Dr. Vivien Chen at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans was recently awarded a grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a system to collect and report pediatric cancer cases. In an LSU-generated press release, Chen said it will be a “valuable tool for local, state and national researchers as well as health and policy professionals working to control cancer in children and save lives.” Chen will collaborate with state pediatric organizations and the pediatric oncology community, including Children’s Hospital New Orleans and St. Jude-affiliated hospitals in Louisiana. This grant is the second awarded to LSUHSC’s Louisiana Tumor Registry since last December, bringing its federal support to $3.5 million a year.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu said last month that an $8.3 million charitable health care fund will be used to support primary care for those who are underserved in the area; $1 million from this fund is set aside for construction of a primary care facility at the former Methodist Hospital campus, and the remainder will be dispersed by a grant program managed by the Louisiana Public Health Institute, under the guidance of Dr. Jane Bertrand of Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
National Research Corporation (NRC) announced that New Orleans residents have named Ochsner Medical Center the “Consumer Choice Award” winner for the 16th year in a row. This award identifies hospitals that health care consumers have chosen as having the highest quality and image in more than 300 markets around the country. Local consumers chose Ochsner Medical Center based on four metrics: best overall quality; best image and reputation; best doctors; and best nurses.
