Tri-parish Newsmakers

Clement named TRMC chief information officer

Bernie Clement is Thibodaux Regional Medical Center’s new chief information officer.

The Thibodaux native has more than 17 years experience in information technology, and most recently served as IT program director for a large hospital in New Orleans. He is a certified lean master for health care and a certified project management professional. Clement is a member of the College of Health Information Management Executives and the Health Information and Management Systems Society.

Young named TGMC Employee of the Month

Longtime Terrebonne General Medical Center staffer Esther Young, shift coordinator in the central processing department, has been named the hospital’s Employee of the Month for September.

“I was shocked and excited to have been chosen,” 18-year veteran Young said. “I work with such a wonderful team of people who all deserve this award and who give so much of themselves.”

Bourgeois named LHA Board of Trustees chair

Ochsner St. Anne General Hospital CEO Milton D. Bourgeois Jr. was recently elected chair of the Louisiana Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees.

Bourgeois has headed the Raceland hospital since April 1988. Prior to that, he was a corporate officer of a multi-state engineering company. He was also a co-owner, and served as board chairman and general partner of two oilfield service companies.

MidSouth Bank’s Blanchard promoted

Chantell Blanchard has been promoted to MidSouth Bank’s officer/legal assistant. As such, she assists the bank’s legal counsel in Louisiana and Texas, preparing and filing legal documents.

An 8-year veteran of the bank, she also served as a team leader for the collections department.

Jimenez to lead Entergy’s business, economic expansion

Eduardo “Ed” Jimenez has been named director of business and economic expansion for Entergy Louisiana LLC and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana LLC.

In that role, he will set the vision and strategy for the company’s expansion initiatives, according to Bill Mohl, president and CEO of Entergy’s Louisiana Utilities. This includes working with Louisiana Economic Development in business development, project management and business intelligence activities, as well as supporting state and local initiatives to improve the marketability of communities around the state.

Beyer tapped for Young CPA board

Houma CPA Greg Beyer is serving the second year of a two-year term as member-at-large on the Society of Louisiana CPA’s (LCPA) Young CPA (YCPA) board.

Beyer, a senior manager with the Houma firm Beyer, Stagni & Co. CPAs, graduated from Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and also received a master’s in business administration from Nicholls State University.

TRMC Home Health awarded state Capstone honor

Thibodaux Regional Medical Center’s Home Health Center was given the 2010 Louisiana Home Health Capstone Quality Award this summer by eQHealth Solutions, the state’s Medicare quality improvement organization.

TRMC’s Home Health Center is one of only 17 home health agencies in the state to receive the award. Previously titled the Louisiana Home Health Quality Award, the honor recognizes state home health agencies that have excelled at reducing avoidable acute care hospitalizations.

Jaffery joins Ochsner St. Anne medical team

Dr. Zehra Jaffery, a full-time cardiologist and the only female cardiologist on staff, has joined Ochsner St. Anne General Hospital’s medical team.

After completing her internal medicine training at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Jaffery was named chief medical resident of internal medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Urbana-Champaign, Ill. She completed her cardiology training at Ochsner Medical Center in June 2011.

TRMC’s Poiencot earns hand therapy certification

Thibodaux Regional Medical Center occupational therapist Lacy Poiencot, LOTR, recently earned the designation of certified hand therapist (CHT), which is awarded upon successful completion of the certification examination process administered by the Hand Therapy Certification Commission (HTCC).

Poiencot is an occupational therapist at TRMC’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Center. The CHT is the only internationally recognized credential for therapists who specialize in upper extremity rehabilitation.

Houma Olive Garden manager honored

Jeremy McKnight, former manager of the Olive Garden on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Houma, was presented the Joe R. Lee Diamond Club Award, the Darden Restaurants’ top honor.

Forty-one of Olive Garden’s 750 general managers were presented the Diamond Club Award.

Now the manager of the Olive Garden in Baton Rouge, McKnight was recognized for his work locally.

Broussard receives SRS designation

Houma-based Realtors Tonya Broussard and Lena Burgess, of Premiere Properties of the South, recently earned the Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) professional real estate designation conferred by the SRS Council.

