Discover Lafayette

Mike Dozier, Lafayette General Health’s Chief Information Officer, is our guest on this edition of Discover Lafayette. Under Mike's leadership since 2014, Lafayette General has become a leader in healthcare technology in Louisiana and has enacted innovative strategies and organizational alignment through the use of IT.

We focus on "telemedicine" in this interview and discuss all the ways it enhances treatment to guarantee patients the best health outcomes while saving both the consumer and healthcare provider money. The field is evolving rapidly. While telemedicine has been around for decades as doctors have been able to diagnose patients remotely, today's telemedicine tools provide open access to care as specialists treat you while you remain at your workplace, school or home. You can receive care no matter where you are.

Practically speaking for us patients, telemedicine can keep our healthcare costs down, make it easier to schedule visits to healthcare providers and keep us out of the emergency room by using proactive measures to monitor our health. We can also be saved from sepsis and have access to and share our healthcare records 24/7 through the use of My Health Patient Portal.

Eliminating "friction" for patients is the goal of Lafayette General to make access to care as simple as possible. Lafayette General Health is the only health system in Louisiana that has a mobile app that delivers information about wait times to see a doctor, obtain visual information about where clusters of sick people are situated throughout the state (as in where flu is raging among the population), and that allows you to check-in online to avoid waiting for your doctor's appointment. While a typical "15 minute doctor appointment" can actually take up to four hours of your time (drive there, check-in, fill out paperwork, wait, go to the backroom, wait, etc...), the mobile app dispenses with the delays and affords patients the flexibility of preparing ahead of time so that they are actually in and out of an appointment in reasonable time.

A large contingent of IT professionals on staff at Lafayette General work to ensure that records are available to providers and patients, even when hurricanes and natural disasters may occur. Lafayette General's records are stored off-site in Kansas City, which is one of the most secure places in the U. S. Other sites are also utilized as backup measures to protect precious healthcare data. Redundancy is important in data security and protecting network and software applications of providers and Mike discussed how this became very apparent from Louisiana's experience in 2005 when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast.

Lafayette General's David Callecod announced in March 2019 that patients can have access to their medical records regardless of the electronic health record a healthcare facility uses. "When data is made readily available, providers can make diagnostic and treatment decisions more quickly, and patients can recover sooner. Better data means better communication with our patients and providers, better care and better outcomes." LGH and Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette are two of the first healthcare organizations in the country to share and retrieve health data via the new connection between two of the leading health IT data exchange networks, managed by CommonWell Health Alliance® and Carequality. By taking part in this pilot, Lafayette General Health and Our Lady of Lourdes can now exchange patients’ electronic medical records seamlessly through the use of technology.

Lafayette General is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to diagnose sepsis, a blood infection that kills many people while they are being treated in hospitals worldwide. Being able to detect key changes in vital signs, lab results, nursing reports,

Dr. Holly Boffy, Vice President and District 7 Member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education ("BESE") sat down with Jan Swift, host of Discover Lafayette, to talk about the state of education in Louisiana. The most important message Holly wants to share with parents: read to your children, talk to your children, love your children, and get your children ready by engaging their minds!

Holly's choice to be an educator was profoundly influenced by her paternal grandparents who taught in East Texas. She still vividly remembers the plaque hanging by the backdoor at her grandparent's home which had been bestowed upon her grandfather posthumously recognizing his achievement in his profession. She wants everyone to understand that the teaching profession is powerful and the best profession a person can choose to make a difference in society.

She previously spent 10 years teaching middle school and was named the Louisiana State Teacher of the Year in 2010 while she was an 8th grade Social Studies teacher at Paul Breaux Middle School. She is the founder of Ed Talents, a consulting service that supports school districts in creating an educator talent system to attract, hire, place, develop, leverage, and retain teachers and leaders for student success.  Holly knows that all children can learn and passionately works to create systems that give educators the tools they need to meet students where they are so that academic success may be achieved.

The BESE Board has 11 commissioners, eight elected and three appointed by the Governor. The area Holly represents as an elected member, District 7, encompasses all or portions of the southwestern parishes of Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, and Vermilion. BESE members are unpaid but receive a per diem to cover expenses incurred in executing their duties. BESE is responsible for setting statewide education policies and determining an equitable funding formula for schools (MFP) which the Legislature can then vote up or down. For more information on BESE, its members, and the Department of Education, visit https://www.louisianabelieves.com.

