In 2020, donors made 46 innovative projects possible!

Essential hypertension is the most common cardiometabolic clinical risk surrogate in general outpatient clinical medicine. The importance of detection, management and control of hypertension is very well established as central to optimal cardiometabolic risk reduction both as regards morbidity and mortality. The availability of the digital medicine home ambulatory blood pressure monitoring program has improved the availability of real time data to better inform decision making for blood pressure control but still fails to provide a continuous 24 hour profile of the blood pressure spread for patients especially with resistant hypertension and those with the so called “white coat effect”. CAMBP monitors along with various cuff sizes and other related accessories will make this available as a resource to the outpatient Endocrinology and primary care clinics at the North Shore Health, Slidell Health Center.

The Advanced Emergency Vascular access project will allow the emergency response team to quickly place difficult IVs safely and expeditiously during patient emergencies. The excellence fund grant will cover the cost of one portable ultrasound device for the team and a small amount of training.​ The need is to provide secure IV access for patient's experiencing an emergency event. Early interventions such as fluids, antibiotics and vasopressors can save lives and reduce morbidity. Using ultrasound can be used for other emergency examinations and to reduce the amount of sticks needed for patients, perhaps even reduction in central lines, which could reduce central line associated blood stream infections. (CLABSI)​

The Advancing Excellence in the Peri-Operative Period project focuses on purchasing innovative pocket-sized ultrasound technology from General Electric. Few technologies have had a more disruptive impact on the daily practice of anesthesiology than the application of ultrasound during the peri-operative period. It has become an integral part of both anesthesia training and patient care. Having a number of cost efficient small portable ultrasounds available to our anesthesiologist would improve our departments ability to provide safe and effective patient care.

This program will establish a partnership between Ochsner and faith based organizations in key service areas where we plan to open community health centers and affiliated Ochsner hospitals to offer a comprehensive Ochsner Health Faith based Community outreach impact innovation program to reduce health care disparities and improve health outcomes for at risk communities that Ochsner serves. These organizations have established health ministries with whom we will collaborate to improve access to care, preventive and health literacy education. We will provide information, resources and host virtual platforms to address community needs related to the COVID 19 pandemic. Our long term goal is to establish this program as part of our strategic Ochsner Global Health is Local Health initiative on Diversity Inclusion and Equity. A comprehensive community impact faith based health promotion program is a potentially very cost effective way to improve health outcomes if high risk groups like African Americans who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID 19.

This project will cover an ultrasound machine that will be used in the Pain Management Procedure Area. Some of the procedures performed are ultrasound guided to avoid inserting the needle atrial. This project will prevent delaying patient care. Our patients receive a great percentage of relief from the procedures our doctors perform. The ultrasound machine will also allow us to schedule more procedures that require this guidance.

The Office of Professional Well-Being will use funds to send its staff and affiliated instructors to attend the Johnson and Johnson Human Performance Institute "Resiliency Train-The-Trainer" course to bring the content back to Ochsner Health for dissemination across our workforce. Personal and organizational resilience—the acquired ability to recover, adapt, and grow from stress—is essential now more than ever as Ochsner Health and its nearly 26,000 employees navigate COVID-19 in an already complex and challenging industry. No courses to support workforce resiliency currently exist in the Ochsner system. The Office of Professional Well-Being plans to offer the course to up to 100 participants throughout 2020.

Chemotherapy Care Companion is a new program that is currently being offered to Ochsner’s early phase clinical trial research patients and high-risk chemotherapy patients. The program is used to closely monitor patients who are undergoing chemotherapy through questionnaires and monitoring of vital signs in order to provide early intervention to side effects potentially caused by receiving chemotherapy. This grant will be used to expand this project to all active chemotherapy patients.

The Chronic Pain Education and Care Coordination funding would be allocated to purchase an exam bed and therapy bed for a newly renovated exam room in the new FRP gym for patients to receive chronic pain education and care coordination. If appropriate, prospective patients would be receiving individual services from various team members from the FRP team or through their respective service line colleagues within the system. The grant will build the program for patients not appropriate for the Functional Restoration Program but will still need care coordination and chronic pain education for chronic pain patients seeking services.

The goal of the Colonoscopy Consent project is to develop and produce a 60-90 second animated video for colonoscopy consent and then evaluate efficacy of process and patient acceptance. We do over 5000 colonoscopies per year at main campus alone - this is a repetitive process that can be standardized. Funding will cover time for development and production of "explainer video" plus evaluation time will go into next year. Video consent allows for standardization of consent processes which can be done at a level all patients can understand and at a time that is convenient for the patient and provider. This can improve the patient experience and quality of consent while at the same time being more efficient and decreasing provider work load.

Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPI) are an ongoing nationwide problem that negatively affects patients, hospital quality metrics, finances and employee morale. Despite our current efforts that include skin assessments for all patients, 2-Hour turning protocols, special support surfaces and HAPI bundles implementation for high risk patients, we continue to see HAPIs. New Innovative technology from Smith & Nephew, Inc. (www.leafhealthcare.com) utilizes a wireless wearable sensor to electronically measure patient position, movement and activity to automate a patients turn protocol and remotely alert staff when and where care is necessary to remain compliant with turning and repositioning schedules. By implementing the use of the Leaf System, we expect to see a significant drop in pressure injuries to patients.

Through the purchase of the KRS-800S, we will be able to provide more robust testing using one piece of equipment. We will not only be able to better evaluate these cataract surgery candidates with more accurate measurements, but also serve our non-verbal and special needs patient population. Whether its a better pair of glasses or need for surgical intervention, we will have better diagnostics to advise the patient and their family just from the measurements taken with the Topcon KR-800S, not to mention the efficiency and ease of use.

