HJBR Jan/Feb 2026

40 JAN / FEB 2026  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs including: • Rajiv Gala, MD, for education and academic affairs; • Brian Moore, MD, FACS, for clinical affairs; • Eboni Price-Haywood, MD, MPH, MMM, FACP, for health equity and public health; • Tamika Webb-Detiege, MD, for student affairs; • Randal (Randy) Langford and Edward Phillips for finance and administration; and • Nneka Ifejika, MD, MPH, and Kaneisha Bai- ley Akinpelumi, PhD, for research (interim). FranUReceives $2.2 MillionTitle III Grant Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU) is a recipient of a $2.2 million Department of Education Title III Strengthening Institutions grant to fund Project FRANCIS (Faithfully Retain- ing, Advancing, Nurturing, and Cultivating Indis- pensable Students). Project FRANCIS will provide support services for students enrolled in pre-clinical and clinical programs to help them persist to graduation. Key components of the project include a summer bridge program, academic coaching, professional tutoring, and peer mentoring. These services will largely support students in their first and second years, helping them succeed in critical and gate- way courses. LouisianaDepartment of HealthAppoints SethGold asMedicaidDirector The Louisiana Department of Health has appointed Seth J. Gold as Medicaid director. Gold brings nearly a decade of experience in federal health policy. Most recently, he served as a professional staff member for the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he advised members of Congress on Medicaid, CHIP, and the 340B Drug Pricing Program. He led the development of legislation to expand care for people with disabilities, modernize home and community-based services, and enhance rural healthcare access. Prior to his work on the committee, he served as health policy advisor to U.S. Sen. Rob Port- man, contributing to legislation such as the SUP- PORT Act and the CARES Act, expanding access to substance use and mental health treatment. Gold holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in public health fromGeorge Washington University. LouisianaHealthcare Connections Announces GrantWinners Louisiana Healthcare Connections has awarded six community organizations a total of $12,000 in grant funding to support local projects that address social drivers of health, expand access to preventive care, and improve health outcomes for Louisiana residents. Grant recipients are: • The Walls Project, to expand its farm-based wellness programs to reach more fami- lies in neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by health disparities; • Team Capables, to strengthen services for individuals with disabilities, supporting Autism Walks, youth sports programs, and educational workshops that promote phys- ical activity; • WeHelp NOLA, to broaden outreach, pro- viding no-cost mental healthcare and well- ness services to hospitality industry workers in New Orleans; • The Highland Center, to expand two of its core community meal programs, the Bless- ing Dinner and the Senior Lunch, work- ing to reduce food insecurity in northwest Louisiana; • Hellfighters West Monroe, LA Unit, to broaden its outreach to vulnerable residents in northeast Louisiana by expanding its food pantry and increasing the number of meals provided to the homeless; and • Gifted Smiles, to expand access to dental education and preventive care, promoting better oral health as a foundation for over- all wellness. For more information about the Community Grant Program, visit: www.louisianahealthconnect.com/grants OLOLPhysicianGroupUrology Welcomes NewProviders Nine board-certified providers have joined FMOL Health’s Our Lady of the Lake urology physician group. The following providers join the group from Baton Rouge Urology: • Angelo Annaloro Jr., MD; • Henry “Drew” Hollier, MD; • Thomas “Tom” Wills, MD; • Stephen “Randy” Vick, MD; • James “Jimmy” Morris, MD, FACS; • Mark P. Posner, MD, FACS; • Michelle Genre, NP; • Johanna De Silvia, PA; and • Alicia Vick, PA. NewTulane StudyOverturns Assumptions about AFib Treatment inApnea Patients Obstructive sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation are two conditions that share a potentially deadly link. Having one increases the odds of develop- ing the other, and together, the breathing diffi- culties of sleep apnea combined with the irregu- lar heartbeat of atrial fibrillation (AFib) can result in life-threatening cardiovascular risks. The standard treatment for AFib is cathe- ter ablation, a procedure in which doctors cre- ate scars within the heart to stop the electrical impulses that cause irregular heart rhythms. But for decades, sleep apnea has been seen as an obstacle to ablation’s success, with studies showing that patients who suffer from both condi- tions often experience higher recurrence of AFib and poorer long-term outcomes. A new Tulane University study suggests that ablation delivers major benefits for this high-risk group, significantly lowering the risks of heart failure and death for those diagnosed with sleep apnea and AFib. The study, published in the Journal of Cardio- vascular Electrophysiology , found that catheter ablation was associated with a 40% drop in major cardiovascular events and a 70% decline in all- cause mortality. Catheter ablation was also asso- ciated with a decreased risk of blood clots that can block veins or arteries, causing an embolism or stroke. Using data from the global TriNetX network, researchers followed outcomes from more than 18,000 patients, half of whom received catheter ablation and half of whom did not. The study was one of the most comprehensive analyses to date of the long-term benefits of catheter ablation in this high-risk population. n