Health

Health Briefs

A look at Acadiana's recent health care developments.

Patin

**Patin joins LGMD as CAO
**Al J. Patin has joined the physicians' group Lafayette General Medical Doctors as chief administrative officer starting June 24. Patin will lead development, growth and promotion of LGMD, his position providing executive leadership over multiple business units related to the operations of Lafayette General affiliates.
Patin comes to LGMD after serving as regional vice president with Parish Management Consultants in Metairie. Prior to that, he spent eight years at Lafayette General Medical Center in various capacities working as a medical services director, coordinator and as a registered nurse.
Patin has a bachelor's degree and MBA from UL Lafayette. He also completed the Wharton School of Business Anesthesia Leadership Program in 2010.
The chief administrative officer is a new position replacing the vice president of physician practices, filled previously by Brian Kirk, who is now chief financial officer at University Medical Center.

Clowers named controller/VP of finance at Lourdes
Jennifer Jones Clowers has joined Lourdes' Finance Department as controller and vice president of finance. Previously the assistant chief financial officer at Northwest Health System in Springdale, Ark., she has 15 years of accounting experience, including seven years at St. Francis Medical Center, a sister hospital of Our Lady of Lourdes. A Ruston native, Clowers earned a BS in accounting and an MBA from Louisiana Tech University. She is a Certified Healthcare Financial Professional through the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Clowers

Hospice of Acadiana names 4 new board members
Four new members were named to the Hospice of Acadiana volunteer board:
Lewis B. Bernard, a self-employed landman and Hospice of Acadiana volunteer for 13 years in the areas of caregiving, fundraising and pastoral care.
The Most Rev. Msgr. Keith DeRouen, who serves in Opelousas at Our Lady Queen of Angels and has been a supporter of HOA since 1983.
Edna T. Lastrapes, MSW, LMSW, director of aftercare and public relations at Williams Funeral Home in Opelousas.
Dwight S. "Bo" Ramsay, civic leader and owner of Aries Marine Corporation.

Bernard

Lastrapes

Ramsay

AHS Walk-In Clinic builds new facility on Ambassador
Acadian Health Services' Walk-In Clinic, which has operated a walk-in clinic on Pinhook Road for two decades, is constructing a freestanding facility at 6011 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, near the intersection of Ambassador Caffery Extension and the Youngsville Highway. In its new location, AHS will continue to serve walk-in and urgent care patients and will also offer occupational medicine services such as pre-employment physicals, treatment of work-related injuries and drug/alcohol screenings.
The larger clinic will feature twice the number of patient rooms, along with two large lobbies to better accommodate patients and offer a more streamlined health care experience.
Designed by architect Kevin Gossen, the facility is being constructed by J.B. Mouton and should be complete by late this summer or early fall. More information and a full listing of services can be found at ahswalkinclinic.com.

Schumacher promotes Guillotte
Gwen Guillotte was promoted to senior vice president of revenue cycle services at Schumacher Group. Guillotte has served in RCS for the company for the past eight years. She began with Schumacher Group by forecasting revenue in the Finance Department and served as director of finance before moving into a leadership role in RCS. Guillotte has an MBA and BS degree in economics from Tulane University, where she graduated with academic honors from Phi Beta Kappa Society. She previously worked as a valuation consultant for Standard & Poor's.

Guillotte

Cormier joins Coccolare Spa
Licensed massage therapist Mary Beth Cormier has joined Coccolare Spa. A native of Terrebonne Parish and a graduate of Blue Cliff College, Cormier is certified at the state and national levels in sports, Swedish, deep tissue, prenatal, and myofascial styles of massage, as well as the practice of range of motion exercise. She has more than four years of massage therapy experience. Coccolare Spa is a medical spa that operates under the direction of Dr. Cynthia Glass.

Cormier

LSSH named to 100 Great Places to Work'
Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital was named to Becker's Hospital Review's annual list of 100 Great Places to Work in Healthcare. The hospitals, health systems, ambulatory surgery centers and physician groups included in the list offer robust benefit packages, positive work environments, excellent employee recognition programs and opportunities for professional development and continuing education. The Becker's Hospital Review and Becker's ASC Review editorial teams accepted nominations for the 2013 list and selected recipients based on nominations and editorial research. Retention is a strong point for nurses at LSSH, evidenced by its low turnover rates and an average of 16 years of experience. The hospital's 190 employees can earn generous bonuses for meeting annual performance benchmarks, with added incentives for length of tenure and attendance for scheduled shifts. The hospital frequently provides meals when caseloads are heavy, and employees can earn $100 just for being nominated as employee of the year or nurse of the year, while the winners take home $1,000 each. The hospital also offers tuition reimbursement, fitness challenges, wellness support groups, monthly birthday luncheons and 401(k) matching plans.

Dr. Aldret earns sports med certification
Dr. Stephanie Aldret has earned certification in sports medicine from the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists of the American Osteopathic Association. Certification eligibility requires the physician to undergo an additional year of training focused on sports medicine. The examination evaluates an understanding of the scientific basis of the problems involved in sports medicine, the familiarity with current advances in sports medicine and of a high degree of skill in the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures involved in the practice. Aldret is a board certified family medicine physician at Regional Medical Center of Acadiana and a member of the hospital's Sports Medicine Team. A graduate of Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa, Aldret completed an internship and residency in family medicine at Oklahoma State before completing a one-year fellowship in sports medicine at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Va. She served as team physician for Virginia Tech and Radford University and also provided medical coverage for Special Olympics, Paralympic qualifying events, high school sporting events, roller derby and the Seattle Mariners single-A rookie level affiliate in Pulaski, Va., before joining Regional Medical Center.