HJNO Sep/Oct 2024

58 SEP / OCT 2024  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS Hospital Rounds STQNAnnounces 2024 Second- Quarter Medical Director’s Award St. Tammany Quality Network (STQN) presented its Medical Director’s Award for the second quar- ter of 2024 to Rick Casey, MD, for his leadership in helping to develop the chronic obstructive pulmo- nary disease (COPD) transitions of care program. “Dr. Casey has been a leader in develop- ing a much-needed program that assists high- risk patients diagnosed with advanced COPD,” said Michael K. Hill, MD, STQN medical director. “These are patients who have frequent visits to the emergency room and have multiple hospi- tal admissions. With close home monitoring and proactive intervention, many of them can spend more time at home with their family and have a better quality of life.” COPD is a common disease usually seen in patients that are or have been smokers, although it can occur in non-smokers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that over 14 million adults in the United States have physi- cian-diagnosed COPD, which is one of the most frequent diagnoses resulting in intensive care admissions. These patients tend to have pro- longed hospital stays and recovery time. The program incorporates a multidisciplinary approach stressing smoking cessation, exercise when appropriate, and pulmonary rehab for qual- ifying patients. Because of close home monitor- ing, providers are alerted to subtle changes in a patient’s condition that might lead to a deteriora- tion in pulmonary status. Timely intervention can then be initiated. Casey has been on the medical staff at St. Tam- many Health System for 28 years. He served as the chief of staff of the health system’s flagship St. Tammany Parish Hospital in 2021 and is boarded in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. He is a member of Northlake Pulmonary Associates, which is part of St. Tammany Physician’s Network. LCMCHealth Names Dawn Zell Wright as Chief Human Resources Officer LCMC Health has announced the appointment of Dawn Zell Wright, JD, MBA, FACHE, SPHR, as the new chief human resources officer. Wright's extensive experience includes design- ing, creating, building, and implementing high-functioning, consistent, centralized, agile human resources services and teams. Wright joined CHRISTUS Health in November 2021 as system vice president of human resources operations. Prior to CHRISTUS Health, she served as vice president of human resources for the northcentral region of Pennsylvania at UPMC and director of human resources for CommonSpirit Health’s Catholic health initiatives Texas division. Dawn's human resources expertise is comple- mented by her background as an attorney, where she received numerous accolades for her work as a litigator and defense attorney specializing in minority rights issues. As a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, Wright is focused on removing artificial barriers and building a sus- tainable pipeline of diverse and inclusive health- care leaders reflective of the communities served. Her legal and HR background equips her with a unique perspective, making her a valuable asset to the LCMC Health team. Dawn earned an undergraduate degree in behavioral science from Concordia University Texas, an MBA fromWest Texas A&M, and a Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s University School of Law. She is a fellow of the American College of Health- care Executives and holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification. Ochsner HealthWins Innovator Award Funds for ConnectedMOM Ochsner Health has been named among the final winners of the HHS Hypertension Innova- tor Award Competition for its program Ochsner Connected Maternity Online Monitoring (MOM). The national competition by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women’s Health identifies and rewards innova- tive programs that ensure women with hyperten- sion during pregnancy and/or postpartum receive appropriate monitoring and follow-up. Ochsner Connected MOM program is a way to help expecting mothers manage their pregnancy from the comfort of home. Patients are able to digitally send blood pressure readings to their medical team, allowing them to monitor their health between visits. "We are grateful to be recognized by the HHS Office on Women’s Health with this award for our Connected MOM program," said Veronica Gil- lispie Bell, MD, senior site lead for women’s ser- vices at Ochsner Health Kenner and director of quality for Women's Services for Ochsner Health. "Telehealth has been a pivotal innovation, allow- ing us to bring care to patients and remove bar- riers that many mothers face in accessing neces- sary healthcare. This award will broaden the reach of this program, ensuring that even more moth- ers can experience the benefits of comprehensive, compassionate, and convenient care." The HHS competition evaluated the effective- ness of Ochsner Connected MOM in increas- ing blood pressure monitoring during pregnancy and the postpartum period, specifically for Black patients and those in the rural population. This program saw a statistically significant increase in blood pressure measurements during pregnancy and the postpartum period among patients, and the Connected MOM platform is in use by more than 100 Ochsner providers in Louisiana and reached a total of over 2,000 patients last year. “As one of the leading providers of healthcare for pregnant patients in Louisiana, Ochsner has looked for innovative ways to reduce the health crisis and disparities in maternal and perinatal out- comes,” said Joseph Biggio, MD, system chair for Women’s Services and Maternal-Fetal Medi- cine at Ochsner. “While we have expanded the Connected MOM program over the last few years, this award will help accelerate the expansion and augmentation of the program so that we can serve more patients and improve care to an even broader population.” “By recognizing innovative programs address- ing hypertension during pregnancy and maternal Dawn Zell Wright, JD, MBA, FACHE, SPHR