HJNO Mar/Apr 2022

36 MAR / APR 2022  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs not changed. LDH has reviewed the latest CDC recommenda- tion and alerted all vaccine providers in the state that this guidance is effective immediately. Data show that COVID-19 boosters help broaden and strengthen protection against Omi- cron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants. LSUHealth NO Precision Medicine Lab Earns CAP Accreditation The Precision Medicine Laboratory at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine has been fully accredited by the College of Ameri- can Pathologists. “I believe that few such molecular laboratories formed during the COVID pandemic possess this accreditation, which is a seal of quality,” said Gor- don Love, MD, LSU Health New Orleans profes- sor and chair of pathology. The laboratory, conceived to bring Next Gen- eration Sequencing (NGS) technologies to the clinical arena, was built and launched over the past two years. The $2 million laboratory is a col- laboration of the Departments of Pathology and Genetics. Co-Directed by Love and Lucio Miele, MD, PHD, professor and chair of genetics, LSU Health New Orleans’ Precision Medicine Laboratory has been sequencing positive coronavirus patient samples to determine what strains of the virus are circulating in the New Orleans area. The lab was the first to identify the Delta variant in New Orleans and one of the first to find the Omicron variant in the area. “LSU Health New Orleans’ Precision Medicine Laboratory is one of the few accredited labora- tories doing this work,” said Miele. “That’s the only way to really keep track of what the virus is doing.” According to the College of American Patholo- gists, CAP Laboratory Accreditation helps labora- tories maintain the accuracy of test results; ensure accurate patient diagnosis; and meet required standards from CLIA, FDA, and OSHA. “We are very proud of this validation of the high quality of our Precision Medicine Laboratory,” says Dr. Steve Nelson, LSU Health New Orleans Interim Chancellor. “The real-time information our faculty and staff are providing about SARS-CoV-2 is invaluable in the pandemic response.” University of Queensland Ochsner Clinical School Holds Virtual White Coat Ceremony The University of Queensland Ochsner Clini- cal School held its 12th annual White Coat Cer- emony, virtually. During the event, 96 doctors-in-training received their white coats and were honored with Humanism in Medicine pins. Medical students from UQ Ochsner Clinical School who received their white coats have opportunities to give back to communi- ties, in New Orleans and abroad, through proj- ects facilitated by the Ochsner Medical Student Association (OMSA). Programs include Walk with a Future Doc, a national nonprofit that encour- ages healthy physical activity in people of all ages; Ochsner’s “Save-A-Voice” ALS Voice Bank- ing team, made up of students who volunteer their time to help patients with newly diagnosed ALS record their voices; and The UQ STAR men- torship program, in which the UQ Ochsner Clin- ical School students mentor a select cohort of high school seniors by teaching clinical examina- tion skills and other medical knowledge. Ascension DePaul Foundation Announces New BoardMembers Ascension DePaul Foundation New Orleans, formerly Daughters of Charity Foundation of New Orleans, recently welcomed its 2021-2022 roster of newly appointed board members. The Founda- tion is the philanthropic advocate for Ascension DePaul Services New Orleans and DePaul Com- munity Health Centers and supports the strategic direction and mission of both entities to provide high-quality, comprehensive, affordable health- care for all members of the community, regard- less of their ability to pay. The Foundation is the legacy organization of the Daughters of Charity, founded by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac in Paris, France in 1633. The Daughters began their health Min- istry in New Orleans in the 1800s at Charity and Hotel Dieu Hospitals. For centuries, the Daugh- ters have focused their service toward the poorest and most vulnerable, touching the lives of many through healthcare, education, and social and pastoral ministries throughout the world. Monica Sanusi Gelé, CFRE, is the Foundation’s executive director. Michael deYoung, invest- ment management consultant, Capital Consult- ing, serves as chair of the board. Other board members include Michael Bourg, managing partner, First Principle Consulting, LLC; Brother Gale Condit, FSC, director of develop- ment, The Lasallian Christian Brothers Founda- tion; Gerald Duhon, executive director, Café Reconcile; Holley Haag, market president, South- shore, The First; Leon Reymond, Jr., of Counsel, University of Queensland Ochsner Clinical School White Coat Ceremony