HJNO Jan/Feb 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JAN / FEB 2025 47 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com without the resources to ensure proper care? Repeated hits to the head are antithetical to learning, with research increasingly linking con- cussions and sub-concussive impacts to short- and long-term cognitive impairment, emotional dysregulation, and neurodegenerative diseases like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), ALS, and Parkinson’s. Schools, as institutions of educa- tion, have a responsibility to protect the physical and cognitive well-being of their students. The majority of tackle football hits occur at practice, especially if schools do not adhere to the once- a-week helmeted practice regulation. If a school’s team cannot field a neurologist and three concus- sion spotters at every practice and game, perhaps it should not be playing tackle football. Flag foot- ball, a non-contact alternative and now Olympic sport, would provide students the opportunity to enjoy the game without the inherent risks of repeated blows to the head. Boxing, once a staple of public school athlet- ics, was removed from schools a generation ago because of the risks associated with repeated blows to the head. Yet tackle football, which car- ries similar risks, remains embedded in Louisiana’s culture and beyond. While cultural attachment to the game is strong, the neurological conse- quences for student-athletes demand a reevalu- ation of its place in schools and universities. If not, these systems will be left holding the smoking gun as more former players step forward, hum- bly realizing what was allowed to happen to them in the name of school spirit. To read the lawsuit, visit https://healthcare journalno.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Petition%20 for%20Damages-filed%20stamped%20copy.pdf. Acadian Air Med Names Maranda Granger as Chief Flight Nurse Acadian Air Med has announced that Maranda Granger is the company’s new chief flight nurse. Granger holds 16 years of ICU and ER nursing experience and a background in education, along with Air Med operational knowledge. She joined Acadian Air Med as a registered nurse in Octo- ber 2019. Since then, she has worked at multi- ple Air Med bases throughout the program, and has been a flight line supervisor for the past two years. During her tenure at Air Med, Granger has worked in various roles, including ground opera- tions, hurricane deployments, and various COVID projects through Air Med’s sister company, Safety Management Systems. Granger holds a prehospital trauma life sup- port (PHTLS) instructor certification and recently achieved an advanced certified transport regis- tered nurse (CTRN) certification. Granger was recently recognized at the 13th annual “An Evening for Healers” fundraiser, hosted by the LSU Health Sciences Foundation Shreveport. The event shared the stories of two patients, including Clay Moock, who was severely burned in a pipeline explosion incident in April 2021. Granger was part of the Life Air Rescue flight crew who responded, treated, and trans- ported Moock to Ochsner LSU Health. Bird flu found in second ‘backyard flock’ in Louisiana by Greg LaRose, Louisiana Illuminator , Decem- ber 19, 2024 A second case of avian influenza, also known as the bird flu, has been detected in a backyard flock in southwest Louisiana, the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry reported Thursday. Earlier this week, the state’s first backyard avian flu case was reported in northwest Louisi- ana. State officials have not identified the type of birds involved in either case but said it involves a non-commercial, “non-poultry” flock, just like the instance reported Monday. The agriculture department has not provided the size of either flock, but it did say that the other potentially exposed birds in Northwest Louisiana were “depopulated” to limit spread of the virus. There has also not been a response to a ques- tion about what comprises a “non-poultry” flock. Infectious disease experts say the active strain of avian flu, H5N1, is highly viral, with most of its spread taking place between wild and domestic birds. The flu has also shown up in cattle that have come into contact with infected birds, which can spread the disease through their saliva, mucus and droppings. So far, 61 people have tested positive for H5N1, and the large majority have not encountered seri- ous symptoms. Louisiana’s first and only human case, diagnosed last week, is considered the first “severe” case, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That unidenti- fied person contracted the flu from a bird, offi- cials said. None of Louisiana’s poultry or dairy farms have reported avian flu cases. Nationally, the out- break has affected 865 herds through 16 states this year and nearly 124 million poultry through- out 49 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ascension DePaul Services, DCHC Appoint Andrew Dolan as HRManager Ascension DePaul Services (ADS) and DePaul Community Health Centers (DCHC) announced the appointment of Andrew Dolan as human resources manager. Dolan earned a Bachelor of Science in Busi- ness Management from Nicholls State Univer- sity in 2013. Most recently, he served as director of human resources at Foss Home and Village in Seattle, where he directed all HR operations and man- aged diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives. He also implemented employee reten- tion programs and succession planning. Additionally, his background includes serving as executive manager of human resources for Public Works Development for the Town of Mount Pleas- ant, South Carolina, where he supervised adminis- tration, recruitment, and hiring. He also managed the accreditation of all standard operating proce- dures along with other HR tasks. Trump Announces Healthcare Cabinet Picks President-elect Donald Trump recently announced his nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Mehmet Oz, MD, as leader of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). . “For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug compa- nies who have engaged in deception, misinfor- mation, and disinformation when it comes to pub- lic health,” Trump wrote. “The safety and health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected