HJNO Sep/Oct 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  SEP / OCT 2021 35 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com Advocate of the Year Award from the Louisiana Primary Care Association (LPCA), acknowledging an outstanding consumer who has made signifi- cant contributions toward promoting the mission of federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and excelled in grassroots advocacy on behalf of Lou- isiana’s FQHCs. She serves as a member of the New Orleans East Vaccine Task Force, led by Councilwoman Cyndi Nguyen, to ensure that members of District E receive access to COVID-19 vaccines. Julie is also recording secretary and board member for the New Orleans African Ameri- can Museum of Culture and History; a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; and a board member and financial secretary of Pleasant Zion Missionary Baptist Church. Hansen and Henderson will be celebrated as Health Care Heroes Oct. 25 at the New Orleans Museum. Ochsner Kidney Care to Open Five Locations Ochsner Kidney Care, a joint venture of Och- sner Health and NRC LA, will open five locations in 2021 to provide coordinated medical care and dialysis services to patients living with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. The first location, Ochsner Kidney Care – Jefferson Highway, is now open to Ochsner patients at 320 Maine Street in Jefferson. “We are excited to work with NRC to open centers dedicated to our patients who need to receive dialysis or other renal care services,” said Ochsner Health Chief Medical Officer Robert Hart, MD. “Patients with kidney disease often receive treatment for other conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease. Offering outpatient renal care services as part of the Ochsner system means patients can expect a more coordinated care experience for all of their health-related needs. It also means a more seamless transition from inpatient to outpatient kidney care.” The new Ochsner Kidney Care centers, under the direction of the Ochsner nephrology team, will provide comprehensive kidney care and long- term disease management. Four additional locations will open between June and December 2021. In addition to the Jef- ferson Highway location, Ochsner Kidney Care will open the following locations: • Ochsner Kidney Care – Algiers (4001 Gen- eral De Gaulle Drive, New Orleans) • Ochsner Kidney Care – Marrero (1201- 1219 Barataria Blvd., Marrero) • Ochsner Kidney Care – Metairie (4300 W. Esplanade Ave., Metairie) An Ochsner Kidney Care – Home Dialysis Cen- ter will also be built in Kenner later this year. This center will provide services, training and support designed for patients who can receive dialysis treatment at home. Ochsner Kidney Care – Jefferson Highway will be open Monday-Friday from 5 a.m.-6 p.m. Monica Sanusi Gelé Named Executive Director of Ascension DePaul Foundation NewOrleans Monica Sanusi Gelé, CFRE, joins Ascension DePaul Foundation New Orleans, the fundrais- ing entity for DePaul Community Health Centers, as executive director for development. She has more than 25 years of fundraising experience and most recently served on the executive leadership teams for both the Academy of the Sacred Heart and Holy Cross School. Monica, who has raised more than $65 million during her career, also previously served as direc- tor of philanthropy for the March of Dimes Foun- dation’s prematurity research center at Wash- ington University in St. Louis, Missouri, helping the Foundation launch its first major gifts cam- paign. She received her CFRE designation in 2016 through CFRE International. Monica, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, graduated from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, with a double major in fine arts and art history. She worked for 10 years as an arts administrator and director for arts nonprofits, gal- leries and museums in both Mississippi and Lou- isiana, where she also served as a volunteer and board member for various nonprofits. LSUHealth NewOrleans Study Reports Compound Blocks SARS-CoV-2, Protects Lung Cells Research conducted at LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence reports that elovanoids, bioactive chemical messengers made from omega-3 very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids discovered by the Bazan lab in 2017, may block the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering cells and protect the air cells (alveoli) of the lung. Their findings are published online in Scientific Reports. “Because the compounds are protective against damage in the brain and retina of the eye and the COVID-19 virus clearly damages the lung, the experiment tested if the compounds would also protect the lung,” notes Nicolas Bazan, MD, PhD, director of the LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center and senior author of the paper. The research team tested elovanoids (ELVs) on infected lung tissue from a 78-year-old man in petri dish cultures. They found that ELVs not only reduced the ability of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to bind to receptors and enter cells, but they also triggered the production of protective, anti-inflammatory proteins that counteract lung damage. The scientists report that ELVs decreased the production of ACE2. ACE2 is a protein on the surface of many cell types. ACE2 receptors act like locks on cells, and the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins act like keys that open the locks, letting the virus enter cells to multiply rapidly. They also demonstrated for the first time that alveolar cells are endowed with pathways for the biosynthe- sis of ELVs. “Since SARS-CoV-2 affects nasal mucosa, the GI tract, the eye, and the nervous system, uncov- ering the protective potential of ELVs expands the scope of our observations beyond the lung,” adds Bazan. “Our results provide a foundation for interventions to modify disease risk, progression, Monica Sanusi Gelé, CFRE