HJNO Sep/Oct 2021

34 SEP / OCT 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs LSUHealth NewOrleans Awarded $2.38M to Sequence COVID-19 Virus Variants LSU Health New Orleans has been awarded $2.38 million in funding to lead partnerships to sequence SARS-CoV-2 variants. The funding is from a contract with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) and a National Institute of Gen- eral Medical Sciences supplement to the LACaTS (Louisiana Clinical & Translational Science Cen- ter) grant. Lucio Miele, MD, PhD, professor and chair of genetics, and assistant dean for translational sci- ence at LSU Health New Orleans School of Med- icine, will sequence samples from breakthrough cases, re-infections, cases among unvaccinated individuals and vulnerable patients — cancer and transplant patients, as well as those treated with immunosuppressants for autoimmune diseases. Under the LDH contract, Ochsner and LDH will do the sampling, and LSU Health New Orleans will do the sequencing. This project is a public- private partnership in collaboration with a small Louisiana-based bioinformatics company (BIE) for analytics and data interpretation. The National Institutes of Health funding will focus on cases occurring in underserved and minority patients. Partners also include Ochsner and BIE, as well as Xavier University. Xavier will perform community engagement and health liter- acy work. Specifically, they will develop culturally sensitive educational material with the assistance of the LACaTS Community Engagement Core to explain the importance of continued surveillance and the significance of variants. Over the past year, Miele has sequenced sam- ples from patients infected with the COVID-19 virus. “As many as 28 different variants were cir- culating simultaneously over the last few months. We did find the California variants, and the most prevalent is B.1.1.7, the UK variant.” As the new projects get underway, he fully expects to find more of the variants that have been reported in other parts of Louisiana and the country. DCHC: HIV Plagues Baton Rouge, NewOrleans While the COVID-19 virus pandemic contin- ues to understandably garner the lion’s share of attention within the healthcare community, other conditions and diseases such HIV continue to impact the community. Approximately 50% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States and dependent areas are in the South, despite these areas comprising only one-third of this country’s entire population. Moreover, an estimated 1.2 million people 13 years of age and older are liv- ing with HIV in the United States. Per HIV.gov, Baton Rouge ranks No. 1 nationally among cit- ies with the highest HIV rates, and New Orleans ranks third. More than 21,000 people in Louisiana are living with HIV, and more than half of them have AIDS. Stacy Greene, MD, infectious disease lead at DePaul Community Health Centers (DCHC), has seen firsthand the reduction in patients address- ing HIV prevention and management over the past year and looks forward to increasing out- reach in an effort to reduce the number of new HIV cases in this region. “During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an exacerbation in the gaps in the HIV care continuum. This was due to limited physi- cal access to HIV care and prevention because of COVID-19 safety precautions. Just as it was shown that COVID-19 disproportionately affected minor- ities and the marginalized, HIV also dispropor- tionately affects minorities,” said Greene. “Afri- can Americans make up 32% of the population in Louisiana, but comprised 66% of newly diag- nosed HIV cases and 74% of newly diagnosed AIDS cases in 2019. COVID-19 has demonstrated emphasis on improving the social determinants of health for many diseases, including HIV, among the marginalized.” DCHC offers high-quality and confidential assis- tance for patients living with HIV and those who are at a higher risk of contracting it. The pre- exposure prophylaxis or PrEP represents one of the main treatments Greene uses to help patients who do not have HIV, but who are at a substantial risk of getting it from sex or injection use. PrEP, if taken daily, works to keep HIV from becoming permanent, reduces the risk of HIV infection by 92% and is more impactful when combined with condoms and other prevention methods. “We now have effective medical care to help end the HIV epidemic. When patients diagnosed with HIV are on effective therapy and have an undetected viral load, the scientific data says they can’t transmit HIV. PrEP, when taken as prescribed in a person who is HIV negative, helps to effec- tively prevent HIV in someone who is exposed,” said Greene. DCHC treats everyone, regardless of their abil- ity to pay, and accepts Medicare, Medicaid, ACA and commercial insurance. A sliding fee scale (discounted fee schedule) is available for those who qualify. NO Saints Head TeamPhysician Larry Bankston, MD, Steps Away from Sidelines After serving four seasons as head team phy- sician for the New Orleans Saints, Larry “Chip” Bankston, MD, has chosen to depart from the Superdome sidelines. “It has been an unbelievable honor and privi- lege to serve as the Saints head team physician over the last four years,” said Bankston. DCHC’s Michael Hansen, MP, Julie Henderson Named Health Care Heroes DePaul Community Health Centers’ associates Michael Hansen, medical psychologist, and Julie Henderson, executive assistant to the president/ CEO, board liaison and chief advocacy leader, were recently named 2021 Health Care Hero hon- orees by New Orleans CityBusiness. Health Care Heroes, which began in 2007, recognizes health- care professionals in the New Orleans area in six categories: animal care, first responder, nurse, physician, professional and volunteer. Honorees are selected based on industry and community involvement and achievement that have set the pace for the overall community. Hansen advocates nationally for faith-based health clinics to enhance behavioral health out- reach to underserved communities. He provides mental health training and advocacy support for the Collaborative Family Health Association, Christian Community Health Fellowship and the Governor’s Commission on Youth and Juvenile Justice. His work with the latter organization dur- ing the pandemic involved training juvenile jus- tice professionals on recognizing mental health issues in youth. Recently, Henderson received the Consumer