HJNO May/Jun 2026

48 MAY / JUN 2026  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS Hospital Rounds Manning Family Children’s Announces NICU Expansion Manning Family Children’s is constructing a new Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The project will increase the hospital’s current main campus NICU capacity from 35 to 60 beds, while expanding its broader regional neonatal network, which encompasses all LCMC Health birthing hospitals and its affiliate partners, to nearly 200 beds. The new unit will triple the current NICU’s square footage and feature an intentional design that fosters a quiet, low-stimulation, family- centered healing environment. Key features of the expansion include: • Developmentally supportive care envi- ronments: Sensory optimized patient care rooms that promote optimal neurodevelop- ment and patient and family centered care. • Integrated procedural spaces: On-unit pro- cedure space to support rapid interven- tion by pediatric subspecialists when sec- onds matter. • Family transition rooms: Co-located suites designed for families to “room in” as they prepare for independent care and discharge home. • Modern, efficient design: Improved space for clinical workflows, equipment, and mul- tidisciplinary teams, along with state-of-the- art technology to equip care teams with the best tools to save lives and improve outcomes. • Advanced academic space: Expanded facili- ties for the neonatology fellowship program and other pediatric programs. The new unit will be housed on the fourth floor of Manning Family Children’s newest medical tower. The new NICU is scheduled to open in 2027. It is designed by Kennedy Kraft Architects and will be constructed by Woodward Designs. Additionally, the hospital has launched a corre- sponding capital campaign to help make this vital investment possible. Erica Ordoyne, NP, Joins Terrebonne General Internal Medicine Specialists Erica Ordoyne, NP, has joined the Terrebonne General Internal Medicine Specialists team in the Terrebonne General Medical Atrium in Houma. Ordoyne obtained her nursing degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a mas- ter’s degree from the University of South Alabama. She has a background in emergency care, clini- cal management, aesthetics, surgery, and patient education. LCMCHealth Announces $14M Investment in Lakeside Hospital LCMC Health is investing $14 million in Lakeside Hospital to support care to women and newborns. Upon completion, the newWomen and Newborn Care Center will feature: • A renovated main entrance and updated exterior to create a more welcoming and accessible experience; • 10 modernized labor and delivery suites; • 30 enhanced mother-baby postpartum rooms; • Three state-of-the-art operating rooms; • A 26-bed Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit staffed by neonatologists fromManning Family Children’s; • A new six-bed adult intensive care unit with rapid response teams and expanded respi- ratory care, maternal-fetal medicine and occupational therapy services, with 24/7 anesthesia coverage and subspecialty con- sultations; and • Five new clinic spaces on Lakeside Hospital’s campus to support the 16 physicians relocat- ing from East Jefferson General Hospital. As part of this transition, all women’s health providers, obstetrics emergency hospitalists, and LSU maternal fetal medicine specialists currently based at EJGH will join Lakeside's existing pro- viders, along with academic partners from Tulane University School of Medicine, in newly renovated clinical spaces. Importantly, this transition applies only to Women and Newborn Care services currently provided at EJGH and Lakeside Hospital. LCMC Health’s other hospitals — Touro, West Jefferson Medical Center, and Lakeview Hospital — will continue to operate their existing birthing centers and women’s health services. Maternal fetal medicine, in partnership with LSU Health, is provided at each LCMC Health birthing hospital in addition to New Orleans East Hospital. Lakeside Hospital will continue to hold all existing recognitions and designations earned across both campuses, including Baby-Friendly USA designation, Birth Ready+ status, LaGift+ recognition, National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification (Bronze), and the IBCLC Care Award for the seventh consecutive year. Brain Health Collaboratory Launched Cognito Therapeutics, a late clinical- stage neurotechnology company pioneering noninvasive neuroprotective therapies in neurodegenerative diseases is collaborating with Ochsner Health to launch a brain health collaboratory aimed at advancing new approaches to treating cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. The collaboration establishes the Gulf South’s first statewide platform for noninvasive brain health innovation, combining Cognito’s investigational Spectris technology platform with Ochsner’s clinical network to explore new models for brain healthcare delivery throughout the region. A new 132,000-square-foot facility, the Debra H. and Robert J. Patrick Neuroscience Institute at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, is set to open in late 2026, bringing Ochsner’s neurosci- ences programs under one roof. Ochsner and Cognito will work to develop a brain health index, a framework designed to better track cognitive health, disease progression, and treatment response in real-world care settings. The program will also explore opportunities to integrate Cognito’s investigational Spectris Erica Ordoyne, NP