Tri-parish Newsmakers

Ochsner St. Anne recognizes DAISY nurses

Five Ochsner St. Anne General Hospital nurses were recently given the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses for providing exemplary patient care.

The nurses – Ann Savoie, RN; Dodie Guidry, LPN; Judy Lapeyrouse, LPN; Starla Callais, LPN; and Marcie Champagne, RN – were recognized.

“In spite of the current nationwide nursing shortage, nurses are part of the foundation to help people stay well, get well or live with illness,” said Glen Golemi, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Gulf States Region. “Through countless interactions each year with our members, they put our mission into action by improving the way health care works for people.”

DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The foundation was formed in January 2000 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thombocytopenic Purpura. His family created the award because of the skillful, compassionate care he received from his nurses.

“When we created The DAISY Foundation, we could not have anticipated that our program would come to be regarded by some of the best hospitals in America as a strategic tool for nurse recruitment and retention – two key elements in managing the nursing shortage,” Barnes said.

Viglianco joins TRMC staff

Dr. James Viglianco, a general and bariatric surgeon, has joined Thibodaux Regional Medical Center.

Viglianco practices medicine with Dr. Johnny Perez.

After receiving his medical degree from Marshall University School of Medicine in Huntington, W.V., Viglianco performed his general surgery residency at Mount Carmel Health in Columbus, Ohio. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Viglianco is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity, the Lafourche Parish Medical Society and the Louisiana State Medical Society.

He has performed more than 1,900 weight loss surgeries including Rouen-Y Gastric Bypass, Lap Band and Gastric Sleeve Surgery.

Juanita Terrebonne named TGMC Volunteer of the Year

Juanita Terrebonne has been named Terrebonne General Medical Center’s 2009-10 Volunteer of the Year.

Fellow volunteers decide the year’s recipient for the honor. Terrebonne has been a part of the hospital’s Volunteer Auxiliary for 10 years, dedicating over 2,665 hours of service during that time.

“Ms. Juanita gives unselfishly of her time and talents,” said Lisa Positerry, TGMC guest relations/volunteer coordinator. “Her dedication to the auxiliary has been unwavering as she is always available to help with fundraisers and extra projects. Like many of the TGMC volunteers she also offers her time to other facilities and organizations. We are grateful that she has chosen to be a part of our team.”

“This is such a great honor to have received this award from my peers,” Terrebonne said. “It’s a very rewarding job and gives me satisfaction helping people.”

Terrebonne, who served as the TGMC Volunteer Auxiliary President in 2008, performs many jobs with the auxiliary, such as answering phones, running errands, working book fairs and helping visitors to find their way around the hospital.

“There are over 50 volunteers that have worked over 9,300 hours this year alone,” said Phyllis Peoples, hospital president and CEO. “The tremendous job that our volunteers do at our hospital is immeasurable,” she said.

Some of the responsibilities that the volunteers have include sales at the gift shop, greeting and escorting our patients and visitors, delivering flowers and mail, and assisting in various clerical departments of the hospital. “We are very appreciative for all that they do to make our hospital a special place,” Peoples added.

To volunteer, call (985) 873-3588 or e-mail Lisa Positerry at lisa.positerry@tgmc.com.

TGMC director tapped to head LSHPRM board

Terrebonne General Medical Center’s director of marketing and planning Rhonda Alfred, has been elected president of the Louisiana Society for Hospital Public Relations and Marketing. The 2010-11 board of directors was named at the organization’s annual Business Meeting in late April.

Alfred assumes the lead role from Nicole Hidalgo, director of marketing for Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. Christine Albert, Touro Infirmary’s associate vice president of marketing, was named president-elect.

The LSHPRM is an affiliate society of the Louisiana Hospital Association. It is open to hospital marketing and public relations personnel, as well as other marketing and public relations professionals in any health care-related field.

Conner named Capital One sales head

Pierre Conner has been named Capital One Financial Corp.’s head of Sales, Trading and Research.

Conner previously served as Capital One Southcoast’s lead equity research analyst since 2003. In his new role, he will oversee all aspects of the sales, research and trading functions.

Prior to joining the company, Conner served in a number of engineering and operations management positions with Exxon Company USA, now ExxonMobil Corp.

He received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, a master’s in petroleum engineering and master’s degree in business administration – all from Tulane University – and is a registered professional engineer in petroleum engineering.

“Pierre has played a significant role in establishing and implementing Capital One Southcoast’s strategy,” said Mark Smith, head of Capital Markets and Government Banking, in a release. “With 18 years of experience in the energy industry and 10 years of experience as an equity research analyst, he has earned the respect of the energy industry and money managers and has provided value to our customers and our company over the years.

“As a former manager with an international oil company, Pierre has extensive knowledge and a broad range of hands-on experience that is well-suited for his newest role with Capital One Southcoast.”

TRMC names Crozier health IM director

Courtney Crozier, MA, RHIA, CPC, has been named director of Health Information Management at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center.

Crozier earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, and her master’s degree in health information and informatics management from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn.

A registered health information administrator with a Certified Professional Coding certification, Crozier has more than 10 years’ health-care experience. She worked in the areas of revenue, reimbursement, coding, auditing and chargemaster. She is an active member in several professional organizations including the Louisiana Health Information Management Association, the American Health Information Management Association, and the American Academy of Professional Coders.