Tri-parish Newsmakers

Naquin joins TRMC spine center

Billy Naquin, MBA, PT, OCS, has been named director of Thibodaux Regional Medical Center’s Spine Center of Excellence.

The Thibodaux native holds a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Louisiana State University Medical Center, which he earned in 1989, and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of New Orleans. He is a board certified orthopedic clinical specialist and previously served as the hospital’s orthopedic director.

Naquin is married to Wendy Simoneaux Naquin and has two children, Alec and Gabrielle.

TGMC’s Kelpsch state’s ’09 top volunteer

Anita Kelpsch, a member of Terrebonne General Medical Center’s Volunteer Auxiliary, was recently presented the hospital’s 2009 Louisiana Volunteer Service Award.

An auxiliary volunteer for two and a half years, Kelpsch has donated more than 285 hours of volunteer service during that time.

TGMC’s Bergeron wins excellence award

Gretchen Bergeron, RN, MSN, CEN, staffing coordinator at Terrebonne General Medical Center, was given the Nurse Clinician Excellence Award from the Xi Zeta Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing at Nicholls State University’s Department of Nursing.

Bergeron, who has 15 years’ nursing experience, completed her associate’s degree at Nicholls and bachelor’s degree in nursing from Loyola University. She earned a master’s degree in nursing from the University of South Alabama.

Bergeron has worked in TGMC’s Emergency Department for 12 years as a staff and charge nurse. She is currently the house supervisor, and works on several hospital committees and quality initiatives.

Port staffer named Chamber’s ‘Employee of the Year’

The Greater Lafourche Port Commission’s legal projects assistant, Serena Bruce, has been named 2009 Employee of the Year by The Chamber of Lafourche & the Bayou Region.

Bruce monitors the daily interrelation of grant funding, permit application, project design and construction and lease creation and administration, according to port director Ted Falgout, one of seven port officials to submit Bruce’s name for consideration.

“Preparing meeting agendas, publishing required notices, ensuring required grant, permit, construction and lease timelines and benchmarks are met – Serena does it all,” Falgout wrote in his nomination. “She even serves as a paralegal when the going gets tough. Simple put, Serena is the model employee and a true team player – she keeps the engine running smoothly.”

T. Baker Smith opens new office in northwest La.

T. Baker Smith has expanded its operations to Shreveport with the opening of its newest office.

The move allows the firm to expand its client base, according to company president/CEO Kenny Smith.

The new office is situated close to the Haynesville Shale Natural Gas formation, which has been referred to as one of the nation’s largest natural gas formations. The state’s northwest quadrant – Caddo, Bienville, Bossier, DeSoto, Red River and Webster parishes – has been the most active.

“At T. Baker Smith, we want to continue to be a part of these exploration and pipeline activities,” Smith said. “We have been providing services to clients in this area for two years, and with the continued activities, this warranted us establishing a professional team in Shreveport.”

Wong achieves certification in echocardiography

Dr. Kenneth Wong, a cardiologist at the Cardiovascular Institute of the South’s Raceland and Thibodaux sites, has completed the requirements of the National Board of Echocardiography for certification in adult echocardiography.

To become certified, Wong completed accredited courses and training and successfully passed a competence exam in adult echocardiography.

Wong is also board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and nuclear cardiology. He serves as medical director at CIS Raceland, and is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology. Prior to joining CIS, he worked at the MetroHealth Medical Center and Mount Sinai Medical Center in Cleveland.

CIS echocardiography lab earns accreditation

Cardiovascular Institute of the South’s ultrasound laboratories recently earned accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories.

CIS labs are some of the first thousand echocardiography facilities in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to be recognized for commitment to high quality patient care and providing quality diagnostic testing.

The three-year accreditation signifies that CIS’ nine labs in south Louisiana – including the facilities in Houma, Thibodaux, Raceland and Morgan City – have been reviewed by an independent agency.

The ICAEL was established with the support of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography (SOPE) to provide a peer review mechanism to encourage and recognize the provision of quality echocardiographic diagnostic evaluations by a process of voluntary accreditation.

Bougeois, Naquin awarded AFAA top state honors

Louisiana AFAA President Roger Bourgeois and Craig Naquin, outgoing vice president, were recently awarded the National Automatic Fire Alarm Association’s State Association of the Year Award.

The Louisiana association was recognized for its growth, educational programs and participation in Life Safety programs.

Bourgeois is a past chairman of the AFAA, and was the founding president of the Louisiana association, which got its start in 1992.

The NAFAA also named Boyd Petty, licensing manager for Louisiana’s Office of State Fire Marshal, state and national AFAA Person of the Year. The award is slated to be presented at the National Fire Protection Association Conference in Chicago.

In other news, Bourgeois’ company, Bourgeois & Associates Inc., was given the Siemens Fire Safety 2008 Star Performance Award for its work in the Gulf Coast region. The award was presented at a recent national sales meeting in San Diego, Calif.

Bourgeois formed the company in 1984 during the oilfield downturn. The business recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.