HJNO Sep/Oct 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  SEP / OCT 2021 59 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com Among the objectives of the program is the opportunity for these new nurses to understand the continuum of care across the entire LCMC Health care system. “The program provided the opportunity to communicate and learn with other units across the entire hospital system,” said Mar- ilyn Diaz, a registered nurse at University Medical Center, a 2020 graduate of the Delgado Charity School of Nursing. “I found this to be very valu- able in beginning my nursing career.” “The program provided encouragement and empowerment for the nursing profession, which was important to me especially being a new nurse,” stated Lucy Mendez, who works on the University Medical Center Telemetry unit, a 2018 graduate of the Delgado Charity School of Nursing. STQNAnnounces 2021 Second Quarter Medical Director’s Award The St. Tammany Quality Network (STQN) pre- sented its 2021 second-quarter Medical Director’s Award to Angela Buonagura, MD, for assisting in the continued development of the breast cancer program at St. Tammany Health System (STHS). “We are so fortunate to have Dr. Buona- gura back in our community and leading the oncology nurses and navigators. • Access to Ochsner’s clinical trials, totaling more than 160, including Ochsner’s early phase Precision Cancer Therapies Program. “Since our partnership began in 2014, Ochsner Health and St. Tammany Health System have been committed to growing services and enhancing access to care on the Northshore, and today is an exciting step forward as we celebrate the opening of the cancer center,” said Warner Thomas, pres- ident and CEO, Ochsner Health. “This new cen- ter will give patients access to the latest in can- cer treatments and therapies as well as advanced clinical trials in their local community, so they can receive the best cancer care close to home with friends and family by their side.” “The opening of this facility really does mark a new day for cancer care in St. Tammany Par- ish,” STHS President and CEO Joan Coffman said. “First and foremost, it enables St. Tammany Health System, working with our partners at Och- sner, to further raise the bar on the quality can- cer services we’ve been providing our Northshore neighbors for years. What I’m most grateful for, however – and what I think many in the commu- nity will be most grateful for – is that it will mean so many will be able to find the world-class cancer care they need right here, close home and in their own backyard. That truly is a blessing.” “The new cancer center offers more than just much needed extra space and a new building,” said Brian Moore, MD, FACS, medical director, Ochsner Cancer Institute. “It reinforces our com- mitment to collaborative, patient-centered care using the latest technology, innovative treatments and a holistic approach. Our team of experts are among the best trained and renowned clinicians in the nation and with our multi-specialty care team are able to treat common and rare forms of cancer.” LCMCHealth Awarded Commission on Collegiate Nurse Education Accreditation LCMC Health was recently awarded a Com- mission on Collegiate Nurse Education (CCNE) accreditation for the system’s Academy for Nov- ice to Experience Registered Nurses (LANTERN) nurse residency program. Currently, there are only 33 institutions in the United States that have earned this distinction, with LCMC Health as the only one in Louisiana. The LCMC Health LANTERN program is a 12-month course designed as a component of the new graduate nursing orientation program at all LCMC Health facilities. Its goal is to build con- fidence and provide support at the beginning of a new nurse’s professional journey, giving the nurse resident the tools to be successful. “We recognize that to be successful a new grad- uate registered nurse requires support in many forms,” says Denise Danna, MD, University Medi- cal Center’s chief nursing officer, and adjunct asso- ciate professor and director of academic practice partnerships with LSUH School of Nursing. “The year is like a fellowship with our nurse residents earning significant work experience alongside expert colleagues to enhance their clinical and professional training opportunities during this first year of transition.” The program was initiated at LCMC Health in the fall of 2017, and since its launch, 894 nurses have completed the training. All newly graduated nurses who accept a position at an LCMC Health hospital are automatically enrolled in the LAN- TERN program, another benefit to joining the healthcare system’s nursing family. The St. Tammany Quality Network (STQN) presented its 2021 second-quarter Medical Director’s Award to Angela Buonagura, MD.