BESE is also responsible for establishing the formula for letter grades given to the approximately 1300 schools in Louisiana, including early education centers for toddlers (ages 1 to 2) that receive state funding. Parents can visit https://louisianaschools.com/ to learn more about their children's school. School success is determined both by student academic achievement and the growth a school is experiencing as it works to improve educational outcomes. The importance of this accountability system, in Holly's eyes, is not so much about the letter grade an individual school receives, but in sharing the success stories identified in schools that are thriving, yet located in a high-poverty school district area. Dialogue among teaching professionals, when given this information, affords the opportunity for all to learn what constitutes best practices in educating our students from all walks of life and then sending the appropriate resources to those schools that are struggling in closing achievement gaps.

As a beginning teacher who started out teaching inner-city economically disadvantaged youth in Baton Rouge, Holly quickly realized that the students she was teaching were not being set up for success, nor was she as the teacher. Looking into the eyes of her students, many of whom had parents who had been incarcerated or hadn't finished high school, it was disheartening to accept that there was only so much she could bring to the table as an individual teacher. She became determined to work to bring about improvements to the educational system to give students as many opportunities as possible to be successful in thei...

Ken Ritter, Mayor of Youngsville, sat down with Jan Swift of Discover Lafayette to share his thoughts on the progress his city has experienced and the quality of life Youngsville offers its residents.

As a new resident of Youngsville in 2006, Ken quickly got involved in his homeowner's association, was elected to the City Council in 2011, and ran a successful campaign for mayor in 2014 when the sitting Mayor, Wilson Viator, announced he would not seek re-election.

Ken serves as an ideal and enthusiastic representative of the young demographic of this growing city where the average resident is in their mid-30's, enjoying a higher than average median household income, and parenting young children who are highly engaged in sports.

In 2011, Youngsville residents passed a 1 cent sales tax to fund the Youngsville Sports Complex and the city is becoming a destination for competitive sports clubs and programs such as the co-ed Youth Flag Football League "Football 'N' America" founded by Drew Brees that will commence this fall. Even with the demographics skewing young, the Sports Complex is offering a Masters League for 50-plus and 60 plus-year-old ballplayers. In May 2019, the complex celebrated the groundbreaking of a Beach Volleyball Complex which will feature a total of 5 sand volleyball courts, including a championship court. 

As a City Council member from 2011 to 2014, Ken was instrumental in the creation of the city’s comprehensive land-use ordinance, the city’s increased infrastructure requirements for privately developed subdivisions, and the city’s residential development code. During the interview, he stressed that he wants to focus on the quality of growth, rather than quantity. With a plethora of starter homes for young people, he is working to attract the building of larger homes for prosperous families who want to stay in Youngsville as their families outgrow their space.

Ken is cognizant that growing a community takes a strong partnership between landowners, government officials and private developers who are willing to invest in the projects needed to enhance market offerings. While working to raise the standards of development, he wants to assure investors that Youngsville will remain easy to deal with and will maintain its "small-town touch" as people deal with the permitting process.

When Ken became mayor in 2015, approximately 300 to 500 residential building permits were being let each year, and all records were kept on paper and not digitized. Now, the city's records are all computerized to set up Youngsville for success as the city has grown from less than 3000 residents twenty years ago to approximately 15,000 residents today in 2019.

Drainage issues are at the forefront of Ken Ritter's mind as well as that of the members of Youngville's City Council, especially after the August 2016 flood. Four initiatives are in place: (1) Clear existing drainage of the coulee system: the city has rented excavation equipment and is working 365 days per year to clear out clogged coulees; (2)Raising of Development Standards by requiring developers to comply with the flood damage prevention ordinance and enhanced development design standards; (3) Youngsville sought and obtained funding of $8 million dollars for retention pond needs to enhance master plan drainage designs. (Youngsville obtained 30% of $25 million dollars made available to an eight parish region by having a tentative plan in place to work with cooperative landowners and create two regional retention ponds that can lower base flood elevations while creating landscape and recreational opportunities to make the land usable); and (4)Youngsville looked at neighborhoods prone to flood to determine what could be done to prevent future flood events.