At the direction of the Ochsner Sports Medicine Institute’s section head Dr. Deryk Jones, along with our primary care sports medicine physician Dr. David Leslie it has been decided to move forward with the Ochsner athletic trainers to provide the gold standard of care when responding to heat related illness at the contracted schools. This standard requires the athletic trainers to use rectal thermometers to identify core temperature of athletes when they collapse during athletic activity. It is also gold standard to cool the athlete first before transporting the athlete to the hospital. We have 50 athletic trainers providing services to the athletes in the greater New Orleans region. We want to ensure when providing emergency care to the athletes we have the equipment necessary to make the most informed treatment decisions, and save their lives.

Funding will provide for an upgrade from EndoFlip I to EndoFlip II. EndoFlip I measures the distensibility of the lower esophageal sphincter. This diagnostic test provides information to identify esophageal outlet obstruction. EndoFlip II is the latest technology which measures distensibility and also displays a high resolution topography image of esophageal peristalsis which can be used to determine esophageal disorder classification (Typr I, Type II, Type III). The EndoFlip II esophageal peristalsis topography image provides information needed to classify esophageal peristalsis and can replace manometry. This allows patients to avoid the discomfort of traditional manometry.

The new GSI AudioStar Pro audiometer continues the tradition of excellence in clinical audiometry. It will enhance our facility's testing and reporting needs by adding efficiency and consistency, ultimately resulting in greater access and improved patient and employee satisfaction. With the acquisition of these new audiometers, we are confident that we will meet the medical needs of the present as well as the future by servicing our patients fully in the years to come.

Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) is a common tool utilized at OMC-Jeff Highway to enhance the safety of common procedures. Decreasing time to diagnosis will allow for quicker time to treatment and shorter hospital stays ultimately.

We have been honored with the privilege to be the treating center of choice for many women in the Southeast Louisiana region dealing with the devastating ​and impactful diagnosis of breast cancer. Currently, Ochsner Baptist sees a significant number of breast cancer specimens sent for pathologic analysis. Funds for this project will be used to purchase of a refurbished Kubtec cabinet x-ray system (Kubtec XPERT 40 Specimen X-ray, purchased through Integrity Medical Systems) to be stored on-site in the Department of Pathology at Ochsner Baptist. Having the ability to rapidly assess tissues will allow us to give the highest quality reporting to our patients in the fastest method possible.

Flight Care has been established as a National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians training site. This allows the department to teach classes such as PreHospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS), Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS), and Emergency Pediatric Care (EPC). Flight Care also collaborates with Ochsner's Nursing Professional Development to offer American Heart Classes such as Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). This project would allow us to attend training and purchase materials to continue our offerings.

The GaitUp Go tool will allow our physical therapists to asses balance and other motor functions in a quantitative way. These sensors take measurements while the patient completes a physical therapy assessment and creates clear graphs of measurements taken. Often, patients who need rehab after a neurological insult need multiple ways to track their progress and to understand their deficits. This project would allow us to use these sensors at 5 sites across the system that offer neuro rehabilitation.

The aims of this project are to create a biobank to characterize Parkinson’s disease in African Americans, perform genetic screening of monogenic PD within the African American population and Identify new causative or modifying genes within the African American population. Establishing a bio-bank and our clinical database will allow us to identify and compare disparities between patient populations, and furthermore identify struggles unique to our subgroups.

These funds will provide handheld ultrasound devices for patient centered training, education and research. This will facilitate diagnosis of Neurologic disorders such as Myopathy, Neuropathy, Neuromuscular Junction Disorders, etc. and provide guidance for Neurologic procedures such as Nerve Blocks and Lumbar Puncture.

The Health Education Video project will create accessible health education to the community about prevalent issues such as hypertension, diabetes, women's wellness, and food and fitness through engaging web pages containing video, articles, diets, and more. We believe delivering education in this way will be far more accessible to the community because it will be digital and more importantly it will be available on their phone.

The Infant Driven Feeding Program would provide evidence-based online education to all staff involved in feeding infants, with a focus to improve quality oral feeding experiences for all infants and families. Implementation of an interdisciplinary group of feeding champions, as well as these online modules, would promote more positive, safer experiences for the infants and families, facilitate a positive change in our NICU feeding culture, and provide consistency in feeding practices based on evidenced-based decision-making.

In the evaluation of patients with stereotypical clinical events including episodes of loss of awareness, loss of consciousness, falls, and abnormal movements, multiday continuous electroencephalography (EEG) is a valuable diagnostic tool. In addition, this testing modality is essential in characterizing seizures and type of epilepsy. The excellence funds are intended to purchase the Xltek® Trex™ HD Video Ambulatory System. This ambulatory recording system can provide in-home multiday continuous video electroencephalography (EEG) data for our patients.

We would like to create an accredited psychology internship program to train future psychologists, to allow for greater bandwidth of mental health services provision, to create a pipeline of staff psychologists from which to recruit when there are open positions at Ochsner, and to provide a much needed innovative program to the region. This funding would allow us to seek consultation support as we work to develop an internship at Ochsner.

The Moveo XP device is a weight bearing exercise platform for patients who need full body weight support to be able to exercise and participate in the rehabilitation process. This platform is ideal for patients with conditions such as: lower extremity weaknesses, poor postural control, poor muscle control, and decreased lower extremity range of motion. The Moveo XP would enable safer, earlier mobilization of patients within the ICU environment by nurses, therapists, etc.