The council educates Realtors in the specialty of representing consumers with the highest benchmark of service and professionalism.

Matherne joins TRMC staff

Dermatologist Ryan J. Matherne, M.D., has joined Thibodaux Regional Medical Center’s active medical staff. He is a member Dr. John J. Jones’ practice.

A Raceland native, Matherne is board certified by the American Board of Dermatology, and is a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Society of Dermatopathology, and the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery. He enjoys teaching and will hold an adjunct position of assistant clinical professor in the LSUHSC Department of Dermatology.

Greer named Business First Bank interim chair

Robert S. Greer Jr. is serving as interim chairman of Business First Bank.

As such, Greer serves as interim chairman of both the bank and the hold company, Business First Bancshares Inc. David Pitts, chairman and CEO of Pitts Management Association, continues to serve as director for both the bank and the holding company.

A Louisiana native, Greer is a member of The Committee of 100 for Economic Development Inc., and serves as the chair of the development committee of the Woman’s Hospital Board. In his professional life, Greer has previously worked in a President/CEO capacity with Providian Agency Group, United Insurance Company of America and Union National Life Insurance Company in Baton Rouge.

Flowers named TRMC’s VP of professional services

Thibodaux native Scott Flowers has been named vice president of Thibodaux Regional Medical Center’s professional services. As such, he is responsible for the hospital’s ancillary and support services.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in management from Louisiana State University, Flowers earned a master’s degree in health-care administration/business administration from the University of Houston, Clear Lake. He has extensive knowledge and experience with Lean and Six Sigma methodology and is a Six Sigma Black Belt. Most recently, Flowers served as executive director, Louisiana Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for eQHealth Solutions in Baton Rouge.

Cortez joins TRMC’s outpatient rehab staff

Physical therapist Lee Cortez, PT, has joined Thibodaux Regional Medical Center’s outpatient rehabilitation center.

The Thibodaux native earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Nicholls State University and a master’s degree in physical therapy from Louisiana State University Health Science Center in New Orleans.

He has more than 10 years experience treating patients with various orthopedic complications and physical ailments in the outpatient physical therapy setting. During his leisure time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children.

Schmidt promoted at MidSouth Bank

Melissa Schmidt has been named MidSouth Bank’s assistant vice president, senior internal auditor.

A CPA, Schmidt has been an internal auditor at MidSouth for four years and has an additional six years of public accounting experience. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants and the GRC (Governance Risk and Compliance) Group.

In her new role, she manages and reports on the results of all operational audits and also manages the bank’s Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance testing and reporting function.

LeJeune named LCPA South Central chapter head

Nicholls State University accounting instructor and CPA Stacy LeJeune is serving as 2011-12 president of the South Central chapter of the Society of Louisiana CPAs (LCPA).

A graduate of NSU, she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting.

Morgan City-based CPA Barbara Watts was appointed the chapter’s president-elect. She will take over as chapter president in 2012-13.

Watts is a partner at Darnall, Sikes, Gardes & Frederick.

Houma CPA Lisa Tarantola is the chapter’s incoming secretary. She is employed by Michael J. Blanchard CPA in Houma.

CPA Kandace Maudlin, who works in the Houma office of Bourgeois Bennett L.L.C., was elected chapter treasurer.

CPA Roy Breerwood, of Gulf Island Fabrication, will serve as board member at-large.

Bryce Ledet, who owns a CPA firm in Thibodaux, is the chapter’s immediate past-president.

The LCPA, which was organized in 1911, is a non-profit, professional association representing more than 6,300 CPAs working in public practice, industry, government and education.

TRMC rehab center awarded 3-year CARF re-accreditation

Thibodaux Regional Medical Center’s rehabilitation unit has been re-accredited for three years by CARF International for its inpatient rehabilitation program.

This marks the seventh consecutive three-year accreditation CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) has awarded the rehab center. The center’s stroke specialty program also earned CARF’s three-year accreditation.

The awards represent the highest level of accreditation that can be given to an organization and shows TRMC’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. Organizations that undergo a three-year accreditation endure a rigorous peer review process and demonstrate to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and services are of the highest quality, measurable and accountable.

Founded in 1966, CARF is an independent, non-profit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the people served.