HJNO Jan/Feb 2026

40 JAN / FEB 2026  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs kiosk at Joe Brown Park Recreation Center at 5601 Read Blvd. The platform, called My Life Check, offers easy to use, science-based tools to help people learn about their heart health and discover simple life- style changes to lower their risk at three smart health stations: the one at Joe Brown Park, one at the Cut-Off Recreation Center at 6600 Belgrade St., and the third at the Milne Recreation Center at 5240 Franklin Ave. The kiosk at Joe Brown Park was made possible by Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, a cardiologist and an American Heart Association volunteer, and the New Orleans Health Department. Louisiana Healthcare Connections Brings Nutrition Home for High- Risk Prenatal Members Louisiana Healthcare Connections is expanding its meal delivery services to improve the health outcomes of women with high-risk pregnancies who face food insecurity. This new offering builds on the health plan’s existing meal benefit, which provides nutritious, medically-tailored meals to members recovering after a hospital stay. The post-discharge component of the bene- fit remains available to all eligible members and includes: • Two meals per day for seven days following hospital discharge; • Medically-tailored meals that align with each member’s specific health needs; and • Protein shakes provided as needed to sup- port recovery and nutrition goals. All meals are designed by registered dieti- tians and prepared to support recovery, manage chronic conditions, and promote better overall health \AHA Enhances Blood Pressure Monitoring, Health Tools of NOHealth Hub The American Heart Association in Greater New Orleans, along with local community col- laborators from the Strategic Wellness Initiative, recently enhanced the offerings of the I Deserve It! Wellness Hub at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center by providing resources that will enable local resi- dents to access a variety of free health resources and education in a single location that includes: • A self-monitoring blood pressure cen- ter with blood pressure devices, instruc- tions on how to use them accurately, edu- cational materials, and a list of community health centers and healthcare professionals; • A CPR training and education session for staff and volunteers; • An automated external defibrillator on loca- tion; and • A Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP), which establishes the specific steps to reduce death from cardiac arrest in any setting. The wellness hub provides ongoing free health screenings and testing every Wednesday, Friday, and the second Saturday each month. I Deserve It! is a collaborative effort among the Ameri- can Heart Association, Ashé Cultural Arts Cen- ter, and New Orleans East Hospital, along with the New Orleans Health Department, Metropol- itan Human Services District, and Tulane School of Medicine. Louisiana Department of Health Appoints Seth Gold as Medicaid Director The Louisiana Department of Health has appointed Seth J. Gold as Medicaid director. Gold brings nearly a decade of experience in federal health policy. Most recently, he served as a professional staff member for the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he advised members of Congress on Medicaid, CHIP, and the 340B Drug Pricing Program. He led the development of legislation to expand care for people with disabilities, modernize home and community-based services, and enhance rural healthcare access. Prior to his work on the committee, he served as health policy advisor to U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, contributing to legislation such as the SUPPORT Act and the CARES Act, expanding access to sub- stance use and mental health treatment. Gold holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in public health from George Washington University. NewTulane StudyOverturns Assumptions about AFib Treatment inApnea Patients Obstructive sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation are two conditions that share a potentially deadly link. Having one increases the odds of develop- ing the other, and together, the breathing diffi- culties of sleep apnea combined with the irregu- lar heartbeat of atrial fibrillation (AFib) can result in life-threatening cardiovascular risks. The standard treatment for AFib is cathe- ter ablation, a procedure in which doctors cre- ate scars within the heart to stop the electrical impulses that cause irregular heart rhythms. But for decades, sleep apnea has been seen as an obstacle to ablation’s success, with studies showing that patients who suffer from both condi- tions often experience higher recurrence of AFib and poorer long-term outcomes. A new Tulane University study suggests that ablation delivers major benefits for this high-risk group, significantly lowering the risks of heart failure and death for those diagnosed with sleep apnea and AFib. The study, published in the Journal of Cardio- vascular Electrophysiology , found that catheter ablation was associated with a 40% drop in major cardiovascular events and a 70% decline in all- cause mortality. Catheter ablation was also asso- ciated with a decreased risk of blood clots that can block veins or arteries, causing an embolism or stroke. Using data from the global TriNetX network, researchers followed outcomes from more than 18,000 patients, half of whom received catheter ablation and half of whom did not. The study was one of the most comprehensive analyses to date of the long-term benefits of catheter ablation in this high-risk population.. n Seth Gold