LRHA Update. LRHA Awards Outstanding. Rural Health Professionals of the Year. OCTOBER 2007, Volume XIV, Issue X

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1 LRHA Update OCTOBER 2007, Volume XIV, Issue X Partial funding for this publication is provided through a federal grant from the Office of Rural Health Policy (HRSA) and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Bureau of Primary Care and Rural Health LRHA Mission Statement: To serve as a unified voice for the promotion of rural healthcare through advocacy, education, and leadership. LRHA Awards Outstanding Sam Fulton President Christopher Vidrine President Elect Wayne Arboneaux Treasurer Christopher Williams Secretary Chris Kohlenberg Immediate Past President Ron Barrow Milton Bourgeois, Ex Officio Byron Briggs, Ex Officio Mark Chustz Jim Dixon Linda Deville Brad Fife Dr. Arthur Fort, Ex Officio Nick Gachassin Jr., Ex Officio Paul Landry, Ex Officio Suzanne Lavergne, Ex Officio Garrett Lejeune Michelle Lemming Kristy Nichols, Ex Officio Evalyn Ormond L.J. Pecot Scott Stafford, Ex Officio Vernon Stevens Rural Health Professionals of the Year Pictured above are Wayne Arboneaux, CEO of Assumption Community Hospital and Evalyn Ormond, CEO of Union General Hospital receiving an award at the LRHA Fall Conference held at the Lafayette Hilton on October 15 and 16. Both received an award for Outstanding Rural Health Professional of the Year. For entire article see page 4. Louisiana Rural Health Association Post Office Box 387 Napoleonville, LA Phone: (985) Fax: (985) Web:

2 Thank You! LRHA Awards Outstanding Rural Health Professionals and Rural Health Programs The 2007 Louisiana Rural Health Association Awards Luncheon was held on October 15 th at the Lafayette Hilton. We are very pleased to announce to our membership this year s Rural Health Awards Recipients Rural Health Professional of the Year Wayne Arboneaux, CEO Assumption Community Hospital Evalyn Ormond, CEO Union General Hospital 2007 Rural Practitioner of the Year Otis Biggs, M.D Outstanding Rural Health Program of the Year Union General Rural Health Clinic 2007 LRHA Member of the Year Rebecca Bradley, Director, Rural Health Programs, Louisiana Hospital Association Sam Fulton was honored by the Louisiana Rural Health Association s Executive Committee for his dedication to the association in serving as the 2007 President of the Board of Directors. Thank you Sam for your dedication to LRHA as well as to the community you serve. With sincere appreciation, LRHA salutes you. We would also like to salute the following dedicated individuals and successful outstanding program that were nominated: Rural Health Professional of the Year Linda Deville, CEO Bunkie General Hospital Rural Practitioner of the Year Riaz M. Chaudhry, M.D. LaSalle General Hospital John Fleming, M.D. Minden Family Care Clinic Outstanding Rural Program of the Year Bunkie General Hospital Member of the Year Lee Ann Albert, Director of Recruitment Services, North Louisiana AHEC Doug Efferson, Administrator, Homer Memorial Hospital Please see pages 3-6 for detailed information regarding the awards.