The Integrating Acupuncture into Traditional Back Care project will provide a certification in acupuncture as an adjunct treatment for back pain. Acupuncture has several other uses outside of back pain such as: dysmenorrhea, allergic rhinitis, headaches, depression, morning sickness, nausea and vomiting, post op pain, facial pain to name a few. Acupuncture gives patients a non-pharmacologic option to treat their pain and serves a community need.

The interdepartmental phlebotomy training program will purchase supplies including six phlebotomy simulation arms and badge buddies to perform phlebotomy training classes.

A PacerMan simulator would be acquired from SimuLab to allow training of physicians in the placement of trans venous pacemakers. This would promote patient safety by practicing best technique before moving on to actual patients.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) currently affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide, a number that is expected to more than triple in the next 30 years. At particular risk are low-income communities and communities of color, all of whom tend to have higher rates of AD risk factors and simultaneously face substantial barriers to accessing care. The Machine Learning: Innovation in Dementia Diagnosis and Care project will allow clinicians to more closely monitor high risk patients and their families to provide timely support and interventions. Long term, our goal is to build an algorithm that can be validated and embedded in the electronic medical record (EMR) to automatically notify physicians when a patient is determined by the algorithm to have a high risk of developing dementia in the future.

This project will purchase licenses for an application Torsh Talent to assist with conducting developmental assessments via telehealth for children suspected of Autism and related disorders. Families requesting a developmental evaluation who are unable to come to the Boh Center will be able to upload videos of their children engaging in specific behaviors to this platform for scoring by a physician. This methodology allows for families to continue to receive diagnostic evaluations remotely during this critical period of development.

The Storz CMAC is an innovative airway system to assist with neonatal intubations. The Storz system uses video technology, which is expected to offer significantly more durability and fewer repairs. In addition, the system has other attachments which can be used for intubating children and adults of all sizes. We plan to use these components for routine intubations in which, as mentioned above, we could use the video screen to teach residents how to obtain the best views for intubating.

The Ochsner Neonatology APP fellowship is a structured one-year post graduate training program for Physician Assistants (PAs) designed to provide advanced training in both didactic education, clinical skills, and procedural skills for APPs entering the NICU. The APP Fellowship will provide APP fellows with the advanced knowledge, skills, and professional experience in neonatology that will distinguish them from non-specialty trained APPs.

It is estimated that more than 40% of new graduates make medication errors and 50% of novice RNs are missing signs of patient decline. Ochsner's Transition-to-Practice frontloads those critical skills necessary for safe practice and emphasizes, from their first day, patient scenarios that focus on patient decline and how to decide whether to "Monitor, Act, or Rescue". Skills practice and an increase in patient decline recognition increases the new graduate's confidence, which will positively impact patient safety and outcomes.

O2 Productions is an internal volunteer workgroup within Ochsner's IS department. Our group was founded in 2019, with the goal of providing value to both our patients and internal users by creating and delivering strategic video resource content. During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the group responded to the increased technical support needs, in addition to the rising number of calls into our support line, for helping patients conduct Virtual Visits by creating a follow along video. This funding would purchase the professional-level video production equipment needed in order to make higher quality video content and provide multiple forms of content for both our patients and internal technology users.

The Pediatric Tracheostomy Processing project would examine the use of 3 processing methods to clean pediatric tracheostomy tubes. The tubes removed from pediatric patients would be examined and cultured after removal and again after they are processed via boiling, bottle steamer and via UV light cleaner. The main goal of this project is to determine if sterilization of the tracheostomy tube is possible.

To better serve the Labor and Delivery population, we are requesting a portable bedside ultrasound to provide immediate care and diagnosis of patients when emergencies occur. We will be able to make quick assessments to determine the patient's plan of care. Being able to make these determinations could be the difference between life or death for our tiniest patients. This would be an enormous patient satisfier, provider satisfier, as well as an employee satisfier. We will use the funds granted to purchase a new portable bedside ultrasound machine to use by providers for quick assessments necessary to determine plan of care.

The Prevention of Acoustic Pollution in our Neonatal and Maternal environments project will implement the preventive health measure of noise reduction through sound masking to decrease the negative effects that high-level noise has on our maternity, gynecology, newborn and NICU patients as well as healthcare flux. This system will also promote compassion by promoting a healthy environment which improves healing with the installation DynaSound Pro Sound masking devices.

Health literacy is the foundation of health care delivery and can be augmented by using technology. The Ochsner Neurosciences Medical 3D Lab (M3D lab) has enhanced adoption and expanded the utility of 3D printing, virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in our healthcare system via clinician and patient engagement. The lab has demonstrated the benefits of 3D printing and XR in medical training, personalized intervention planning, as well as in patient engagement and education. The lab can benefit greatly from holographic display that can show models with stereoscopy without HMDs. We believe we can adapt such a display to provide an agile, easy, and safe visualization tool to improve patients’ understanding and engagement in their health. The funds will support the acquisition of an Enterprise Level Holographic Display that does not require a head-mounted display.

Rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI) is emerging as a cutting-edge tool for treating patients with pelvic floor dysfunction in the physical therapy setting. RUSI is a model specifically designed for clinical use by physical therapists for the purpose of evaluating muscles, ligaments, and relevant organ structures. This grant will allow for the purchase of three units to be housed at three Ochsner clinics that have pelvic floor programs: Veterans, Tchoupitoulas, and Baptist Ochsner Therapy and Wellness.

The Surgical Retina Teaching Tools Project will utilize a 4K ultra-high definition surgical video recording system and display to create a library of cases to review with the fellows and residents. Surgical videos are an invaluable teaching tool that can fast track a fellows progression to competency and set the stage for mastery. The high quality videos will be presented at conferences and will allow us to grow the reputation of the Vitreoretinal Surgery Department & Fellowship at Ochsner with the goal of attracting the best candidates.

