HJNO May/Jun 2024

40 MAY / JUN 2024  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs have access to comprehensive healthcare cover- age, including additional therapy needed for her son's developmental delays. “Thank you for answering the phone calls and supporting us,” continued Long. “It’s made it eas- ier for farmers who work really, really hard.” William Fletcher, a fifth-generation strawberry farmer in Ponchatoula, faced the challenges of two floods in 2016 that severely impacted his annual income. After the floods, Fletcher found support through Louisiana Healthcare Connec- tions, allowing him to afford health insurance for his family. Fletcher shares, "Having excellent healthcare is something that lets me sink a little deeper into the pillow at night and the knowledge that if something happened, I know we would have been taken care of." Joy Osofsky, PhD, Retires fromLSUHealth NO After 38 years of dedicated service, Joy D. Osof- sky, PhD, a clinical and developmental psychol- ogist, will be retiring from her role as the Paul J. Ramsay Endowed Chair in Psychiatry, Barbara Lemann Professor of Child Welfare, and profes- sor of psychiatry and pediatrics at LSU Health New Orleans. “The LSU Health community and the broader field of child psychology will undoubtedly feel the impact of Dr. Osofsky's retirement,” says LSU Health New Orleans Chancellor Steve Nelson, MD. “Her legacy of compassion, leadership, and dedication to improving the lives of children will continue to inspire future generations.” Osofsky, a Syracuse University alumna with a PhD in clinical psychology, has had a career marked by numerous accomplishments and contributions to the field. Throughout her ten- ure, she served as the director of the Harris Cen- ter for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. Known for her expertise in childhood trauma, Osofsky authored or edited seven books on the subject and played pivotal roles in responding to disasters, including Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Her leadership in national and international organizations, such as ZERO to THREE and the World Association for Infant Mental Health, further solidified her repu- tation as a trailblazer in the field. Interim dean of the LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, Richard DiCarlo, MD, expressed his gratitude stating, "LSU Health New Orleans has been very fortunate to have had Dr. Osofsky on our faculty for so many years. She is nationally and internationally renowned for her work on childhood trauma. She has made New Orleans a better place, and she has been an out- standing mentor to trainees and junior faculty. She leaves behind a strong legacy of outstanding scholarship, excellence as a teacher, and dedica- tion to serving the community." Terrebonne General Wound Healing, Hyperbaric Medicine Clinic Receives Dual Recognition Terrebonne General Health System announced that Terrebonne General Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Clinic is a dual recipient of RestorixHealth’s Clinical Distinction and Excel- lence in Patient Satisfaction Awards. Recipients of these awards meet or exceed national quality benchmarks over a set period of time. “The Terrebonne General Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Clinic is proud to be rec- ognized for its dedication to healing and patient satisfaction,” said Phyllis Peoples, president and CEO. “We are proud to be a recipient of an award that recognizes our staff's hard work and dedication.” RestorixHealth’s Clinical Distinction Award rec- ognizes wound centers that have demonstrated exceptional success by meeting or exceed- ing clinical benchmarks, while the Excellence in Patient Satisfaction Award recognizes wound centers that have demonstrated superior perfor- mance in overall patient satisfaction. The Terrebonne General Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Clinic is located at 8120 Main Street, Suite 102, in Houma, and is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic, LA Orthopaedic Specialists, LLC, Align Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic (BROC) and Lafayette-based Louisiana Orthopaedic Special- ists, LLC (LOS), announced their intentions to become the founding divisions of a newly com- bined orthopedic group practice — Gulf South Orthopedic Partners. The partnership is unique in that it allows each division to continue to oper- ate in their respective markets under their exist- ing brands of LOS and BROC, while at the same time coordinating their combined resources and expertise to benefit all patients across a broader region. Gulf South Orthopedic Partners will offer a comprehensive range of orthopedic services, including sports medicine, joint replacement, spine surgery, hand surgery, foot and ankle sur- gery, orthopedic oncology, orthopedic trauma, pediatric orthopedics, and rehabilitation. Gulf South Orthopedic Partners will be built by a team of experienced orthopedic surgeons, phy- sicians, and support staff dedicated to improv- ing mobility, function, and overall quality of life for its patients. At inception, Gulf South Ortho- pedic Partners will have 54 board-certified phy- sicians with 48 being fellowship trained orthope- dic surgeons. In a joint statement, Henry L. Eiserloh, MD, chairman of BROC, and Matthew D. Williams, MD, president of LOS, announced, "We are excited about the formation of Gulf South Ortho- pedic Partners. The partnership will preserve the LOS and BROC legacies and brands and enable us to combine strengths and resources to better serve our communities with advanced orthope- dic care. We are committed to delivering person- alized, compassionate care to our patients while driving innovation and excellence in orthopedics and preserving an independent, physician- led practice model.” The formation of Gulf South Orthopedic Partners is expected to occur over the next several months with a launch in the third quarter of 2024. n Joy Osofsky, PhD