3 Ms. Rebecca Bradley Named 2007 LRHA Member of the Year The 2007 Member of the Year Award is designed to recognize a member of the Louisiana Rural Health Association (LRHA) who has contributed significantly to the efforts of LRHA and who has, by outstanding example, inspired others over their time as an active member of the Association. Rebecca Bradley has been a member of LRHA since 2004 and enthusiastically supports the Association. For the past three years, Rebecca was the Project Manager of the Louisiana Rural Health Information Technology Project and has recently been promoted to her current role as the Director of Rural Health Programs at Louisiana Hospital Association. Rebecca has proven to be an outstanding active member of the association by attending every LRHA educational event. She often demonstrates her dedication to LRHA and her passion to rural health care by speaking at several of the educational events. Rebecca is always cheerful, professional, and willing and able to help LRHA staff members at all times. In addition to supporting our educational events, Rebecca is also a strong leader in taking a proactive role in advocacy efforts in state and federal regulatory issues. Due to her dedication to rural health care as well as her dedication to LRHA, Rebecca was nominated to the slate of candidates for the 2008 LRHA Board of Directors and was elected to the Board by the general membership. Rebecca has proven to be an outstanding member of LRHA and her passion for rural health care and her dedication to LRHA is invaluable. Congratulations Rebecca. Union General Hospital Rural Health Clinic Named Outstanding Rural Health Program of the Year The 2007 Louisiana Rural Health Association (LRHA) Awards Luncheon was held on October 15 th at the Lafayette Hilton. Each year, LRHA welcomes nominations for Rural Health Awards from all members of the Association. The Union General Hospital (UGH) Rural Health Clinic was named Outstanding Rural Health Program of the Year. The Outstanding Rural Health Program of the Year Award recognizes a statewide or regional onetime or recurrent program/project that promotes the development of rural health care delivery systems. UGH Rural Health Clinic was chosen for this prestigious award for its contribution to the healthcare system in Union Parish and for its efforts in improving the quality of rural healthcare through educational outreach as well as their efforts in assisting patients in obtaining free medications. Jenny McDonald RNC-FNP, was the first Nurse Practitioner employed at the clinic and she built a strong patient base in preparation for the clinic to become certified in Lynette Wade RNC-FNP later joined the practice and the clinic continued to grow and the first physician was hired in With the success of UGH Rural Health Clinic in Farmerville and the need for healthcare services in a nearby town, Evalyn Ormond, CEO of Union General, decided to open another rural health clinic in Marion. UGH Rural Health Clinic now has 11 exam rooms with a full Kid-Med program and the current number of visits in the Farmerville location has reached 1,000 per month and together they incur nearly 1,300 visits a month. The clinic has created an Indigent Pharmacy Access Program which assists all qualified patients in applying for over $5,000 worth of free medicines a month. In addition to the pharmacy access program, the Nurse Practitioner s and the physician strive to implement education and/or screening programs by traveling throughout the community on a regular basis. Dianne Davidson, Executive Assistant/Division Leader Rural Health Clinics stated that As the CEO of Union General, Evalyn Ormond had a vision which has now become a reality. Congratulations Union General Hospital Rural Health Clinic!

4 Rural Health Professional of the Year Award The Rural Health Professional of the Year recognizes a direct health care provider (non-physician) for contribution and leadership in health care services to rural populations and improving access to rural people. Mr. Wayne Arboneaux CEO of Assumption Community Hospital Mr. Arboneaux received two nominations for this prestigious award. The people of Napoleonville, Louisiana know Wayne as the baker s son, the past mayor and the administrator at the local hospital. The residents of Assumption Parish are all aware of his commitment to serve the community and his determination to ensure that the residents receive the best care possible from Assumption Community Hospital. Wayne currently serves as Treasurer on the LRHA Board of Directors and previously held the position of Board President. Wayne s never-ending efforts to sustain the success of LRHA and promote the LRHA mission statement to his staff and colleagues stands proof that he is a leader within his community and across the state of Louisiana. Congratulations Wayne! Mrs. Evalyn Ormond CEO of Union General Hospital Evalyn has worked in healthcare for the past thirty years beginning at Sterlington Hospital and she has served as the CEO of Union General Hospital since Her dedication and passion for rural healthcare is demonstrated by her active involvement in many healthcare organizations. She is a member of the following organizations: Louisiana Hospital Association since 1977, Northeast LA Hospital Association, Rural Hospital Coalition, National Rural Health Association and Building Healthy Communities. Evalyn currently serves as the President of the Board for the North LA Area Health Education Center and she also serves on the Board of Directors for HSLI as well as the Louisiana Rural Health Association. The residents of Union Parish are all aware of her dedication and commitment to improve access to care in Union Parish. She implemented a full time 24/7 physician covered emergency room as well as a full time physical therapy program which has expanded to include occupational and speech therapy. According to Dianne Davidson, Executive Assistant/Division Leader, Evalyn acts as a leader and not a follower. She is constantly seeking out our legislative representatives to advocate for rural healthcare and she also travels to Washington D.C. to advocate for rural healthcare. Evalyn s never-ending efforts to improve access to healthcare in Union General and her efforts to sustain the success of Union General Hospital stands proof that she is a leader within her community and across the state of Louisiana. Congratulations Evalyn!

