HJNO Sep/Oct 2024

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  SEP / OCT 2024 59 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com health disparities across the nation, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring nationwide maternal health excellence and equity,” said Admiral Rachel Levine, MD, assistant secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Community-tailored solutions increasing access and coverage of comprehensive maternal health care are critical in achieving health equity.” UniversityMedical Center New Orleans Launches Healthy Brain Aging Initiative University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO) announced the launch of the Healthy Brain Aging Initiative (HBAI), a program designed to address cognitive health in aging patients. This initiative, known as SCOPE (Strategic Cognitive Outreach and Prevention Effort), will provide com- prehensive and multidisciplinary evaluations and treatments across three specialized centers within LCMC Health. With 92,000 people aged 65 and older living with Alzheimer’s in Louisiana, 207,000 Alzheim- er’s cases in the tri-state region (Louisiana, Mis- sissippi, and Arkansas) and with Alzheimer’s prev- alence predicted to triple by 2050 in the U.S., LCMC Health developed an initiative featuring a team of neurologists, neuropsychologists, psy- chometrists, advanced practice providers, social workers, and geriatricians. The HBAI will work to prevent cognitive decline and dementia, reducing the burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias through the com- position of three centers: • The Center for Alzheimer’s Prevention pro- vides care for persons free of symptoms but with a greater risk for Alzheimer’s and related dementias (e.g., family history, genetic risk, concussions), or who other- wise strive for superior cognitive perfor- mance with aging. • The Center for Memory Disorders provides care for persons with symptoms of mem- ory decline, mild cognitive impairment, or dementia (e.g., Alzheimer’s, vascular demen- tia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, primary progressive aphasia, pos- terior cortical atrophy). • The Center for Movement Disorders pro- vides care for persons with symptoms of Parkinsonism (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, pro- gressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy) or related movement disorders (e.g., essential tremor, dystonia). St. Tammany Hospital Foundation Announces NewName, Logo The nonprofit St. Tammany Hospital Foundation reintroduced itself to the community with a new name, new logo, and renewed mission statement. The new St. Tammany Health Foundation will serve as the philanthropic arm of St. Tammany Health System and, as its name suggests, will sup- port programs beyond the health system’s flag- ship St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington. “St. Tammany Hospital Foundation no longer supports just the hospital we stand in today,” Foundation Executive Director Nicole Suhre said. “We support a regional health system comprised of a state-of-the-art hospital and nearly 30 off-site facilities including physician and specialty clinics, a cancer center, two emergency rooms, commu- nity services, an academic center, Women’s Pavil- ion and more. We want our name to convey that our donors can make a difference in the health and well-being of this community.” The move, which has been a year in the making, also aligns the foundation’s name more directly with that of St. Tammany Health System’s. Legally known as St. Tammany Parish Hospi- tal Service District No. 1, the health system was widely known by the catchall “St. Tammany Par- ish Hospital” before its board of commissioners adopted its new organizational identity in late 2019, also in recognition of its expansion beyond the hospital campus and into the community. “World-class healthcare must come with the ability to provide world-class support,” St. Tam- many Health System President and CEO Joan Coffman said. “Our foundation is being reimag- ined to position itself to take an amazing program of support to a true strategic advancement pro- gram for our health system, and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish in partnership with its generous donors.” The foundation’s renewed focus is articulated in its new mission statement, “to support and enhance the work of St. Tammany Health System as it leads with innovation and cares for its patients and their families with excellence, compassion and teamwork. Through generous donors, we help our neighbors and the community heal and live healthy, fulfilling lives.” STHS’s JoanCoffman Joins United Way of Southeast Louisiana Board St. Tammany Health System President and CEO Joan Coffman has been appointed to serve a three-year term as a member of the United Way of Southeast Louisiana Board of Trustees. “I am honored to serve an organization like the United Way, the goals and values of which align so perfectly with those of St. Tammany Health Sys- tem,” Coffman said. “I am a firm believer in the power of a united community, and the United Way of Southeast Louisiana is a shining example of the good that can be done when we all pull together.” The all-volunteer board of trustees is com- prised of executives from throughout the region who lend their expertise to assist the United Way in raising the funds needed to support the wide array of local initiatives in which the organization engages. Coffman is one of five new members serving on the United Way board. The others are Louis David of New Orleans Business Alliance, Jeff Ehlinger of Bank Plus, Adam Kuehne of Valero-Meraux Refin- ery, and Kathy Johnson of the University of New Orleans. Their appointments run through 2027. “We extend our gratitude to all our dedicated volunteers, including our board’s executive com- mittee, who epitomize the spirit of leading by example,” 2024-25 UWSELA Board of Trustees Chair Ron McClain said. “Their willingness to help guide our United Way means we can tackle Joan Coffman