Katie Hebert, CEO of University Hospital & Clinics, sat down with Jan Swift of Discover Lafayette to share her mission of providing top-quality healthcare to all in need. Katie believes UHC is the best-kept secret in healthcare options in the region and her passion for serving as CEO at this teaching hospital is a testament to the compassionate care delivered to our most vulnerable neighbors.

Katie Hebert's father, Dr. Bernard deMahy, was a third-generation physician who served as a family practitioner in St. Martinville. Family docs in his day handled everything from setting fractures to delivering babies. As one of twelve children, Katie loved growing up in this small town where everyone knew everyone else, and the experience of watching her dad lovingly help others shaped her formative years and inspired Katie to focus on healthcare as her vocation.

Katie began her career as a respiratory therapist with an associate's degree. By the time she was 27, she had three children and earned a degree from USL, then went to LSU to earn her Masters of Science in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation. She worked her way up in hospital administration, having started in cardiac rehab, then spending fifteen years at Dautrieve Hospital in New Iberia in various management positions. She served as Administrator of Lafayette General Surgical Hospital, and CEO at St. Martin Hospital until April 2015 when she joined University Hospital & Clinics as COO. In September 2016, Katie was named CEO of UHC.

Under the leadership of Lafayette General's CEO David Callecod and a strong board of directors, St. Martin Hospital was the first hospital taken over by LGH as it expanded its reach throughout South Louisiana. During Katie's tenure as CEO, the hospital was renovated, its ER was expanded and out-patient services were added. (Karen Wyble is now serving as its CEO.) Katie emphasized that Lafayette General doesn't want to compete with rural communities, but wants to partner with them and keep the setting of healthcare where it is needed to give support to patients and allow them to stay close to home as they receive care.

A little background on the history of our "Charity Hospital" system: It started out as Lafayette Charity Hospital located on St. Mary Blvd. as an indigent care provider in the 1930s, offering 50 patient beds. In the early 1980s, Charity Hospital moved to its current location at Congress and Bertrand and was renamed University Medical Center (UMC). Lafayette General Health System took over the management of UHC in 2013 and that is the point when Lafayette General Medical Center announced new leadership positions and created "Lafayette General Health System."

UHC is a full-service hospital but also serves as an academic facility/teaching hospital housing medical students in Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Sports Medicine, and a Geriatrics Fellowship that stay for three years. It partners with LSU to host residents who rotate while being trained in General Surgery, OB/GYN, Ophthalmology, Urology, Otolaryngology, Cardiology, and Orthopedics. Dr. James Falterman serves as Associate Dean for LSU at Lafayette who serves as LSU's Institutional Official.

The presence of a teaching hospital in our region is critical to retaining physicians in Acadiana as most doctors remain in the area in which they train. When you hear of a shortage of physicians nationwide, it is due to the expense of setting up a residency program and also the difficulty in attracting students. Many students enter residency programs and give up their education due to the hardships of debt load and the time restraints in completing their residency. UHC is working to recruit specialists such as gastroenterologists, rheumatologists, endocrinologists to open clinics to give access to care in these critical areas in ne...

Catherine Schoeffler Comeaux is passionate about reducing and eventually eliminating the never-ending piles of trash generated both locally and globally. In this episode of Discover Lafayette, she speaks with Jan Swift in a humorous and non-preachy style, yet it is abundantly clear that she walks the walk in her efforts to bring about a zero waste society.

Catherine was a founding member of No Waste Louisiana along with Amanda Waddle and both women were instrumental in getting the Lafayette Parish School System to implement recycling in schools. Catherine realized that recycling, while helpful, is not the answer to the growing piles of waste. She is working to change mindsets and jokingly stated that beyond "reduce, reuse and recycle", there are so many ways to eliminate waste such as repair, redesign products, rethink, refill, and be responsible.

While stressing practicality of living your daily life, one of the best things we can all do to reduce waste is to eliminate the use of single-use plastics such as cups and plastic bags. The point of recycling is not to recycle "more," but to recycle better by being mindful of our daily practices of consumption.

All of Lafayette's recycling is sent to Baton Rouge. Paper, aluminum, and plastics are sorted by machines and ultimately humans. Catherine shared that unusual items such as weapons, bowling balls, mannequins, diapers, and dead animals are plucked out of the recycling by workers. "Contaminated recycling" is a problem; we should not include plastic bags in our recycling nor containers which have food or liquids on them.

