HJNO Mar/Apr 2022

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  MAR / APR 2022 37 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com Liskow & Lewis; Lauren Ryan, advisor, Stirling Properties; Kenneth St. Charles, PhD, vice presi- dent of philanthropy, Greater New Orleans Foun- dation; Ken Tedesco, PhD, chief advancement officer/senior advisor to the headmaster, Holy Cross School; and Robert S. Angelico. Michael Griffin, MSPH, president and CEO of Ascension DePaul Services New Orleans and DePaul Community Health Centers, serves as the board’s ex-officio. Sister Bonnie Hoffman, DOC, vice president for mission integration at DePaul Community Health Centers, serves as a member emeritus. “We are pleased to have enhanced the Foundation’s leadership and Board of Directors,” said Griffin. “We worked closely with develop- ment consultant Peter Quirk to put together new leadership for the Foundation and the Founda- tion Board, and we believe the new directors will be significant assets to the board. We believe the refreshed board and the leadership team are committed to building deeper relationships in the community we serve.” LDH receives $1.2MCDC Grant Focused on Extreme Heat Protection The Louisiana Department of Health will receive $1.2 million over five years to protect Louisiana workers and communities from extreme heat through a grant from the Centers for Disease Pre- vention and Control’s (CDC) National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The funding will be used to collaborate with local climate agencies, research centers, and community organizations to access, analyze, and interpret climate and health data; provide train- ing and education on heat and health risks; and strengthen Louisiana communities’ climate adap- tation and resilience. The Office of Public Health’s Occupational Health Program leads the project in close col- laboration with key climate and health agen- cies, including Louisiana State Climatologist Barry Keim, MD, LSU Department of Geology and Anthropology, LSU Health Sciences Cen- ter, National Weather Service, Southern Climate Impact Planning Program, Johns Hopkins Bloom- berg School of Public Health and the RAND Corporation. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events. Louisiana has some of the most at-risk workers in the country due to high heat and humidity, a large percent- age of workers employed in outdoor and phys- ically demanding jobs, frequent natural disas- ters, and high levels of poverty and other social inequities. During periods of high heat, Louisianans who work outdoors or in indoor settings without ade- quate air conditioning are at risk of dangerous heat exposure, which can cause heat exhaus- tion, heat stroke, injuries, multi-organ failure, and, in extreme cases, death. Heat exposure is the leading cause of death among all weather- related phenomena. Extreme heat also leads to loss of productivity and labor capacity. These health and economic impacts have an enormous toll on workers, their families, and communities. For more information, contact Anna Reilly at anna.reilly@la.gov . Terrebonne General Health SystemWound and Hyperbaric Clinic Names Celeste Thibodaux, RN, ProgramDirector Terrebonne General Health System Wound and Hyperbaric Clinic announced that Celeste Thibodaux, RN, will now be the clinic program director. Thibodaux has more than 15 years of nursing and administrative experience. Before being promoted to program director, she was a staff nurse in the Wound and Hyperbaric Clinic. “Celeste’s proven experience as a nurse who provided excellent patient-centered care will complement our organization and team in the Wound and Hyperbaric Clinic. We are excited to have her in this leadership role,” said Phyllis Peo- ples, president and CEO. LDH Launches Program for Pediatric Vaccine Champions The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) is launching a new program inviting individuals to become Pediatric Vaccine Champions to engage with their communities around the importance of childhood vaccinations to keep children and com- munities safe against COVID-19. The program provides parents, guardians, pedi- atricians, teachers, and community and faith lead- ers with the tools to take meaningful, accessible action to stop the spread of COVID-19 within their families and in classrooms. To get more information and apply for the pro- gram, go to kidsvaxchampions.org. On this site, you will find a sign-up page where people can volunteer to host vaccination events with a small group of parents and children, coordinate a tele- phone town hall to answer questions about the vaccines, create PSA videos telling their own sto- ries on why they chose to have their children vac- cinated, or receive information and resources to distribute within their families and communities. “Getting our children vaccinated is one of our top priorities,” said Kimberly Hood, assistant sec- retary for the Office of Public Health. “It is impor- tant to remember that every one of us has the power to affect change and keep our children safe.” A large number of cases continue to be reported among K-12 students, with nearly 4,000 cases reported last week. To date, 18 children have died from COVID in our state. LSUHealth NewOrleans Medical Advisors to N.O. Public Schools Join School Leaders in Historic Vaccination Requirement LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine’s Benjamin Springgate, MD, professor of medicine and chief of community and population medicine, and Ryan Pasternak, MD, professor of pediatrics and head of the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, helped New Orleans Public Schools become the first in the nation to require COVID vaccinations. The requirement went into effect Feb. 1. Celeste Thibodaux, RN