HJNO Mar/Apr 2024

42 MAR / APR 2024  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs Emily B. Grey Elected to Management Committee at Breazeale, Sachse &Wilson, LLP Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP announced that Emily B. Grey has been elected to the Man- agement Committee, joining Eric B. Landry; Jude C. Bursavich; Murphy J. Foster, III; Peter J. Butler, Jr.; and Thomas R. Temple, Jr. Emily leads Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP's Healthcare Practice Group, the largest healthcare practice group in Louisiana. She is a board-certi- fied health law specialist who has practiced health law for almost 25 years. STQN Announces 2023 Fourth- Quarter Medical Director’s Award St. Tammany Quality Network (STQN) pre- sented its fourth-quarter Medical Director’s Award to three member physicians — Angela Buona- gura, MD, Jennifer Daly, MD, and Natalie Fitton, MD — in recognition of their leadership in cre- ating a center of excellence at the St. Tammany Health System Women’s Pavilion.  One of only five such facilities in the state to be accredited by the National Accreditation Pro- gram for Breast Centers, the Women’s Pavilion is also a designated Comprehensive Breast Imag- ing Center by the American College of Radiology.  The Women’s Pavilion provides all clinical ser- vices in one location and has been recognized by Press Ganey for exceptional patient experience. In addition, it is accredited by the American Col- lege of Radiology. Annually, the Women’s Pavilion performs more than 22,000 imaging exams and breast procedures. Daly and Fitton are board-certified diagnos- tic radiologists who specialize in breast imaging and intervention. Both have extensive experience in treating complex breast cases. In addition to imaging and breast procedures, Bonagura, an MD Anderson-affiliated physician in breast sur- gery, also cares for patients who may be high risk or who need further treatment options. CIS is Using Auryon XL Radial Access Catheter Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) is using FDA-cleared Auryon XL Radial Access Cath- eter by Angiodynamics, Inc., to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD), or blockages in the legs. The first procedure was performed by CIS interven- tional cardiologist, Ankur Lodha, MD, at the CIS office-based lab in Lafayette. The Auryon XL catheter, available in 0.9 mm and 1.5 mm diameters, expands treatment access points in atherectomy procedures for PAD. It is used with the Auryon Atherectomy System. "Radial access is more than an entry point; it's a transformative expressway to enhanced patient outcomes,” said Lodha. “With an innovative design and its ease-of-use, the Auryon XL Cath- eter brings significant advancements to radial procedures as the first non-orbital atherectomy device – setting a new standard for laser ather- ectomy technology.” STHS Cuts Ribbon on St. Tammany Academic Center for Northshore St. Tammany Health System leaders were joined on Jan. 21 by local education stakeholders and government officials to cut the ribbon on the St. Tammany Academic Center, a free-stand- ing education facility in Covington designed to train the region’s next generation of healthcare professionals. The result of an ongoing partnership between the health system, Southeastern Louisiana Uni- versity, and Northshore Technical Community College, the nearly 12,000-square-foot facility — which welcomed a new class of nursing students this month — is grounded in continuing educa- tion, workforce development, and career growth and advancement, Coffman added. With its five classrooms, two skills labs, and four hospital simulation rooms — all outfitted with financial help from donors to St. Tammany Hospital Foundation — the facility will cater to students at various levels of the healthcare spec- trum. That includes those enrolled in an acceler- ated nursing program through Southeastern, two cohorts of NTCC students working toward asso- ciate degrees in science and nursing, and addi- tional educational offerings including a compo- nent designed to reach interested high school students at Covington’s St. Scholastica Academy. In addition to providing students an opportu- nity to earn needed skills without leaving western St. Tammany Parish, the center was designed to bolster the local healthcare workforce, providing a direct pipeline of talent to St. Tammany Health System and other local healthcare organizations. The center will also cater to current St. Tam- many Health System colleagues interested in fur- thering their healthcare education. The St. Tammany Academic Center is located at 71040 Highway 21, just south of St. Tammany Health System’s flagship St. Tammany Parish Hos- pital. Learn more about it at StTammany.health/ AcceleratedNursing. Louisiana Healthcare Connections Encourages STI Screenings Louisiana Healthcare Connections wants to remind everyone to get screened for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). STIs can lead to long-term health consequences like infertility, increased risk of HIV transmission, and, with syphilis, serious illness and even death in infants. Louisiana has the third highest rate of chlamydia and gonorrhea, and the 11th highest rate of syph- ilis in the U.S. This is why it is so important for sexually active people to be tested each year for chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, and HIV. Accord- ing to Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion (CDC) and Louisiana Department of Health, from 2017 to 2021, primary and secondary syphi- lis rates rose 38% in Louisiana. Congenital syphilis (CS) occurs when syphilis is passed to a baby dur- ing pregnancy. From 2017 to 2021, CS rates rose 93% in Louisiana, and as of 2021, Louisiana has the third highest case rate in the nation. “With the increases in infection rates, it is critical Emily B. Grey