HJNO May/Jun 2023

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  MAY / JUN 2023 41 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com compared with patients who received an opioid prescription automatically upon discharge.” Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Earns Accreditation fromCoC The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS), has granted three-year accreditation to Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. To earn CoC accreditation, a cancer pro- gram must meet 31 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care. Because it is a CoC-accredited cancer center, Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to treat- ing cancer as a complex group of diseases that requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care. “This accreditation is a testament to the hard work, compassion and dedication our team members display every day,” said Phyllis Peo- ples, president and CEO, Terrebonne General Health System. “By holding ourselves to the high- est standards of care, we’re putting patients first, and this recognition will help us to continue being the leading provider for the Bayou Region.” The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center to improve its quality of patient care through various cancer-related pro- grams that focus on the full spectrum of cancer care including prevention, early diagnosis, can- cer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life- long follow-up for recurrent disease, and end-of- life care. When patients receive care at a CoC facility, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic coun- seling, and patient-centered services including psycho-social support, a patient navigation pro- cess, and a survivorship care plan that docu- ments the care each patient receives and seeks to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life. “Patients in the Terrebonne Parish area and beyond can rest assured they are receiving the highest quality cancer provided by one the best cancer care teams in the state,” said Jonas Fon- tenot, PhD, MBA, CEO, Mary Bird Perkins Can- cer Center. “It is clear, through this recognition, that Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Can- cer Center holds itself to the highest set of stan- dards. Working together, Mary Bird Perkins and Terrebonne General Health System bring unique strengths to every patient in need of our care across the Bayou Region.” As a CoC-accredited facility, Terrebonne Gen- eral | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center main- tains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Soci- ety. This nationwide oncology outcomes data- base is the largest clinical disease registry in the world. Data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed through the NCDB and used to explore trends in cancer care. CoC-accredited cancer cen- ters, in turn, have access to information derived from this type of data analysis, which is used to create national, regional, and state benchmark reports. These reports help CoC facilities with their quality improvement efforts. LSUHealth’s Jernigan Named 2023 MASELA Medical Role Model Amelia Jernigan, MD, division chief of gyne- cologic oncology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, was selected by the Medi- cal Association of Southeast Louisiana (MASELA) as its 2023 Medical Role Model. The award was presented to Jernigan at the Celebration of Med- icine & Awards Night on March 10. Jernigan established the STEEL MAGNO- LIAs (Shared Telehealth for Multidisciplinary Gynecologic Cancer Survivorship) Program to increase access to care in remote settings. She also founded the student-run group, Women’s Health Research Consortium, to facilitate research in women’s health. She has been described as a fierce advocate for her patients, mentees, and colleagues who inspires all those around her. Jernigan is also an associate professor of gyne- cologic oncology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine and the director of gyneco- logic oncology at University Medical Center in New Orleans. She serves on the scientific advi- sory board of CAGLA (Cancer Advocacy Group of Louisiana). She teaches and has mentored LSU and Tulane students and residents. Jernigan initiated the first ovarian cancer hyper- thermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy program (HIPEC) in Louisiana. MASELA was founded in 2020 by the Jefferson & Orleans Parish Medical Societies to be a uni- fied, more responsive organization to serve phy- sicians in the region. Rockne Hymel, III, MD, Joins Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center announced that Rockne Hymel, III, MD, has joined Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Per- kins Cancer Center as its newest radiation oncol- ogist. Hymel has been treating various types of cancer patients in the Baton Rouge area for sev- eral years. “We are pleased to welcome Dr. Hymel, and his expertise, to Houma,” said Phyllis Peoples, president and CEO of Terrebonne General Health System. “As we continue to be the lead- ing provider for comprehensive cancer care in the Baton Region, adding a well-respected and patient-focused physician, such as Dr. Hymel, to our team will allow us to expand on our collabor- ative approach to early detection, pinpoint diag- nosis, and individualized treatment.” After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Bio- logical Sciences from Louisiana State University, Hymel earned a medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. He completed a residency in radiation Amelia Jernigan, MD