HJNO May/Jun 2022

36 MAY / JUN 2022  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs Louisiana Healthcare Connections Expands SNAP- Match Support with St. Helena Farmers Market As part of its ongoing commitment to creating health equity and fighting food insecurity, Loui- siana Healthcare Connections has partnered with the St. Helena Farmers Market (SHFM) to expand reach of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Pro- gram (SNAP) benefits. Beginning on April 8 in Greensburg, SHFM shoppers who have a Loui- siana Purchase EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card will receive a three-to-one match for up to $15 in purchases, getting a total of $20 worth of fresh foods and produce for spending $5. “Helping ensure access to fresh foods is one of the ways we support nutritious eating—a funda- mental social determinant of health,” Dana Law- son, MD, Louisiana Healthcare Connections vice president of population health and clinical opera- tions. “According to the USDA, Louisiana has the third-highest rate of food insecurity in the nation, so every effort to reduce it matters. Community partners like the St. Helena Farmers Market mean we have strong allies with which to build food security and health equity in Louisiana.” SNAP offers nutrition assistance to eligible, low- income individuals and families. In Louisiana, that translates to about one in five people who receive monthly SNAP support. Loaded on their Louisi- ana Purchase card, benefits can be used to pur- chase eligible food items at SNAP-participating retailers. Louisiana Healthcare Connections is a matching partner with five of the seven farmers markets in the state accepting SNAP benefits. “Our mission is to educate, empower, and motivate St. Helena Parish,” noted Marquetta L. Anderson, FCS extension agent and St. Hel- ena Healthy Communities Coalition facilitator. “By providing opportunities to develop a more accessible and healthier lifestyle, we help improve the overall health of our community.” NCVHConference Returning to NewOrleans May 31-June 3 The New Cardiovascular Horizons (NCVH) con- ference is returning to New Orleans this sum- mer to bring together medical professionals of all specialties from around the world with one common goal — to give patients the very best cardiovascular care and outcomes. In its 23rd year, the NCVH conference, founded by Craig M. Walker, MD, interventional cardiol- ogist, president and founder of Cardiovascular Institute of the South, will take place from May 31- June 3 at The Roosevelt Hotel. The confer- ence features late-breaking advancements in car- diovascular medicine for medical professionals with a focus on continuum of care and limb sal- vage. The conference is designed for all levels of medical professionals, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, medi- cal staff and administrators. It is also an opportu- nity to connect with leading experts in the field. The conference will feature: • 20+ continuing medical education/mainte- nance of certification units. • 1,500+ attendees from more than 30 U.S. states. • 20+ LIVE case broadcasts from around the world. • 175+ world-renowned faculty from 10+ countries. • 300+ expert presentations with late-break- ing research. For the first time, there will be a session open to the public. The topic will be race/gender/age disparities in healthcare. It will take place on the last day of the conference, June 3, at 8 a.m. in the Blue Room at the Roosevelt Hotel. To register, learn more, or find accommoda- tions, visit www.ncvh.org/2022. Early bird rates and a virtual option are available. Tulane University Awarded $2.9M to Launch National Health Equity Research Learning Collaborative Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine will launch a national learning collaborative to inform and harmonize research to advance solutions toward health equity. The collaborative, known as Partners for Advancing Health Equity (P4HE Collaborative), will bring together leading national public health scholars, philanthropic foundations, federal research funders, community members and pri- vate sector representatives. The group will work to better understand the latest issues related to attaining health equity and create consistency, processes, guidance, and priorities in research to address obstacles to health equity. Achieving health equity requires removing bar- riers to health such as poverty, discrimination, and their consequences, which include lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education, secure housing, and safe environments. It means eliminating health disparities and determinants that harm marginalized or excluded groups. “Health equity means that everyone — no mat- ter who they are or where they live — has a fair and just opportunity to live the healthiest life possible,” said Thomas LaVeist, dean of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity. “By establishing Partners for Advancing Health Equity, we have an exciting opportunity to convene with national leaders to shape the evidence needed to achieve health equity.” The leadership team includes a diverse group of School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine faculty focused on health equity research: Andrew Anderson, assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management; Caryn Bell, assistant professor in the Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences; David Chae, associate dean for research and associate profes- sor in the Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences; and Katherine Theall, Cecile Usdin Professor in Women’s Health, director of the Mary Amelia Center for Women’s Health Equity Research and senior director of the Vio- lence Prevention Institute. Study Suggests Epigenetic Treatment May Prevent Memory Loss in Vascular Dementia An LSU Health New Orleans research team working in a mouse model of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) has found that repetitive expo- sure to environmental hypoxia (air with lower- than-normal oxygen content) prevented mem- ory loss. They also demonstrated for the first time that offspring can inherit this protection against dementia. Results of the study led by Jeff Gid- day, PhD, professor of ophthalmology, biochem- istry, neuroscience, and physiology, are published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association . The scientists found that their physiologic