Thibodaux Regional’s Dr. Parker to Represent Healthcare Heroes in Rose Parade

The Rose Parade is a New Year’s celebration in California that is an iconic New Year’s Day tradition. This year’s theme is Dream. Believe. Achieve and Louisiana will be represented by riding the Feed Your Soul float!

To reflect this year’s theme, Feed Your Soul will have multiple Louisianans riding the float. Ashini Modi is a 17-year-old volunteer who started a 1,500 book library called the “Reading Rainforest” at the Providence House Shelter in Shreveport. Modi will be riding to represent the many volunteers that show Southern Hospitality and lend a helping hand to others.

Deputy Dylan Crawford of St. Tammany Parish is the recipient of the 2021 Louisiana Deputy’s Valor Award for a water rescue on the Bogue Chitto River. Alyssa Carson, of Hammond, will be riding as well. She is an inspiring astronaut who has been training and has attended every space camp to help with her aspirations. Kara Baile Lee, who is Jefferson Parish 2023 Teacher of the Year, will be representing Louisiana educators. Todd Terrell who is the Founder and President of the United Cajun Navy will also be riding and will represent all Louisiana volunteers who selflessly come to aid after natural disasters.

Miss Louisiana (America) Julia Claire Williams of Kinder and Miss Louisiana (USA) Tanya Crow of Amite City will represent role models for young people everywhere who yearn to achieve dreams in education and public service. American Idol winner and Louisiana native Laine Hardy will be accompanied by the New Orleans-based The Hot 8 Brass Band as well!

To represent Louisiana’s medical professionals who have heroically cared for Louisiana patients throughout the pandemic, Thibodaux Regional’s very own Pulmonologist, Dr. Brian Parker, has been selected. 

Thibodaux Regional Health System CEO Greg Stock said the choice was tough, but they are happy with the choice and grateful Dr. Parker accepted the honor. “Dr. Parker is a great young pulmonary critical care doctor who has been with us for several years,” Stock said, “He’s from Houma, Louisiana and very much a part of the culture here and has done an outstanding job during now what is a couple of years into COVID and during very critical situations like when we weren’t operable following Ida.” He also described Dr. Parker as calm, cool, and collective during critical times such as having to transport patients from the critical care unit to other areas, “He rationalized challenging situations really well, communicates effectively, works well with the other doctors and team members, and we just felt like that he was a great representative. We feel like we have a lot of great people, and he represented them well,” he said.

The hospital recently celebrated the completion of the state-of-the-art Cancer Institute with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser announced that a representative from Thibodaux Regional will be riding the Louisiana float in the Rose Parade, which was a surprise to Stock.

“It’s a great privilege for us to be asked to participate in that fashion. We take it seriously, we try to do our very very best under these circumstances, and there are a lot of heroes in healthcare today. A lot in the state and the region, and for us to be selected, is really, truly an honor,” he said.

He also humbly thanked all of the healthcare workers,” To all the healthcare workers out there doing so many heroic things and working so hard,” he said,” We just appreciate the privilege we have of working with you in an effort to serve the people who live here in this region in a way that care in the best way possible, so thanks for that.”