The Synchrony V4.0 is an innovative device which combines electrical muscle stimulation with exercises and biofeedback for patients undergoing dysphagia rehabilitation. This evidence-based technology allows the patient to visualize the efficacy and intensity of exercises targeting distinct musculature typically difficult to measure with conventional observations. The engagement of neuromuscular re-education principles will aid the treatment of complex dysphagia.

The Ochsner MedVantage Network Innovation (OMNI) Project will purchase smart tablets for high-risk patients with low-telehealth literacy for use with the Ochsner MyChart application. At a time when required physical distancing has fortified preexisting barriers to care and healthcare disparities, delivery of telehealth services targeted to complex populations at highest risk of poor outcomes with COVID-19 is a solution that we are seeking to expand. The Ochsner iO and IS teams have collaborated on a simplified version of the MyOchsner portal login and device accessibility that will accommodate low telehealth literacy and secure the tablet to a healthcare-only usability mode.

Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC) was developed by the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), to prepare nurses with the knowledge, critical thinking skills and hands-on training needed to provide high-quality, trauma nursing care. After completing this course, the attendee will be able to properly assess and implement evidence-based interventions to improve outcomes for our patients. The funds obtained from the grant will provide the equipment and training for Emergency Department nurses and develop TNCC instructors across the system. The goal is to train 12 instructors with this grant and begin offering this course on a standard schedule.

Pre-operative nutritional support has been recognized as a cost-effective way of decreasing post-operative morbidity and healthcare costs. We are requesting funds to purchase Immunonutrition (IMN) formula to help decrease post-operative complications and improve quality of life in patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETs). Our patient population is particularly vulnerable to disease related malnutrition, longer hospital length of stay, and higher than average perioperative complications. Our objective is to use support from the Excellence Fund to purchase IMN (IMPACT®, Nestle HealthScience) and provide it to all NET surgical candidates as part of our clinic’s initiative to give patients the best chance at recovery with good quality of life.

In an effort to educate patients, we propose to use point of care microscopic examination of synovial fluid from patients with acute attacks of gout. With a digital camera and monitor attached to the microscope we will be able to show patients the gouty crystals that are causing their joint pain while the patient is in the office. With this immediate, visual confirmation, we anticipate better patient engagement and adherence to the long-term treatment program needed to appropriately prevent future attacks.

The Voice Center Video Networking and Interventional Endoscope Project will provide a second interventional video-endoscope to extend our care to more patients, improve clinic workflow, and ensure best practices are being utilized in terms of high-level disinfection and equipment turnover—especially in light of the current pandemic scenario. Funding will cover the installation/configuration networking piece (EndoServer) as well as the install/configuration including a necessary Windows 10 upgrade/install and a video-endoscope.

In 2019, donors made 32 innovative projects possible!

Research shows that biofeedback, alone and in combination with other behavioral therapies, is effective in treating multiple medical and psychological disorders in children and adolescents, particularly anxiety disorders and chronic pain. This project will help deliver evidence-based psychophysiological treatment to children and teenagers with chronic pain and anxiety.

The medical implementation of motion capture is used in gait analysis, measurement of functional status, extremity kinematic motion analysis, and as objective measurements for patients undergoing rehabilitation. By better understanding these biomechanics, corresponding clinical management plans can be implemented.

Through the Cancer Prevention Clinic, we hope to standardize screening protocols for all cancer tests and implement a system of providing screening recommendations to primary care providers. We will also examine the role of genetics and increase outreach.

Capnography equipment, which is used for mechanically ventilated and spontaneously breathing patients, helps gauge effectiveness of resuscitation, indicates of ROSC during chest compression, alerts to titrating end-tidal carbon dioxide levels in patients with suspected increases in intracranial pressure, determines adequacy of ventilation and provides prognostic indicators in patients with sepsis or shock. We want the best for our patients and this equipment will help provide that.

Cerebral small vessel disease is one of the most common causes of dementia and falls in the elderly and many of the risk factors that contribute to this can be preventable if we can identify the disease and focus on reducing the risk factors that lead to its progression. With hypertension being central to many of these disease processes, we hope to enroll patients in digital hypertension monitoring or a similar program where we can address this risk factor among others that we can identify within each patient.

CodeNet is an automated clinical data capture and documentation system that automatically and accurately documents emergency events. By learning from this data, we can decrease variability, improve adherence to best practices and save lives through technology and clinical expertise.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy ("DBT") is a program designed to help vulnerable clients learn new and engaging skills. Our goal is to help those clients identified as high risk for ER visits and psychiatric hospitalizations through this therapy, allowing them to move forward with their lives in a healthy and productive way.

Through a digital fitness and wellness platform we will distribute personalized fitness, nutrition and wellness plans that are customized to the patient's individual needs and wants. Ochsner physicians, therapists, fitness professionals, health coaches, and RD will work cohesively to prescribe exercise, diet and wellness plans in a live streaming or downloadable way over the course of the patient's wellness journey.

Research shows that up to 50% of acute and critically ill patients meet diagnostic criteria for malnutrition, yet only 5-7% of patients are diagnosed. By documenting malnutrition in a more robust and accurate way, we hope to improve quality outcomes and reduce costs while better serving patients.

