HJNO Jan/Feb 2024

62 JAN / FEB 2024  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS Hospital Rounds cardiology, orthopedics, neurology, and gastro- enterology. In addition, the award program iden- tifies healthcare providers' perspectives on which hospitals or health systems they consider best for care in their area. The WebMD Patient Choice Awards and Med- scape Physician Choice Awards recognize hos- pitals and health systems within the top 30% of patient and provider preferences in a local mar- ket, while WebMD Elite awards are given to top health systems that are preferred by patients and physicians two to one over competitors for a spe- cific specialty in their local market. Ochsner met these criteria for all categories: • Oncology – Elite Choice. • Cardiology – Elite Choice. • Orthopedics – Elite Choice. • Neurology – Elite Choice. • Gastroenterology – Elite Choice. “We are honored to be the only health system in Louisiana and one of 26 hospitals across the nation to be named the Elite Choice in all five spe- cialties in the 2023-24 WebMD Choice Awards,” said Robert Hart, MD, chief physician executive, Ochsner Health, and president, Ochsner Clinic. “These awards reflect the voices of patients and physicians, echoing our top priority of putting patients first in everything we do at Ochsner. We are committed to continuing to provide high qual- ity care to the Gulf South region.” Ochsner Health Nurses Honored by DAISY Foundation Tena Barnes Carraher, DAISY Foundation cofounder and board member, was in New Orleans to award 10 Ochsner Medical Center- New Orleans nurses with the DAISY Award dur- ing an award ceremony hosted by Ochsner Health on Oct. 18. The prestigious DAISY Award for Extraordi- nary Nurses celebrates nurses internationally for their dedication, excellence in clinical care, and compassion. Carraher and her family created the award to honor the legacy of her husband, Pat- rick Barnes, after his passing in 1999. It was the first program of its kind to give patients, families, and co-workers a way to express their gratitude to nurses for providing compassionate care to patients and their families. Licensed registered nurses, nursing faculty, and nursing students are eligible for nomination. After submissions are blinded, honorees and award recipients are selected based on criteria established by their healthcare organization. DAISY Awards were presented to the follow- ing Ochsner Medical Center-New Orleans nurses: • Larrie Arceneaux, RN, post operative sur- gical services. • Meg E. Darre, RN, ear, nose, & throat clinic. • Nicole Fajardo, RN, day of surgery center. • Corey Gilpin, RN, transplant stepdown unit. • Renee Guido, RN, medical intensive care unit. • Danielle LaCour, RN, pediatric intensive care unit. • Caitlin Miller, RN, surgical intensive care unit. • Bhakti Patel, RN, cardiac stepdown unit. • Daniel Schulingkamp III, RN, day of surgery center. • Amy Vanzo, RN, day of surgery center. Ochsner Health, Chevron Partner for Smoking Cessation Program Chevron and Ochsner Health continue to offer their Lung Cancer Awareness, Education, and Prevention Program for a third consecutive year thanks to a $50,000 donation from Chevron. The program will be offered in Jefferson Parish for the first time and continue to reach community members in St. Tammany, East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, St. Charles, Terrebonne, and Lafourche parishes. This initiative launched in November 2021 in St. Tammany Parish. Since then, the two organizations have worked together to improve resources and education around smoking cessation and over- all lung health. “We are grateful to partner with Chevron on this critical program for a third year,” said Leonardo Seoane, MD, executive vice president and chief academic officer, Ochsner Health. “With their sup- port, we plan to continue to draw attention to the dangers of tobacco use, including smoking and vaping, while working to lower smoking rates in Louisiana, thereby empowering our community members with the resources to make healthier choices.” As part of the Lung Cancer Awareness, Edu- cation and Prevention Program, a public service announcement will air on television throughout communities within the program locations. It will highlight the story of Caitlin Hunter, a Chevron employee and Northshore native, who lost two family members to lung cancer. Chevron’s funding also supports the following program initiatives: • Encouraging low-dose CT scans to detect and diagnose lung cancer early to signifi- cantly increase the chance of survival. • Educating high school students about the dangers of vaping and smoking and how to access smoking cessation resources. • Teaching how to recognize stressors and triggers that lead to smoking habits and providing cessation tools to change behav- ior by managing stress differently. The high school education program will include a lunch-and-learn component for parents pre- sented by Chevron Wellness Staff in observance of Lung Cancer Awareness Month. "Chevron is proud to partner with Ochsner Health on this important campaign,” said Caitlin Hunter, corporate affairs representative for Chev- ron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit. "I am hopeful that sharing this unique story about my experi- ences with lung cancer will change the course of someone’s life and inspire both smokers and non- smokers to get screened. I am really proud to be an ambassador for this initiative.” Ochsner’s smoking cessation program combines counseling with medications to create a personal- ized treatment plan. If you or a loved one is interested in these life- saving services like smoking cessation or want to learn more about the program, visit Ochsner.org/ quit to schedule an appointment. Ochsner Health Earns Recognition fromThe Leapfrog Group Several Ochsner Health hospitals and part- ners across the Gulf South have earned an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for Fall 2023.The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog that sets standards for excellence in patient care, assigns a grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national perfor- mance measures reflecting errors, accidents, inju- ries, and infections, as well as the systems hospi- tals have in place to prevent them. The following Ochsner Health hospitals and