidell Memorial Hos- pital, Joseph “Joe” DiGiovanni, Jr., announced that on March 11, 2021, the Slidell Memorial Hos- pital Board of Commissioners completed a bond refunding issue for its general obligation bonds issued in 2012. This refinancing of the 2012 bonds is the latest in a series of refundings in recent years resulting in savings to taxpayers of more than $3,038,000. The result of this lower rate will be a savings of $254,145.25 over the remaining life of the bond issue for the taxpayers of Wards 6, 7, 8, and 9 in St. Tammany Parish. This new rate will allow the interest savings to be passed to the taxpayers in the form of a faster payoff of the bonds. SMH Chief Executive Officer Sandy Badinger noted that Raymond James provided an interest rate of 1.99%. “We are pleased to say that SMH continues an A+ stable bond credit rating from Standard & Poor’s due to our strong capacity to meet financial commitments,” said Badinger. “We are grateful to be in the position to pass this savings on to the taxpayers in our service dis- trict,” said DiGiovanni. “Slidell Memorial is a com- munity hospital, owned by these taxpayers, and our community counts on the hospital to deliver strong fiscal management. This announcement of the latest refunding demonstrates the promises we have made — and kept — to our community.” Slidell Memorial Hospital Opens NewHigh-Risk Breast Clinic Slidell Memorial Hospital (SMH) brings a new High-Risk Breast Clinic to eastern St. Tammany Parish for patients who may have an increased risk for developing breast cancer. The new clinic aims to bring awareness to patients of their risk factors and educate them about their options, including advanced breast screening and pre- ventive measures. “The High-Risk Breast Clinic is now offered in the community to help identify those patients who are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer over their lifetime,” said SMH Director of Imag- ing Services Noel Venezia, MBA, RT, (R)(M). “This is a pro-active approach that aims to help our patients develop and follow a risk-management plan, instead of waiting to review options after a cancer diagnosis.” As breast cancer risk is a complex and often confusing topic, SMH Imaging Center provides its mammography patients with an individualized estimated lifetime risk assessment. Each patient who receives a mammogram at the SMH Imaging Center is given a Tyrer-Cuzick (TC) score, which is used to calculate a person’s likelihood of develop- ing breast cancer in 10 years and over the course of their lifetime. The estimate is calculated from information patients provide at the time of their mammography visit, such as family history, biopsy pathology and other medical history. The average lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is approx- imately 13%. Patients with a lifetime risk (TC score) of greater than 20% are considered to have an ele- vated risk of developing breast cancer. The Ameri- can Cancer Society recommends that women with a 20% or greater lifetime risk consider additional evaluation such as a Breast MRI. If the patient has a score of 20% or higher, the nurse navigator at the SMH Regional Cancer Cen- ter contacts the patient to determine if they would like to be seen in the High-Risk Breast Clinic by Oncology Nurse Practitioner Jodie Harrison, MSN, APRN, AGNP-C, OCN. Harrison will discuss with the patient their TC score, how to decrease this score, and she will assess whether further test- ing is necessary. “Breast cancer is the most diagnosed and treated cancer in patients seen at the SMH Regional Cancer Center,” said Lisa Reso, RN, BSN, OCN, director of the SMH Regional Cancer Center. “Having this new High-Risk Breast Clinic will greatly benefit our community by helping to catch breast cancer in the very early stages, and ultimately, save lives.” n