Data shows that an effective means of preventing unplanned cesarean delivery is to wait for active labor before admission to the labor suite. Women in early labor are often in substantial discomfort and are reluctant to return home. By providing an early labor lounge at Ochsner Baptist, we will give these women a safe place to wait. The soothing space will encourage mobility and support. Room dividers will enable privacy, but the open layout will promote collaboration among laboring partners. Educational materials will increase awareness and decrease the anxiety of early labor. Our goal is to prevent the major health event of unexpected cesarean delivery and its impact on rates of pain, breastfeeding difficulties and depressed mood.

The aim of this project is to create an educational video for patients at increased risk of breast cancer. The information in the video will educate patients about the options available for women at high risk, therefore enabling them to decide if the High-Risk Screening Clinic is right for them.

The addition of a reliable FEES (fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing) service in our speech pathology department will provide a new, cutting edge service to patients and their families. This system will allow us to perform the study in our treatment rooms which will reduce interruption of patient care, improve patient access, and allow us to address problems better and sooner.

The maintenance of patient mobility during long hospital stays improves their overall outcomes. Patients are more likely to have shorter hospital stays, more likely to be discharged to home rather than a rehabilitation facility and less likely to have treatment related morbidity. This project plans to purchase and place 16 stationary bikes in the bone marrow transplant unit.

By purchasing a portable ultrasound and placing all intravenous access lines in the pre-operative area, we will reduce anesthesia time in the operating room. This will reduce patient wait times and discomfort.

Through the MedVantage Clinic, a research coordinator will support current clinical staff and move forward ongoing research studies that demonstrate improved health outcomes and increased appropriate utilization of medical services in high-risk and geriatric patients when social determinants are addressed in a primary care setting.

This NASHNET FibroScan study will allow us to easily screen patients using a special ultrasound technique that is non-invasive, fast and relatively inexpensive to estimate the degree of liver scarring. Using this equipment, the screening can be done in the clinic with limited preparation and can replace a liver biopsy, an invasive and expensive procedure. This will allow us to provide early intervention and prevent long term complications associated with chronic liver disease. The data collected from this study will be used to establish an evidence-based clinical practice model for the early identification of patients with progressive NAFLD.

Premature babies are frequently being fed before they are neurologically or gestationally ready. Lack of feeding acquisition can prolong hospital stays and create a lifetime of oral feeding and swallowing issues. The Ntrainer system is a device for preterm, critically ill and neurologically impaired infants that can be used to help shape and train a more normal oral motor, swallowing and breathing pattern.

Lack of mobility is a large concern for inpatient and post-discharge complications. This grant will allow for the purchase of one adult MobiGo and two Mobikidz IV pole units. These units will provide safe, early and standard mobilizations for patients on the pediatric ICU floors at Jefferson Highway.

The InBody 570 will allow the analysis of a person's body by determining the percentage of fat, muscle and water. By assessing the balance between muscle and fat composition, the provider can better determine the right nutrition and exercise plan for the patient to prevent loss of muscle and improve or maintain functional status.

Project Core’s Universal Core Communication Systems provide programming to print 3D symbols that can assist in the daily functional communication for individuals who do not respond to traditional high/low tech communication systems. The 18 symbols are 3D and color/texture coded by part of speech and allow any communication partner to interpret requests/comments correctly.

Infections of the cornea, tumors of the ocular surface, and degenerative anterior segment diseases all need detailed clinical follow up to evaluate response to treatment or disease progression. The ION slit lamp camera system allows photographic documentation in a seamless and instantaneous fashion.

The echocardiography project aims to reduce the number of patients that undergo a second stress test or angiogram by modifying the tests to reduce false positives.

A pediatric eye camera can detect risk factors in children that may lead to partial or full blindness or issues with child development or social behaviors. This project will provide this equipment to four Ochsner locations, the Grove, Prairieville, O’Neal and Zachary.

Parents may not be aware of their child's reduced visual functioning. Routine vision screening and/or eye examinations are critical to detect problems before the child’s eye development declines. A pediatric vision screener is the safest, easiest tool to use to detect vision problems in school age children or younger. This project will provide this equipment in Covington.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends vision screening at least once between 3 and 5 years. Together, vision screening and eye examinations are complementary and essential elements of a strong public health approach to vision and eye health. Funding will allow for the purchase of a vision screener with case for Slidell.

Using new technology, patients can be diagnosed with swallowing disorders while they are still "healthy" and can have their symptoms managed to preserve a highly functioning lifestyle. This cutting edge technology helps diagnose early motility issues within the esophagus that when left untreated can lead to esophageal cancer.

This project will provide in-home diagnostic devices to Ochsner Home Health and Home Health Partners on the Northshore. Home Health workers will be able to collect medical information with these diagnostic devices that can be transmitted to the physician. A virtual visit can be performed and recommendations made. Thus allowing the homebound patient to potentially avoid a clinic visit or ED visit.

Project ADAM is a partnership with local schools to implement heart safe schools. Project ADAM has been implemented in over 10 states and has saved 150 lives. Louisiana does not currently have a Project ADAM affiliate. By partnering with schools, we can help prevent sudden cardiac death.

Sensory Calm Down Kits will help neurologically diverse children relax while also allowing medical staff to obtain vitals and perform examinations. It will also give parents tools and resources that can be used prior to appointments so that we can more easily connect with our patient and reduce their fear or anxiety.

Infants with single ventricle congenital heart disease require staged palliative cardiac surgeries over the first several years of life. One of the major interventions of the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative to improve quality of care for these infants is aggressive monitoring between stages. This project will allow for electronic monitoring with automated, real-time reporting for these high-risk infants.

Dysphagia occurs as a result of various medical conditions and affects a large part of our patient population at Chabert. Malnutrition and dehydration, aspiration pneumonia, compromised general health, chronic lung disease, choking and even death may be a consequence of dysphagia. By acquiring the TIMS system, we will be able to better record data and provide a higher level of care for patients at risk.