No Waste Louisiana is an environmental education organization that works with individuals, businesses, and governments to reduce needless and avoidable waste. Front-end litter prevention is the focus, and they are hopeful to begin recognizing businesses that utilize green practices such as eliminating the use of plastics and other disposables. They also promote a "fix-it" culture to encourage people to fix their possessions rather than tossing them in the trash. No Waste Lafayette is hosting a Summer Fix It Cafe on July 27, 2019, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lafayette Public Library downtown where "fixers" will be available to assess and repair bikes, household goods, electronics, clothing, jewelry, and furniture.

Catherine spoke of the need for extended producer responsibility by the manufacturers of products. It takes legislation to encourage manufacturers to make their goods last longer or design them to be able to be broken down easily and recycled. The end goal is to have producers add all the environmental costs associated with a product through the product life cycle and focus on what happens to the product at the end of use. It prods manufacturers to accept their responsibility when designing products to minimize life-cycle environmental impacts and hopefully redesign to make a more durable good. An example is a Louisiana law that requires retail and wholesale sellers of lead-acid batteries to accept used batteries when a new one is purchased.

Latex paint is one of the most commonly brought goods to LCG's Household Hazardous Waste Day. LCG partners with Habitat for Humanity's ReStore to reblend the paints for sale at the store. Catherine stressed that while this is a wonderful way to repurpose unused paint, we could also share our paint with friends who may be happy to use it in their own home projects. About 10% of unused paint goes unused each year in the U. S. (80 million gallons) and as a result, paint stewardship laws are in effect in about thirteen states which call upon paint manufacturers to to assist with repurposing the paint, putting it back in circulation, and minimize involvement of local governments tasked with managing post-consumer paint by reducing the amount generate...

In the eight months she has been on the job since beginning in October 2018, Anita Begnaud has proven herself to be an inspirational catalyst for getting things done. As CEO of Downtown Development Authority, her role is to facilitate the development of downtown Lafayette by attracting new amenities, buildings, developments, jobs, and residents.

Anita's high energy, ability to connect with people and attention to detail have proven to be a winning combination as downtown is poised for explosive growth in the coming years. Her work experience includes stints at Lafayette Economic Development Authority, Acadiana Economic Development, IBERIABANK, and One Acadiana, all of which taught her how to navigate governmental relations, social media marketing, and economic development issues.

The Authority is funded with property tax millages assessed on commercial buildings within the district, with a budget of approximately $450,000 per year. While DDA doesn’t have the means to buy buildings or build infrastructure, its work encompasses all the intangible efforts to spearhead Lafayette’s downtown revitalization and continued growth.

DDA is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors with attorney Miles Matt serving as President, attorney Lisa Thomas serving as Secretary, along with board members Mike Delcambre, Ross Fontenot, Jim Keaty, Gus Rezende, and Greg Walls.

Recent announcements of companies adding staff to downtown Lafayette such as Waitr (200 jobs), the Opportunity Machine (80 plus emerging companies), and other established companies such as Perficient, have proven that the urban core of Lafayette is a desirable location for a variety of businesses. It is also the hub of Lafayette's legal community with the state and federal courthouses and law firms populating the area.

DDA's focus over the next couple of years will be attracting "jobs and rooftops," as people increasingly want to be able to live close to where they work. Rather than commuting into work and leaving at 5 p.m., there is a pressing demand for residences to accommodate the growing number of diverse jobs populating the downtown area. This translates into a growing need for more retail, grocery stores, and of course, adequate parking.

Throughout the interview, Anita referenced two documents that provide guidelines for growth and building downtown. The Downtown Lafayette Action Plan sets forth a comprehensive vision for how downtown can be enhanced to provide the option of high-quality city living and thus leveraged as a benefit for the entire region. The plan sets forth specific recommendations, based upon community input, to improve public spaces and parking, analyzing returns on infrastructure investment to ensure the highest transactional benefit to the entire community, enabling a transit loop to UL-Lafayette and back, and many more initiatives. The second document, the Downtown Lafayette Code interfaces with the Unified Development Code and directly governs building restrictions.

