Health

Health Flashes July 2011

by Leslie Turk

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Gentle Choices Birth Center, a family-centered maternity care facility offering natural birthing services with access to midwifery care, has been awarded National Accreditation from the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers....

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Gentle Choices Birth Center, a family-centered maternity care facility offering natural birthing services with access to midwifery care, has been awarded National Accreditation from the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers. This makes Gentle Choices the first and only fully accredited free standing birth center in the state. The CABC is the only accrediting authority dedicated exclusively to the quality of the operation and services of all birth centers regardless of ownership, primary care provider or population served. The American Association of Birth Centers established the CABC in 1985 as an independent authority after more than a decade of evaluating the quality of birth center services, promoting the development of national guidelines for licensure, reviewing state regulations for birth centers, and exploring and evaluating the programs of other accrediting agencies. Gentle Choices is located at 1424 St. John St.

A clinically proven, minimally invasive technology for treating chronic sinus inflammation is now available at Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital. The Balloon Sinuplasty system by Acclarent uses a small catheter and balloon to quickly open and expand blocked sinuses. Sinusitis is one of the most common chronic health problems in the U.S., afflicting 37 million Americans each year. Patients suffer headaches, congestion, fatigue and other symptoms. In Balloon Sinuplasty, a small, flexible balloon catheter is placed through a nostril into the blocked sinus passageway. The balloon is then inflated to gently restructure and open the sinus passageway, restoring normal sinus drainage and function. Dr. Phillip Noel is one of the first physicians in this area to offer this technology.

Nephrologist Andy P. Blalock was voted president-elect of the Louisiana State Medical Society. As president-elect, Blalock serves on the 2011 Board of Governors and assumes the presidency of the society in February 2012. At that time, he will become the youngest physician to serve as president of the society in its 133-year history. He is the third physician from the Lafayette Parish Medical Society, following in the footsteps of Dr. James Vildibill (1987-88) and Dr. Edward Harrell (1971-72).

The Society of Chest Pain Centers granted the designation of Cycle III Chest Pain Accreditation to The Regional Medical Center of Acadiana, making it the highest designation for chest pain in Acadiana. Regional Medical Center is the fourth in the state and the only facility in the region granted this designation by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and completing on-site evaluations by a reviewer from the society.