HJNO Jan/Feb 2024

40 JAN / FEB 2024  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs site located in LSUA’s downtown campus. The dental hygiene program is a two-year Bach- elor of Science program that spans students’ junior and senior years of college. The curricu- lum is designed to challenge and empower stu- dents, covering courses like oral diagnosis, radi- ology, and physiology. Six students are selected each year, ensuring a focused and personalized educational experience. Students graduate from LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry. “Although we are in New Orleans, we serve all of Louisiana — North and South. East and West. Urban and Rural,” said Steve Nelson, MD, interim chancellor of LSU Health New Orleans. “Because Alexandria is recognized as a health professional shortage area and there is a great need for den- tal hygienists and improved access to care, we have been working with LSUA since 2019, along with a strong local contingent of dentists, associ- ation reps, the Louisiana Dental Association, and the Louisiana legislature to expand our dental hygiene program here. We owe special thanks to Senator Jimmy Harris for putting the funds in the budget and State Senator Glen Womack for helping to keep them in.” Dental hygienists are licensed healthcare pro- fessionals who work closely with dentists to ensure patients maintain optimal oral health and dental hygiene. Their primary objective is to treat and prevent oral diseases affecting the teeth and gums. In 2019, shortly after becoming Chancellor of LSUA, Paul Coreil received an outreach from Trey Carlton, DDS, president of the Central Lou- isiana Dental Association, who expressed the community's strong desire to establish a den- tal hygiene pathway at LSUA. Together, they engaged with the dean of the LSU Dental School in New Orleans, who embraced the idea. Tragi- cally, the dean's untimely passing and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic temporarily stalled these plans. In 2021, Carlton and Coreil joined forces with Annette Droddy, executive director of the Louisi- ana Dental Association, LSU Health New Orleans Interim Chancellor Steve Nelson, MD, and School of Dentistry leadership. United in their mission, they collaborated to secure state appropriations that would enable the expansion of the dental hygiene program to Alexandria. With funding secured and renovations com- pleted at a downtown Alexandria facility by Rapides Regional Medical Center, the dental hygiene program launched this fall. Xavier University of Louisiana Receives Donation fromLouisiana Healthcare Connections Louisiana Healthcare Connections presented an award of $500,000 in grant funding to Xavier University of Louisiana Oct. 19 at Xavier’s Univer- sity Center. Xavier University will leverage Louisiana Health- care Connections’ health data for academic research and pilot projects focused on mater- nal and childhood health, hypertension, and diabetes. Louisiana Healthcare Connections is provid- ing this funding to Xavier as part of its ongoing efforts to partner with higher education institu- tions across the state to fund a $1.5 million pro- gram to eliminate health disparities, create health equity, and build the foundation for a more inclu- sive, representative healthcare system. “As a university that seeks a more just and humane society, Xavier understands the impor- tance of addressing health equity issues on a sys- temic level,” said Reynold Verret, PhD, president of Xavier University. “Our collaboration with Loui- siana Healthcare Connections has the potential to profoundly improve the health of our communi- ties. To impact equity in health outcomes, Xavier University will leverage Louisiana Healthcare Con- nections’ health data for academic research and pilot projects focused on health disparities such as maternal health, hypertension, and diabetes.” “Our mission at Louisiana Healthcare Connec- tions is to transform Louisiana’s health and cre- ate health equity for our Medicaid population,” said Jamie Schlottman, CEO. “Sharing data to identify disparities, collaborating in our commu- nities to address disparities, and investing in eco- nomic opportunities within the healthcare field will result in real-world improvements in health equity. Xavier University of Louisiana is a national leader in health sciences, specifically geared to educating future black doctors, pharmacists, and PhD holders in STEM areas, so it was a natural partner for this initiative.” Louisiana Healthcare Connections is partnering with higher education outlets across the state. The Equity in Health and Care initiative will imple- ment coordinated strategies in partnership with Xavier University, Bossier Parish Community Col- lege, and Delgado Community College. The ini- tiative will focus on four major areas: equity in health outcomes, diversity and inclusion in the healthcare workforce, economic social determi- nants of health, and community health. In addi- tion to research projects at Xavier University of Louisiana, scholarships will be endowed, and educational pipelines to higher education focus- ing on diversity in the data science and health informatics fields of STEM will be developed. CIS Using FreedomFlow System to Treat PAD Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) is the first in the country to use the FreedomFlow Orbital Atherectomy Platform to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD) in the legs. MDs Pradeep Nair, McCall Walker, and Craig Walker used the new technology Oct. 19 at Terrebonne General Health. This system by Cardio Flow, Inc. was FDA- cleared in late September. The FreedomFlow platform is designed with a modern mechanism to clear plaque blockages in the arteries of the legs. This proprietary, cath- eter-based design leverages the physics of angu- lar momentum, creating a spiral geometry that puts five diamond-coated spheres in simultane- ous contact with the vessel wall, whether advanc- ing or retracting. A diamond-coated tip also helps ease the driveshaft through tight blockages. This unique approach gives physicians a highly efficient, effective, and flexible way to treat com- plex PAD in a wide range of vessel diameters — from 2 mm in the ankle to 8 mm in the hip — and greater versatility in treating multiple arteries and multiple blockages in the same vessel, all with a single device. The simplicity of the Freedom- Flow platform also offers quick and simple device setup, no capital equipment, no lubricant, and reduced inventory needs. It also provides faster run times, consistent treatment outcomes, and a nearly flat learning curve for physicians, making it an ideal choice for today’s hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and office-based labs. “Peripheral arterial blockages are extremely