Tansey Breast Center will create a video explaining the mammogram process in a less threatening, lighted hearted way that dispels all myths about the exam. Our intent is to have an on demand video that addresses misconceptions and reduces fear while encouraging patients to consider having their first mammogram.

In 2018, donors made 19 innovative projects possible!

Early intervention significantly improves the prognosis for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but it can be difficult for families to connect to the resources they need. The Development of the ABA Community Referral Database at the Michael R. Boh Center for Child Development will create the region's first automatic referral resource, linking screened and approved providers who are available and convenient to the patient.

The Camino Intracranial Pressure Monitor will assist in the evaluation of patients with headaches suspected to be related to abnormal intracranial pressures or traumatic brain injuries. Continuous monitoring with accurate data and strong teamwork will help ensure the best possible outcome for patients while creating efficiencies for nurses.

Blood flow restriction (BFR) therapy has been shown to be a safe and effective way of regaining strength early in the rehab process without putting unnecessary stress or strain on the body. With the addition of two Delfi BFR units, Ochsner Therapy and Wellness will be one of the only hospital based centers to offer such cutting edge treatment while utilizing the gold standard in BFR equipment.

The Excellence Fund will support Child Life coverage in the Boh Center Developmental Assessment Clinic, providing children an opportunity to engage with a professional trained in early childhood development while parents speak privately with clinicians during intake and feedback sessions.

Through the Improving Acute Respiratory Tract Illness Encounters research project, the team at the Center for Primary Care and Wellness will study how corticosteroid injections used during acute respiratory tract illness (ARTI) encounters affect patients in ambulatory care.

The Sonosite Ultrasound System, will allow anesthesiologists to provide peripheral nerve blocks that make patients more comfortable during procedures while reducing the need for post-operative narcotics and lowering the risk of chronic pain.

Augmentative Communication uses technology to assist patients who are unable to speak with their providers and empower them to participate in the own medical care and decision making. With the purchase of two IPADs and the necessary software applications, patients will have the opportunity to be more active in their medical management.

Lumify offers an exceptional portable ultrasound that works with a tablet or other smart device. The pediatric physician on call can carry the device in a coat pocket and perform an immediate assessment during codes and times of critical patient care.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men. Early detection is key, and the Prostate Triplane Transducer will allow Ochsner to screen men more efficiently for prostate cancer in the hopes of catching malignant tumors sooner.

Replacing a standard clinic table with an Echo table will reduce the need for patient repositioning during echocardiograms, offering comfort to post-operative patients and expectant moms who may find lying flat or movement difficult.

One in four children in the United States suffers from a vision problem. If these problems are severe enough, they can be risk factors for lazy eye, the most common cause for childhood vision loss. A portable vision screen test will give pediatricians a quick and accurate screening solution for infants and pre-school and school age children.

An Arm Ergometer will allow cardiac rehab patients with impaired lower limb capacity to participate more actively in rehab care.

An enhanced pulmonary rehab system will facilitate individualized treatment plans based on real-time, accurate data. The new system will also help the department achieve certification from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehab.

SAEBO equipment will provide better treatment opportunities for recent surgical patients at Chabert including safe movement for post-operative patients and early intervention for neurological and orthopedic patients with difficulty moving limbs.

The Comfort Ability protocol will help improve adolescent pain management by improving individual coping skills and decreasing pain-related stress through a group-based therapy model. The program teaches teens, caregivers, and parents alternative strategies for coping with chronic pain.

Adult, school age, infant and neonatal airway training mannequins will be used in a difficult airway course developed for Ochsner and community providers.

Virtual reality headsets and software will help further the use of existing and future digital 3D models for general surgery. The anatomic models will assist in more in-depth case discussions, operative planning and patient and resident education.

Virtual reality headsets will help oncology patients undergoing therapy by reducing side effects and fatigue and improving patient wellbeing and outcomes.

In coordination with the 3D virtual reality lab at Ochsner, the purchase of virtual reality software and equipment will improve Ochsner's ability to communicate health care data to patients and families while offering educational and training opportunities to staff.

In 2017, donors made 21 innovative projects possible!

Upgrade of 3D Printing for Medical Education capacity through software, training, printing material and server. There is growing interest across specialties for 3D printing to help with surgical planning and patient education.

Funding toward the cost of a 3-D Printer within Cardiology. 3D printing will remove some of the complexities in planning and simulating complex surgeries addressing congenital heart disease.

Provide a Bedside Diagnostic Tool for Dizziness and Vertigo Symptoms. The ICS Impulse goggles are a diagnostic device that will allow clinicians to better diagnose the cause of dizziness, often an ambiguous diagnosis made after years of searching and consultations by the patient. Service is less invasive, more cost-effective and more accurate.

Breast Cancer Survivorship Camaraderie Project that will expand the information and tools provided to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients from a simple binder to a branded tote that includes binder and other items for breast cancer patient care. Promotes camaraderie and sense of community among Tansey patients through support groups, chemo bandanas etc.

Video cameras to enhance Cancer Services Lean Project evaluation of clinic efficiency in the cancer center.

Improve Chabert Cath Lab Patient Satisfaction through televisions for pre-op and recovery rooms to enhance the patient experience.

Introduce Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation (Coolief) for Pain Management. This recently FDA-approved pain management option for chronic pain, specifically associated with spine, hip and knee (chronic knee osteo-arthritis) is a minimally invasive service.

Funding to launch COPD/Asthma Digital Medicine program by funding smart-inhalers needed to provide flow of data from patients to Ochsner. Will cover an initial 250 patients.

