Opinion

LSU Health New Orleans -- Something to Celebrate

November 30, 2021

In an effort to balance recent stories, we submitted the following Op-Ed piece to The Advocate/Times Picayune. They declined to publish it.

As you count your blessings and celebrate the good things in your lives this holiday season, please remember the men and women of LSU Health New Orleans, Louisiana’s largest and most comprehensive professional health university. Every day, they work tirelessly to take care of the health care needs of Louisianians. The vast majority of the physicians, dentists, allied health professionals and advanced practice nurses in Louisiana are educated by the dedicated faculty of LSU Health New Orleans. We treat patients in every major hospital and health facility in Southern Louisiana, so it is very likely that you or your loved ones have been one of our patients regardless of where you get your care.

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Leslie Capo

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lcapo@lsuhsc.edu

During the pandemic, our doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and other members of the health care team rushed into the fire to care for your family and mine, never giving a second thought to their own safety or that of their families. Their innovations kept many patients off of ventilators, and many families remain whole and able to celebrate the holidays together because of their expert care. Our partnership with LCMC and the City created the model to bring COVID testing to the underserved communities most vulnerable to COVID-19. Our doctors and health experts are sequencing patient samples so we know what variants are present in our communities. We held the first educational symposium for health care providers about what was then called the Novel Coronavirus, and our public health professionals continue to provide guidance to the city and state for how best to protect all of us from becoming victims of this silent killer.

LSU Health researchers are discovering new therapies to prevent and treat the diseases that affect every one of our families. Cancer. Heart disease. Stroke. Alzheimer’s and so many others. Our research was the reason secondhand smoke was declared a Class A carcinogen or how we know how early in life heart disease begins. One of their latest breakthroughs is the invention of a noninvasive test that earlier and more accurately detects a potentially deadly disease of premature babies. The National Cancer Institute holds up our success in providing access to the very latest cancer advances through our clinical trials as an example to be emulated nationally. And our Louisiana Tumor Registry holds the prestigious and elite designation as an NCI SEER Program registry.

Our School of Dentistry is the only one in Louisiana and the only one in the country offering degrees in dentistry, dental hygiene and dental laboratory technology. Our School of Nursing is ranked in the top ten nursing schools nationally year after year. And our faculty are appointed and elected to national leadership positions helping to shape policy and funding in a wide variety of disciplines. Closer to home and honoring our tradition of giving back, our outreach and community service programs and projects span the state.

As an organization that attracts millions of dollars to our city and state and generates jobs and careers for Louisiana’s sons and daughters right here at home, we also make enormous contributions to the economic health of our citizens.

Though the true value of our university often goes unnoticed, LSU Health New Orleans affects the lives of those who live and work here every single day. I am so proud of what the men and women of LSU Health New Orleans do and thank the people of our community and state for the privilege of serving them. Geaux Tigers!

Steve Nelson, MD
LSU Health New Orleans Interim Chancellor