5 Dr. Biggs named Rural Health Practitioner of the Year support to our military, both active duty and veterans. He is an invaluable asset to our community and we appreciate him greatly, stated Margie Morris, Protocol Coordinator. Roger LeDoux, CEO Byrd Regional Hospital, stated that "Dr. Biggs has contributed to the healthcare needs of our community for almost half a century, and is a living example of quality family practitioners throughout rural America. Otis B. Biggs, M.D. has been named the Rural Health Practitioner of the Year by the Louisiana Rural Health Association. The Rural Health Practitioner of the Year award recognizes a direct service provider (physician) for leadership in bringing health services to rural populations. Dr. Biggs was chosen for this prestigious award for his contribution to the healthcare needs of his community. Dr. Biggs has practiced medicine in Leesville, LA for over 46 years. He has served as Chief of Staff at Byrd Regional Hospital, as well as numerous medical staff committees. Dr. Biggs was nominated for the Rural Practitioner of the Year award by Roger LeDoux, CEO and Sam Fulton Marketing/ Community Relations Director of Byrd Regional Hospital. The nomination contained over 31 letters from a variety of community members and rural healthcare leaders recommending Dr. Biggs for this prestigious award. According to Mayor Westerchil, Dr. Otis Biggs is a credit to the medical profession serving a rural area and all mankind. He has made a difference leaving handprints everywhere in Vernon Parish - especially in our hearts. Not only does Dr. Biggs provide outstanding medical care to the citizens of Leesville, he also provides enormous moral Congratulations Dr. Biggs. Save the Date January 15-16, 2008 Paragon Resort Marksville, LA 2008 RHC Practice Management Workshop & RHC Education Event We are currently planning the agenda for this educational event! National and state rural-health leaders will be on hand to deliver important and up-to-date information. Make your reservations today! The deadline for reservations is Tuesday, December 25, To make reservations, call and refer to Louisiana Rural Health Association to obtain the special group rate of $69 +tax.

6 2008 Board Members Elected The 2008 Board of Directors election was held in conjunction with the 2007 LRHA Annual Fall Conference. Each member present at the conference had the opportunity to cast their vote. The nomination committee selected an excellent slate of candidates. We had (7) open seats on the on the Board. The following four Board members were re-elected to serve their second three year term: Mark Chustz, Jim Dixon, Brad Fife and Garret LeJeune. The three newly elected members to serve on the Board are as follows: Lee Ann Albert, Scott Barrilleaux and Rebecca Bradley. Pictured above are the exhibitor booths at the 2007 Annual Conference held at the Lafayette Hilton on October 15-16, Lee Anne Albert is a registered nurse with over 10 years of clinical and business experience. She is currently a professional healthcare recruiter for Med Job Louisiana employed by North Louisiana Area Health Education Center. Scott Barrilleaux is CEO of Allen Parish Hospital. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Master of Health Administration degrees. He received the 2005 Citizen of the Year by the Kinder Chamber of Commerce. Rebecca Bradley joined the LHA Foundation as the Project Manager of the Louisiana Rural Health Information Technology Grant received from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. She has recently been promoted to Director of Rural Health Programs. The newly elected members of the board will serve three year terms and may serve no more than two terms in succession as detailed in the association s by-laws. LRHA members continuing service on the Board of Directors for a second three year term are: Wayne Arboneaux, Christopher Williams,Christopher Vidrine, Sam Fulton, Linda Deville, Vernon Stevens, Evalyn Ormond, Suzanne Lavergne (ex-officio), and Kristy Nichols (ex-officio). Thanks for your hard work and dedication!!! Pictured above is the Louisiana Rural Health Association s table. Included on the board were the several grant projects within the organization. Submit to the LRHA Update! We d love to hear from you arboneaux@lrha.org

7 2007 Louisiana Rural Health Association Annual Conference Bureau of Primary Care & Rural Health Your generosity to our organization goes unmeasured. The foundation of LRHA s success is largely due to the collaboration shared with excellent partners like you. Thank you for all that you do for us.

8 The Louisiana Rural Health Association greatly appreciates the support of our Corporate Sponsors. Your support aids LRHA in furthering its mission to serve as a unified voice for the promotion of rural health care through advocacy, education, and leadership. Your Corporate sponsorship is an essential part of the success of our educational programs and your generosity to our Association is invaluable. W e thank you for all that you do for LRHA.

9 THANK YOU 2007 LRHA Corporate Sponsors DIAMOND PLATINUM GOLD BRONZE