The Cuddle Cot supports a family's grieving process with their infant as it gently cools the infant's body, extending the time parents may spend at their infant's bedside.

Enhance the pediatric liver transplant program through the Evaluation of Neurocognitive Deficits in Pediatric Liver Transplant Patients pre and post op.

Functional Medicine 5 day course-Implementing GYN Functional Medicine: Physician education for Dr. Liz Lapeyre in Functional Medicine, which incorporates genetic science and biology focusing on the patient and how their environment and lifestyle influence their disease. This will improve care in Women's Health and Wellness and the Women's Cancer Survivorship Centers. There are few practitioners in our region trained in Functional Medicine.

H.O.P.E. (Healing Optimization through Pre-operative Engagement) pilot "prehabilitation" program that educates and engages preoperative patients to have better post-operative outcomes, shorter stays and reduced complications and readmissions.

Pilot Home Infusion Program for Acute Migraines to provide therapeutic home infusions for 50 acute migraine sufferers and demonstrate proof of concept. Hope is to reduce migraine-related ED visits and hospitalizations.

King-Devick Testing for the Ochsner Concussion Management Program to enhance current concussion management for student athletes with the King-Devick tool, developed by the Mayo Clinic. Significant improvement is on-the-field evaluation rather than the current practice of athlete waiting to visit clinic. The system not only checks baseline and post injury, but monitors progress and provides vision based therapy to provide therapy new to the region.

Making Patient Care Better Through the use of Augmentative & Alternative Communication using high-tech communication devices that will allow therapists at 6 locations to help patients communicate more robustly after a stroke or despite neuromuscular limitations. The device allows a patient to respond with his or her own thoughts rather than a pre-programmed response, increasing engagement and connection.

Neonatal Transport Hypothermia Treatment: Our NICU team provides therapeutic hypothermia treatment, but our neonatal transport team does not have the equipment to provide this in transport. The cooling therapy is a life-saving and brain-saving therapy for the 50-90% of infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy we see who are transported from other facilities.

OMC-BR Pathology TeleMed camera to allow for real-time consultation with New Orleans pathologist, reducing errors, transport costs and delays and turnaround time for diagnoses. Camera will also be used for BR Tumor Conference for provider education.

Pediatric Simulation Task Trainer Acquisition for lumbar puncture and vascular access will be used in the ED, PICU, inpatient Pediatric setting in coordination with the Sim Center provide a safe way for learners to practice and improve at high-risk procedures in simulated settings.

Prenatal Education initiative at OMC-Kenner to enhance pre-natal and post-natal education and care with both English and Spanish language offerings that include written materials, models and specialized "Teach-With-Stories" tools for low-literacy participants.

The Trauma Man Simulator is a state of the art simulator that will assist the emergency department in developing skills for acute intervention and management of ED scenarios.

Using Simulation to Deliver Ultrasound Training for Patient Safety through the Laerdal SonoSim Solution Package, which will provide ultrasonography for Sim Center simulations in the training of physicians, nurses, techs, medical students, etc. across multiple specialties.

In 2016, donors made 25 innovative projects possible!

Aerodynamic Measures of Voice through the use of a PAS machine that will assist in measuring the patients progress with voice and respiratory functions and provide biofeedback to the patient and family to engage them in the process. This equipment will also be useful for collecting patient data for research.

The inaugural Annual Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Picnic will encourage family bonding with each other as resources and a support network while celebrating the successes of the program.

Pilot of Baby Safe Sleep Boxes to engage and educate parents and give them supplies for creating a safe sleep environment for their baby. The program includes the online community for peer support and resources and the box can be repurposed for play or storage after the child outgrows it.

Replace Bassinets at Baptist in Mother Baby with state of the art bassinets that adjust to the height of the mother's bed, enhancing opportunities for mother-baby bonding and care.

Building a Comprehensive Metabolic Program through the purchase of a device that will be used in the new bariatric medicine clinic component of bariatrics, which was until now a strictly surgical program. The device provides metabolic analysis that will give clinicians more tools to suggest the best weight loss solution for the patient.

Online CovePoint Educational Resource for Pediatric and Adult Congenital Heart Disease. This resource is a robust, organized source of information on the full spectrum of congenital heart disease lesions and treatments and is geared to not only caregivers but patient families so that they may better understand their child's diagnosis and treatment options. There are tutorials, an image library, prepared PowerPoint slides for provider use, and other tools available.

Pilot Dermatology Telemedicine Consults project using 3 handheld cameras in 3 primary care clinics. Primary care providers can photograph or videotape a patient's rash, lesion, etc. and upload it to the patient’s record for prescreening by a dermatologist to determine if a referral to a specialist is warranted or if it can be treated by the primary care clinic.

Assist with Equipment Needs for the Slidell Endocrine Clinic including a Body Comp device to better assess body fat and body fat distribution as well as a MedGem device for evaluating metabolic rate. If possible, also provide bariatric chairs in exam rooms to increase patient comfort.

Support purchase of Heidelberg Widefield Lens. This lens detects and monitors peripheral changes in the eye and will enhance patient education and engagement by showing progress and monitoring monthly injections and laser treatments.

Provide High definition Video Cameras for Monitoring Studies in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. These High definition cameras capture seizures and seizure-like events for diagnostic review by caregivers and educational review with family members to discuss nature of disease. Current cameras are not high definition and provide less than ideal imaging, often extending time needed for good images and providing an image that may be useful for diagnosis but is not helpful in discussing seizures with patient and families.

