HJBR May/Jun 2025

THE POWER WE HOLD 18 MAY / JUN 2025 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Editor’s Note: This is a collective plea on behalf of patients, caregivers, and citizens alike. We offer this reflection as a reminder that the power to heal begins with how we treat one another — long before the diagnosis. You receive this journal because you are a healthcare leader. In this state, healthcare is the largest industry today, outside of government, and the highest paid. The Louisiana Department of Health is the largest department with the highest budget — over $21 billion dedicated to the health of our citizens. Most practitioners were brilliant students from an early age, driven to enter this noble profession by a burning desire few outsiders could understand — as they watched with amazement while their test scores rolled in and parties were missed because they were studying. The dedication to become a phy- sician, nurse, or nurse practitioner is some- thing to behold. And we hope our best enter the field. You don’t get cheered on like our football teams in the South, but we want you to succeed. Our lives depend on it. Becoming a provider is not easy, and it is not inexpensive. Our society does not hold envy as your cars get nicer and your homes bigger. You earned it. You earned our respect. It takes decades for healthcare admin- istrators to earn their stripes. Unlike other fields like finance or law, where a young star can emerge, healthcare administrators are molded over time. And when successful, their salaries are often on par with winning football coaches. But like an NFL coach, a healthcare administrator knows that the most powerful people on the team aren’t always the coaches — they’re the stars and elite athletes they try to coordinate into a cohesive team. That is where healthcare becomes a game of egos. This game of the gods where life is held in the hands of mortal men is destined for tension, imbalance, and even abuse. Each healthcare facility, if the façade were lifted, is practically a Greek tragedy of gods inter- acting in the world. Layers of guardians and protectors hold back the masses as they try to enter the temple for healing and grace. Few at a time are allowed in, their insur- ance accepted as their tithe, while addi- tional offerings are calculated by treasurers to determine which level of god the penitent is worthy to see — or not. Unlike the ancient tithe of 10%, today’s tithes and offerings at the altar of modern medicine often exceed that — sometimes 15%, 20%, even 30% of a family’s income. In this playground of the gods where you dwell, it is my ardent wish to ask you, as gods, for mercy and kindness toward us mortals. Remember that we are anxious and scared to enter your presence. We hold you in awe. You and your guardians have the ability to crush our already weakened spir- its. I ask you to remember that you hold the hope of humanity — not only for the patient who seeks healing, but for the caregiver who may need your support just as badly. Study their ethos as well. They are often bearing a brave front in the midst of tragedy, trying to hold together a spark of life in a labyrinth of confusion, dread, and fear. Both caregiver and patient come to you for help. Yes, you are trained to focus on the patient, but many times, that caregiver is the patient's lifeline, sacrificing, perhaps, more than the patient, just to be in your presence. Honor that person. Their heart may be abso- lutely broken while the clay remains intact. I humbly remind you: A true healer has the ability to lift a spirit, even when deliv- ering the best or bleakest news. And all of us in healthcare — whether administrator or assistant — should strive to be healers. Administrators: Ensure that each step through the healthcare maze is met with someone who is a healer at heart. Even, and perhaps especially, the money-changers, garage attendants, appointment setters, and physician assistants. If you are a nurse or physician, your ego got you where you are. Please remember to drop down and be kind to us humans who are bowing to your expertise. I promise, you will wish for the same when it is your turn to enter the courts of the temple in need of care. The mission of this journal is to improve the health of our citizens. n