BOSSIER COUNCIL ON AGING FALL HEALTH FAIR

The Bossier Council on Aging, along with area health-related agencies, will host a one-stop “Fall Health Fair” on Wednesday, Sept. 26, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 706 Bearkat Drive, Bossier City.

Local medical professionals, members of law enforcement, Medicare and other agencies with services for the aging will be on hand to share their information.

Walgreens and Walmart Neighborhood Market Pharmacy will provide vaccinations for flu, tetanus, pneumonia and more with your Medicare card.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Mobile Medical Ministry is offering diabetes screening and basic health information.

LifeShare Blood Center will be on site this year for donations and informational purposes.

Partners in Wellness, new this year, is a joint group of women’s wellness professionals providing mobile mammograms (with appointment). Partners in Wellness will be scheduling the mammograms for women aged 40 and up. To schedule an appointment, contact Jennifer Green at JGreen2@ lsuhsc.edu. The Health Fair is free and is open to all seniors. For those wishing vaccinations, call the Council one day prior to the event to ensure medicine is on hand.

Burger plates will be available for $5 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pre-payment is required for the lunch plates.

For additional information about the fair or how to exhibit, contact Marilyn at Bossier Council on Aging at 318-741-8302.

MLK HEALTH TO HOST GUYS NIGHT OUT MLK

Health Center & Pharmacy is partnering with local organizations and businesses to offer men the opportunity to come together to enjoy food and camaraderie while taking charge of their health.

MLK Health Center & Pharmacy will host the First Annual Guys Night Out event on Monday, Aug. 20, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Men will be able to receive free blood pressure checks, cholesterol reading, blood glucose, BMI, PSA (via blood draw) and STD (chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV) screenings.

The PSA tests for prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in men. An estimated 164,690 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in men this year.

Eligible men who complete a prostate screening during this Guys Night Out event will receive a $10 incentive card.

The afternoon’s event will include food, fun, prizes and information on how to stay healthy.

Appointments are required, and space is limited.

Call 318-227-2912, ext. 7, to pre-register (deadline to sign up is Aug. 15).

MLK Health Center & Pharmacy is a private nonprofit, free health clinic and pharmacy that provides primary health care and pharmacy services at no cost to uninsured or underinsured patients in Northwest Louisiana.

HEALTH SYSTEM OPENS HYBRID OPERATING ROOM

CHRISTUS  Shreveport-Bossier Health System opened its new Hybrid OR, the latest in surgical and cardiovascular advancements, this summer at CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center. The new surgical suite merges the capabilities and skill sets of interventional cardiology and cardiovascular surgeons and allows the team at CHRISTUS to perform procedures and surgeries that have not been offered previously.

A Hybrid OR is the integration of a surgical operating room with an advanced X-ray imaging system. This enables surgeons as well as interventionalists to perform the most advanced minimally invasive procedures. Minimally invasive surgical procedures are complex and technically demanding, requiring a high-quality, flexible imaging solution. This rapidly evolving clinical trend toward minimally invasive procedures is driving demand for Hybrid ORs.

“This incredible hybrid operating room is designed to enhance collaborative care for patients with complex aortic and cardiovascular disease,” said Isaac Palmer, CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier chief executive officer. “The hybrid operating room bridges the gap between interventional cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons to treat patients in an environment that features next-generation imaging and operative capabilities for multiple interventions – without moving patients to various ORs and procedure rooms.”

Specifically, the facility will use the Azurion FlexMove Hybrid OR system from Philips Healthcare. Azurion optimizes workflow, enabling clinicians to swiftly and confidently perform both routine and complex procedures. Azurion provides high-quality imaging, achieving excellent visibility at low X-ray dose levels for patients of all sizes. With FlexMove, health-care personnel can move quickly between open surgical and closed interventional procedures based on the patient’s needs.

Over the past two years, CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System has expanded the cardiovascular services on the Highland campus with new technology, the latest procedures, higher-trained nursing staff, and more patient rooms focused on cardiovascular patients.

GLEN EMPLOYEES ASSUME NEW ROLES

Cynthia Reese has been named the director of independent and assisted living at The Glen. Reese, who works in both The Stiles Apartments and The Cottages at The Glen, has over 20 years of experience as an executive with a focus on services to the aging population.

Kora Webber has been named the nursing director over assisted living at The Glen. Webber is a registered nurse and has worked at The Glen for almost two years.

Gwendolyn Bradley has been named wellness coordinator at The Cottages at The Glen. Bradley is a licensed practical nurse with specialized training in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care. She has 13 years of experience in the healthcare industry and has spent the last four years caring for assisted living residents at The Glen. She develops personalized care plans for each resident based on their individual abilities in an assisted living, memory care setting.

For more information, go to www.theglensystem.org or call 328-798-3500.

MCKENZIE NAMED SENIOR MARKET MANAGER

Heather McKenzie has joined Louisiana Association for the Blind (LAB) as the senior market manager, government division. She is responsible for developing and managing direct relationships with federal agencies and government contractors. McKenzie comes to LAB with over a decade of experience in project management, business development, strategic planning and vendor management. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and history from University of Mary Washington and will complete her MBA from George Mason University in 2019.

LAB is a private, non-profit community service organization that provides employment, rehabilitation and vocational training to individuals with vision impairment.