has been successful by the standards measured in our industry. The quality of care has been outstanding. Accreditation has been at the very highest level. But we are at a point where, and our board agreed, that we needed a new facility to provide cancer care. “Cancer is a particular kind of care, in my opinion. It requires an environment conducive to healing…and that is how this center was designed.” New medical facilities have also opened in other parts of Acadiana this year. In May 2018, healthcare officials, civic leaders and other prominent locals cut the ribbon to ceremonially open the Wound Care Center at St. Martin Hospital in Breaux Bridge. The hospital, which already features the only emergency room in St. Martin Parish, is now also the only facility capable of tending to non-healing wounds resulting from pressure sores, surgical wounds, radiation sores or foot ulcers caused by diabetes or vascular issues. Typically, patients seek specialized care at a wound center like the just-opened facility in Breaux Bridge if the healing process hasn’t begun within two weeks of the incident or completely healed within six weeks to two months. Hospital executives have entrusted Dr. Kerry A. Thibodeaux to oversee operations at the state-of-the-art Wound Care Center. Treating wounds was Dr. Thibodeaux’s focus while a he was the Chief Resident at LSU Medical School, where he received a grant to study the effects of various wound cures. Today, Dr. Thibodeaux is a review physician for medical journals, is often a featured speaker at wound care conferences around the world, and is conducting trials of new wound-care products to see if they can achieve FDA approval standards. Right before the start of the new year, shovel was put to dirt at Acadia General Hospital in Crowley — which also falls under the Lafayette General Health umbrella — on an ambitious expansion and renovation project that is scheduled for completion in first quarter 2019. More specifically, the $4 million facelift is primarily focused on updating the hospital’s emergency room. Cardiovascular Once finished, the new ER at Acadia General will more than double Institute of the in size, feature five times as many private rooms, and have a covered South was one of the first two sites drop-off and pick-up area. Currently, the ER is designed to handle 600 in the US to use patients a month but actually treats 1,800 patients a month, making this the UltraScore Focused Force expansion a necessity, not a luxury. PTA Balloon When it comes to and introducing new procedures into patient care, doctors at the Cardiovascular Institute of the South continue to be at the forefront. In late March 2018, CIS was one of the first two sites in the United States to use the UltraScore Focused Force PTA Balloon to open a blocked artery during angioplasty. The technology is designed to allow surgeons to treat stenotic lesions in the superficial femoral artery, the popliteal artery and the infrapopliteal arteries while lessening the chance of tears in the inner layer of the artery. Then, in May 2018, CIS cardiologists Dr. Peter Fail, Dr. Louis Salvaggio and Dr. Darrell Solet were the first in Acadiana to perform mitral valve repair using the innovative MitraClip procedure. The surgery, which was conducted at the Hybrid Operation Room at Lafayette General Medical Center, is a minimally-invasive treatment option for those with a severe leak in the mitral valve who are not healthy enough for heart surgery. The MitraClip is inserted using a catheter and restricts blood from flowing back into the heart as it pumps. “[We are] proud to offer the latest treatment options for our patients in Acadiana,” Dr. Fail says. “We plan to expand the technology available, particularly for our patients with structural heart diseases, allowing them to receive the care they need in their own community.” “Local care is just that — it’s local,” Stock says. “It closer, so it’s less expensive. It’s less disruptive to family schedules. It’s personal. You’re not just a number. You’re not lost in the process. You know your practitioners and your family knows them. So when you do things, and grow and improve your ability to treat patients it keeps care local, it strengthens the healthcare provided locally. “Serving the community is the No. 1 priority.”
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acadiana profile august/september 2018
ogy, breast health, emergency medicine, radiology and imaging, pediatrics, and more. As of this year, the hospital’s new Pulmonology Clinic offers treatment options for asthma, bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia and other pulmonary-related conditions. WCCH also has a sleep center and both cardiac rehabilitation and cardiology services, along with servicing rural health clinics in Hackberry, Vinton and Johnson Bayou. Equestrian-based care services are also available through the Genesis Therapeutic Riding Center for patients with developmental disabilities or brain injuries. WCCH also participates in Shots for Tots to provide inexpensive or free immunization for children.
Evangeline Parish Mercy Regional Medical Center 800 E. Main St., Ville Platte mercyregionalmedicalcenter.com (337) 363-5684 Mercy Regional Medical Center is a 95-bed acute care facility that serves Evangeline Parish and surrounding areas as their main healthcare provider. This hospital is fully accredited by The Joint Commission and offers intensive care services, medical and surgical care, a comprehensive imaging and radiology department and a 24-hour emergency department. The surgical department has three operating rooms and two procedure rooms for minor procedures. Savoy Medical Center 801 Poinciana Ave., Mamou savoymedical.com • (337) 468-5261 Located just outside the heart of Mamou, the 176-bed Savoy Medical Center is an acute care facility that is adjacent to the Savoy Cancer Center. It services patients within a 30-mile radius in south central Louisiana, specializing in behavioral health, oncology, and rehabilitation. Its behavioral health services include the New Horizons program, which specializes in the treatment of emotional and behavioral matters through psychiatry, nursing care, counseling and social work. The hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission and accepts both Medicare and Medicaid.
Iberia Parish Iberia Medical Center 2315 E. Main St., New Iberia iberiamedicalcenter.com • (337) 364-0441 Iberia Medical Center has been constantly growing and evolving since acquiring Dauterive Hospital in 2016. As of this year, the hospital has opened its Rehab Center and expanded its labor and delivery unit. The hospital also recently added a hepatology clinic, inpatient surgery, and a cancer center to its North Campus. IMC is a full-service, acute care hospital, providing surgical, obstetrical, gynecological, pediatric, and emergency services, critical care, cardiac care, gastroenterological care and outpatient diagnostics. The facility also operates an outpatient rehabilitation center, the Advanced Wound Center and the Jeanerette Rural Health Clinic, and partners with Acadiana Diagnostic Imaging. In 2014, it earned the Women’s Choice Award from WomenCertified for providing outstanding patient experiences.