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Public-private partnership ensured oil & gas lifeblood
July 29, 2014
Retired U.S. Marine Calvin Clark has placed his hand over his heart to pledge allegiance to the American flag many times.
And he will many more times over.
But now, Clark said he pledges allegiance to something else, too – Chabert Medical Center.
The diabetes patient thanked the very hospital representatives, employees and government officials who made his recovery a reality at the one-year celebration of the partnership between Chabert Medical Center, Terrebonne General Medical Center and Ochsner Health System.
“This place already, to me, is a success, because I’m alive, and I know I will live because of this facility. I’m gonna live a long time because of this facility,” he said.
A LaPlace resident, Clark has no problem making the trek down to the bayou region for health service with a smile.
“There’s a lot of facilities that (my wife and I) pass, but it’s the eagerness to get here,” Clark said. “I come to Chabert for one simple reason. It’s the people. It’s the doctors, the nurses, the staff who work at Chabert make a different, the employees at Chabert who share a commitment to love care and concern. When I come to Chabert it’s like walking into a pleasant community.”
He’s just one of thousands of patients Chabert has been able to better serve – or serve at all – since the inception of the partnership one year ago which saved Chabert from closing its doors to many from the low-income community who rely on its services.
Instead, Chabert CEO Ritchie Dupre said the medical center has seen 20,000 additional clinic visits, 1,000 more mammograms, 800 colonoscopies and 1,500 additional procedures for but not limited to 1,000 unique patients in the past year.
“I’m very proud of the results and very proud of what’s been done here to take care of more patients, because that’s what it’s about,” said Ochsner Heath System President and CEO Warner Thomas.” I often get asked when we first started these discussions about, ‘Why is Ochsner getting involved with Chabert?’ And going back to the reason why we exist, it’s about taking care of patients. And I believe that we actually could help Chabert do a better job taking care of patients – not that they didn’t do a great job before but with the resources and capabilities, we could help.”
The partnership has been credited with adding staff and improving technology and equipment at Chabert including a world-class EPIC system for electronic medical records.
“Our patients now have the ability to communicate with physicians, to keep track of their medications to review test results and to make changes in appointments all on their computers or their mobile devices,” said Dupre. “We are providing our patients with something they have never had before and that is the ability to have total control of their health care.”
New medical staff at Chabert includes new primary care physicians, specialists, cardiologist, a urologist, a family health practitioner and two new mammogram units
Those new mammogram units allow for women to receive same-day breast care screenings.
“That was an impossibility a year ago,” said Louisiana Secretary of the Dept. of Health of Hospitals Kathy Kliebert. “As a result, there are 60 percent more mammograms taking place, which means we’re able to identify needs and identify issues sooner.”
Another technological improvement called Q Track has improved the number of patients who left the ER without being seen by 60 percent by streaming patient movement and thereby reducing wait times.
And on top of it all of the improved and expanded care, Kliebert said the project came in $7 million under budget allowing those excess funds to be reinvested for the uninsured.
“It’s about the people,” said State Sen. Norby Chabert – a man instrumental in making the partnership a reality. “The people get served because it doesn’t matter if you’re sick and you’re poor or you’re sick and you’re rich. You’re still sick, and somebody has to take care of you, and the staff of this hospital has done it time and time again.”
Diabetes patient Calvin Clark (pictured) says he’s alive because of the companionate care he received at Chabert Medical Center.