The DDA hosts a monthly Lunch and Learn series which educates on issues facing downtown. The next luncheon will be held on July 24, 2019, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and focuses on "Accessibility" as many downtown sidewalks are not accessible to the disabled. Tickets may be obtained here. The August luncheon will focus on "Safety" and the enhanced security measures being undertaken such as an increase in the number of police officers patrolling the area.

Facade Improvement Grants have helped small businesses in the downtown district to improve storefronts. An example is Rukus Board Shop which received funding assistance to install an awning and create new signage. These types of grants are utilized by business districts throughout the U. S.

David Joseph is a dedicated public servant who is passionate about breaking the cycle of violence in Louisiana as well as protecting people from the growing number of scams taking advantage of innocent victims. In this episode of Discover Lafayette, you have the opportunity to understand the role of the U. S. Attorney in combatting federal crimes and the man leading the office.

Note: The U.S. Senate confirmed current Western District U.S. Attorney David Joseph to a lifelong post as a federal district judge on July 28, 2020. He will serve in a Western District judgeship that had been vacant since Alexandria-based federal District Judge Dee D. Drell took senior status in 2017.

Joseph served as U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, which encompasses 42 of Louisiana's 64 parishes. The office works on cases involving white-collar crime, public corruption, as well as cases referred by the FBI, ATF, DEA, Homeland Security, and the IRS. There is quite a bit of overlap between state and federal laws regulating criminal behavior and while many can be tried at either the state or federal level, the U. S. Attorney's office is oftentimes directed cases from local law enforcement when they think a federal crime is involved.

Joseph previously served as an Assistant U. S. Attorney and was assigned financial crime cases and those involving long-term investigations. As a member of the National Guard, he was called up during the Iraq War and served three years as an Officer in the JAG Corps. He also worked with the FDIC after the market crash in 2008 when many banks failed; his work included prosecuting directors and officers of banks that failed due to high-risk, imprudent lending practices which caused the loss of investors' money. A favorite quote from the interview that David shared: "When the tide goes out, you see who's not wearing their bathing suit!"

With Louisiana having the highest homicide rate in the U. S., Joseph focused on trying to reduce the violent crime rate. (Even if you "took New Orleans out of the state," Louisiana would still have the highest homicide rate.) In particular, Shreveport, Monroe, and Alexandria experience the highest rates of violence as a result of gang activity related to the drug trade and domestic violence. Fortunately, Lafayette, Lake Charles and the rural parishes don't suffer from this high rate of violence.

One initiative undertaken by the Department of Justice ("DOJ") to reduce violent crime and get "alpha criminals" off the streets is the nationwide initiative called "Project Safe Neighborhoods." The U. S. Attorney's office partners with all levels of law enforcement to identify the most violent offenders and strategically remove them from the streets where they influence other felons and wreak havoc. As an example, Joseph explained there may be times when local law enforcement is not able to make a case on a suspected perpetrator of a homicide, but the DOJ can step in and arrest the felon caught with a firearm. The felon is prosecuted under federal statutes and incarcerated in federal prison for a few years, thus preventing them from influencing others Shreveport has seen great progress as a result of Project Safe Neighborhoods.

The U. S. Attorney's office has prioritized educating youth on the damages that firearms can cause to their families, friends, and of course, themselves. Youngsters can be easily influenced by alpha criminals who dominate their neighborhoods and as discussed above, removing these untenable actors is also high in importance in effectively breaking the cycle of violence by removing those who are negative influences on vulnerable youths.

Scams affecting the elderly are a continuing problem that affects at least 10% of older Americans each year.

Robert Billeaud, who has always been known as "Popie", is our guest. He serves as President of JB Mouton, the construction company established by his great-grandfather, John Berchman Mouton, in 1915. This interview gives the listener an opportunity to hear Popie speak of his love of building and the satisfaction the team at JB Mouton derives from creating structures built to withstand the test of time. As Popie tells clients, "You can pay for the building but it will always be ours!"

One of 17 children raised by Lillie and Manning "Bozo" Billeaud, Popie was raised in a warm and loving family. While Bozo encouraged all of his children to follow their own path in life and "just get an education," Popie always loved the construction business. A graduate of Northeast Louisiana (now UL-Monroe), he studied Construction Management and joined his father at JB Mouton in 1976 as a Project Manager.

