We salute those who - New Orleans City Business

Real heroes: Professionals Named Healthcare HeroesDonna Guzman, RNThe most outstanding thing about Donna is she trulytakes to the seriousness of treatment like you would yourown family. She is consistent, empathetic and a strongpatient advocate. She borders that line between “Not MyJob” and “Do the Right Thing.”Joseph M. Epps, MDAfter losing everything—home and 25-year practice inNew Orleans—during Hurricane Katrina, the doctorbegan a practice once again in Slidell for a very neededspecialty. Dr. Epps, a Neurosurgeon practicing full timeand taking call in the SMH Emergency Room, is anintegral resource for our community hospital.Elizabeth Buras, RN, BSNLiz demonstrates her compassion for humanity in thecare she delivers to each patient as well as to his or herfamily members in every word she speaks, every smileshe delivers and every gentle touch extended to calma fear and share a moment of encouragement. She istruly “The Role Model” for the entire unit.Mark Stockstill, RN, CNOMark is a vital part of the SMH Senior ManagementTeam, carefully balancing administrative acumenwith direct patient care. He led a Critical Action Teamas part of the “100,000 Lives Campaign,” conductedby the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, to greatsuccess. He has lobbied for top-of-the line equipment,including a new Telemetry monitoring system that, onits first day of use, alerted nurses that a patient was incrisis and a life was saved.Viola CocranIf you wanted a living symbol of a communityhospital, you wouldn’t have to look farther than ViolaCocran. Even before SMH officially opened Nov., 16,1959, she was there, working with other volunteersto create Slidell’s community hospital and keep itrunning smoothly when there were just three regularemployees. Since that time, she has logged over 38,000volunteer hours at SMH.Matthew CuroleThe word “No” is not in the vocabulary of NutritionalServices Director Matt Curole. He has created a familylikeatmosphere for his department. To encouragehealthy eating habits and weight management, helaunched a “biggest loser” contest among his teamand expanded the contest into a 16-week, hospital-widecompetition. His positive attitude and the attitude of hisstaff have been contagious around the hospital.photo by Frank AymamiPHYSICIANGlenn CaseyPosition: anesthesiology chairman, Ochsner Baptist Medical CenterAge: 54Family: wife, Eileen; children, Colin, 26, Blair, 24, Mairin, 18Education: bachelor’s degree, Louisiana State University; doctor of medicine, LSU MedicalCenter and University of Texas Medical Branch at GalvestonDr. Glenn Casey, chairman of anesthesiologyat Ochsner Baptist MedicalCenter, faced what he calls his greatest careerchallenge when the former Baptist MemorialHospital faced extinction after HurricaneKatrina.“The greatest aspect of my career wastrying to revive the (Baptist MemorialHospital) campus after Katrina while tryingto maintain the integrity of the medical staff,”Casey said. “We’ve made great strides.”After much persistence by Casey andother medical personnel to keep the hospitalopen, Ochsner Health System purchasedthe 80-year-old facility in October 2006.Casey’s connection to the hospital is notonly related to his own career, but also the40-year medical career of his father, Dr.Byron Casey, who practiced anesthesiologyat Baptist Memorial Hospital from 1948-89.“I always enjoyed talking to him aboutthe practice of medicine,” Casey said.At the time of the purchase, Glenn Caseywas also elected Ochsner Baptist MedicalCenter’s medical executive committee president,a position he held until 2008.“It’s quite rewarding to deal with patientson a daily basis who have a need for the servicesyou provide them.”Casey’s leadership has helped the hospitalstaff grow to 250 community physicians.Its capability has also expanded toinclude the handling of nearly all medicaland surgical cases, with the exception oftrauma, obstetrics, open-heart and neurologicalsurgery.It presently operates 43 private medicalor surgical beds, 12 intensive care unit beds,six operating rooms, two cardiac catheterizationlabs, two endoscopy suites, an imagingcenter and a full-service emergency room.For Casey, his greatest career challenge isalso his greatest feat.“My greatest accomplishment is theresurgence of Baptist.”•— Amy Ferrara Smith20 Health Care Heroes