The success of JB Mouton is attributable to its reputation for integrity and the ability to get the job done on time, if not early, with quality workmanship. Popie explained that building skills are such that you either have them or you don't, that you can't teach the innately given craft of building. So the company looks for team members with that gift and nurtures them and their talent, while always challenging the team to build the best building they can. Ongoing craft and safety training are important components of the company's culture.

JB Mouton has built many of our community’s most iconic landmarks, schools, and churches such as the LITE Center, St. Pius Catholic Church and Elementary School, ESA’s lower school, CGI, the IberiaBank Tower in River Ranch, Moss BMW and Kia Sterling. They’ve also renovated St. John Cathedral, the Academy of the Sacred Heart, the Cajun Dome, Hub City Ford, IberiaBank Tower downtown, and St. Charles College in Grand Coteau.

Chase Tower (formerly FNB Towers)The LITE CenterSt. Thomas More Football Stadium

Surviving economic ups and downs and two World Wars has not been easy for the company, and the early days were tough. JB Mouton was originally a farmer who turned to carpentry to make a living. A jack of all trades, he learned the craft of building in early jobs he worked on, and in 1915 started building homes on his own.

An early remodeling job JB Mouton took on was the home of Joshua Hays and Mary Laboye Town, the parents of A. Hays Town. Town was only 14 years old at the time and drew up the architectural plans for the remodel. He was so talented that he was hired by JB Mouton to draw up other plans and Town would recount later that his first commission ever made was paid by JB.

By the 1930s, JB Mouton's sons, Bill and Francis, joined the firm and they began working commercial construction. U. S involvement in WWII resulted in the rationing of supplies so the firm put its work on hold with Francis going into the service and Bill taking their equipment to Fort Polk to be of service to the military.

By 1949, Popie's father, Bozo, went to work at JB Mouton with his granddad and uncles. Commercial construction projects were in high demand and one of Bozo's first jobs was a contemporary A. Hays Town building on the airbase in New Iberia. The ensuing years led to the building of Pecan Island High School, Crowley High, Carencro High, and remodel/additions to Lafayette High, Woodvale, Alleman, Comeaux High, J. W. Faulk, and S. J. Montgomery.

In the mid-1960's, JB Mouton added two stories to UL's Dupre Library, and Bozo joked that no books got wet in the process! The firm also built Lafayette's airport in the early 1960's and remodeled it in the late 1980's.

From 1973 to 1975, JB Mouton worked on the construction of FNB Tower,

David Callecod hit the ground running when he was hired by Lafayette General Hospital ("LGH") in July 2008 as its President and CEO. Under the capable leadership of Lafayette General's board of directors and its vision of creating a strong regional healthcare network, Callecod oversaw the partnership with St. Martin Hospital in Breaux Bridge within a few months of his arrival. He has also risen through the ranks of leadership with his peers and serves as the current chair of the Louisiana Hospital Association.

In 2008, Lafayette General Hospital had two facilities with 1700 employees and $170 million in net revenue. Fast forward eleven years, there are now 4600 employees with net revenue of $750 million in facilities the system owns which include Lafayette General Orthopaedic Hospital, Lafayette General Surgical Hospital, St. Martin Hospital, University Hospital & Clinics (UHC), Acadia General Hospital and Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital. LGH also enjoys partnerships with Abbeville General Hospital, Bunkie General Hospital, Cardiovascular Institute of the South, Franklin Foundation Hospital, Iberia Medical Center, Jennings American Legion Hospital, and Opelousas General Health System. When you combine all partners of LGH, the collective net revenue is $1.1 billion.

David Callecod is passionate and optimistic about the opportunities LGH has to positively transform health outcomes in South Louisiana. Humbly providing servant leadership to LGH's vast network of health professionals, every hospital LGH has acquired has moved into the highest patient satisfaction rankings.

Lafayette General 's main campus serves as the Level Two Trauma Center for all of Southwest Louisiana covering the geographic region from the Atchalayafa Basin to the Texas border. From an economic development perspective, maintaining access to this high acuity healthcare in Lafayette prevents patients from transferring to larger regional centers such as Baton Rouge or Houston. On a personal level, it affords higher quality healthcare outcomes while giving loved ones the opportunity to receive treatment close to home.

A strategic partnership with Oschner Health Network was undertaken four years ago by LGH to combine its purchasing power and reduce overall costs to both systems. As the reimbursement model for health industry providers has quickly evolved, innovative approaches have been pursued to cut costs while ensuring the highest quality healthcare options to keep patients from needing to reenter the hospital. The partnership has also created an expansion of physician services such as in pediatric specialties, diagnostic imaging, and biomedical services.

LGH took over University Hospital five years ago amid massive budget cuts to LSU's teaching and "charity" hospital system. Maintaining the program for graduate medical training in Lafayette is a critical component in attracting physicians to the area as many doctors decide to put down permanent roots in the geographic region in which they train. UHC and Lafayette General educate 82 residents per year, and approximately 250 residents rotate through Lafayette General from LSU each year. Specialties such as internal medicine, family practice, OB/GYN, general surgery and ENT are examples of strong programs taught, although many other specialties are represented.

Lafayette General's Women's Health division is now the #1 location for babies to be born in the region and the unit assists with the delivery of over 3200 babies each year. Run by Judy Robichaux, Director of Maternal, Newborn and Pediatric Services, the unit has earned a 99% patient satisfaction rating.

David Callecod serves on One Acadiana's CEO Advisory Council and he is a big proponent of the "55 by 25" initiative to ensure that 55% of Acadiana's adults achiev...

Dr. Natalie Harder has dedicated her professional career to making education available to everyone. Whether you have achieved a third grade education or a doctorate in philosophy, the open access policy at South Louisiana Community College ("SLCC") provides the opportunity to pursue the education you desire at an affordable price.

Adult education is now a key focus for SLCC. Harder believes that the low educational attainment rate in Louisiana is holding our state back. Backed by statistics showing that low socioeconomic indicators and poor quality of life are directly related to a lack of education, Harder is determined to change this dynamic.

Dr. Harder assumed the post of Chancellor of SLCC in February 2012. The first in her family to attend college, Dr. Harder earned her doctorate in Community College Leadership from Old Dominion University in Norfolk VA.

Jokingly referring to the fact that she majored in economics in undergraduate school with no prospect for a job, Harder emphasized that certification for marketable skills is what many employers are looking for in candidates who can show up ready to work, not necessarily a four year diploma. And, in today's world, some type of college/certification is necessary to keep up with rapidly changing workforce requirements.

During her first year of service, Dr. Harder oversaw the merger of SLCC and Acadiana Technical College. A second merger on July 1, 2018 with Young Memorial Campus of South Central Louisiana Technical College (SCLTC). now enables SLCC to serve a South Louisiana region totaling more than 6200 square miles from Houma to Ville Platte.

The average age of an SLCC student is 26 to 27. They are working while attending classes and typically not eligible for financial aid through programs such as PELL grants. Keeping costs down for the students is imperative, and Harder is a proponent of Open Educational Resources which offers online books and study materials the students can download at no cost. In the past year, this initiative has saved students $1.9 million in textbook expenses.

The #1 reason students don't finish college is "life" according to Harder, and events such as a shortage of money, lack of transportation, and other roadblocks can short circuit the best laid plans. Harder still teaches a class each semester so that she can stay in touch with the students' lives and challenges.

Sixty percent of SLCC students graduate without debt, and for those with debt, it is typically under $7,500.00.

The top jobs in the region that keep SLCC busy teaching relevant certification courses are commercial truck driving, nursing, healthcare related fields, accounting and IT/application software techs. These jobs may be obtained without piling on credits that are not directly related to the skills needed to have a successful career.

With a majority of adults in Louisiana lacking college degrees, Dr. Harder is a proud spokesperson for the "55 by 25" initiative with the goal to increase the proportion of working adults in Acadiana with postsecondary degrees, certificates, or other high-value credentials to 55% by 2025. Acadiana is the first region in Louisiana to back this initiative which was launched by One Acadiana and backed by other community partners such as SLCC, UL - Lafayette and business leaders.

For more information on South Louisiana Community College, visit https://www.solacc.edu.h

SLCC has had a 95% increase in their maritime program.SLCC's Crowley campus offers the in-demand commercial truck driving certification.SLCC covers a 6200 square mile area from Ville Platte to Houma.