Implementation of Supportive Care Services Program through supportive care services and programs for BR patients and families fighting cancer. Includes yoga mats and equipment, marketing and educational materials, massage therapist, yoga instructors, nutritional educator etc. These programs support patient and family and engage them in therapeutic and stress relieving options that may be out of reach financially.

Provide Mirror Medical Imaging Software. This imaging software program formulates more accurate outcomes for patients and their family members when reconstructive surgery is necessary for patients. In addition to the clinic, surgeon and Medical photography, other specialties will have access to use this software.

Provide Mouthpiece for Operating Microscope to give provider ability to continually focus during cranial procedures, providing better quality operative video for resident education and for reviewing with families to understand disease and treatment. This is a gold standard at elite neurological surgical training centers.

Equipment and training to implement 14 Day Neuro-Integrative Functional Rehabilitation and Habilitation (Neuro-IFRAH). This approach to stroke rehabilitation in Acute, Post-Acute, and Outpatient maximizes functional outcomes.

Provide four Nezzie Patient Ambulation Devices to help patients with early ambulation by facilitating all of the tubes, equipment, monitors, etc. that inhibit patient's early mobility.

Parents Empowering Every Parent (PEEPs) peer mentoring program and access to online resources for NICU families to empower parents and neonates to engage in their child's care in the NICU and to have confidence and a network of support upon discharge.

35 touch screen tablets for Patient Driven Mobile Technology to facilitate patient data entry in various neurology clinics to better assess conditions, collect data for Neurology Based Practice Research Network (NBPRN) projects and engage patients more fully in care. Ochsner is one of 11 facilities across country in the NBPRN, which was recognized as one of the most promising practices in Neurology Today.

Patient-Centered Functional Restoration Pilot Program for Chronic Pain which will provide treadmills, elliptical trainers, multi-station weight machines and dumbells for a Functional Restoration Pilot serving chronic pain patients in Interventional Pain Management. The program would be the first of its kind in Louisiana and would help patients with pain coping techniques and rehab strategies in order to return to productive lifestyle at home and at work without need for future treatment or pain pills/opiods.

Installation of Playground for Interdisciplinary Therapy. This adaptive, wheelchair accessible enclosed playground will assist with the development and assessment of children's gross and fine motor skills, language and social skills in an exciting way since most of the children have not had the opportunity to be on a playground due to their unique pediatric needs.

Optovue I Retinal Eye Camera would provide diabetic patients in the Endocrinology clinic to have non-dilated eye exams jointly with their visits within a matter of minutes. This reduces the burden of the patients that are unable to schedule eye exams, reduces the cost for patients, and can increase our exam scores especially since diabetes is the number 1 cause of blindness.

RT 300 Supine Leg Cycler will provide cycling for patients with critical health issues in ICU and bariatric patients for 20 minute sessions. This machine allows the patients with prolonged bed rest to receive passive, active-assisted, and active-resistive exercise to strengthen their muscle mass to decrease its loss even if they are sedated. Will help reduce the some of the physical impairments that sometimes last for some patients up to a year after they are discharged.

Single Ventricle Home Monitoring Program equipment will allow children with ventricle defects to be monitored at home safely during the most critical stages between surgeries with the proper equipment and education to the parents and caregivers.

Therapeutic use of Stroke Hero Stories and pictures to describe a patient's stroke healing journey to engage them, their families, and other patients along their stroke journeys. This would include patients of all backgrounds and will highlight the impact strokes have on the patients, their families and the community.

Expansion of Teaching our Women the ABC's of D(iet), E(xercise), and F(itness)! An Ochsner Centering Pregnancy Program that will provide low-income patients with affordable dieting information, a collaborative cookbook and price lists, exercise equipment in the waiting rooms and the tools needed to understand and assist with fitness.

Using 3D Printing to Help Patients Understand their Neurological Diseases may aid in the communication of complex health care data (specifically neuroadiographic information) to patients, aid providers in formulating care plans, assist proceduralists with plan interventions and increase patient and family engagement in care. This will improve patient comprehension and satisfaction and educate residents.

In 2015, donors made 30 innovative projects possible!

Bioness Integrated Therapy System: Rehabilitation therapy tool that tracks patient progress and can be tailored to a wide variety of therapy goals for various disabilities from traumatic injuries and movement disorders as well as competitive athletic injuries.

Chair Side Trays for Outpatient Infusion Center: Side tables for outpatient chemotherapy infusion chairs in Slidell to improve patient comfort, convenience, and satisfaction.

Cinemavision Goggles for MRI: MRI goggles that allow adult and pediatric patients to watch a video while getting an MRI to reduce anxiety and give patients peace of mind.

Complementary Therapy to Improve Pain Quality for Medical Surgical Patients: Give nurses easy access to therapy for pain management that acts in concert with other treatment plans of hand massage for patients on rolling carts. Part of innovative, nursing driven BITE pain initiative.

CoughAssist Device: Device assists with cough clearing and can allow patient with neuromuscular disease or muscle control to avoid respiratory failure, hospitalization, and possible tracheostomy.

Difficult IV Stick Initiative: Four Veinlite units for inpatient and outpatient Endoscopy unit to reduce the number of needle sticks when starting IVs, improve patient experience, reduce fear and anxiety, and reduce costs due to multiple sticks and wasted supplies.

Educational Surgical Video Series: Fiberoptic camera for surgical headlight to create surgeon’s eye view of procedures, create video series for patients who want to understand their procedures and for nurses and medical students.

Endoscopic Doppler: Assessment tool for indications of successful endoscopic treatments of ulcers and possible delayed bleeding events.

Enhancing the New Mother’s Experience: Lactation lounge for new mothers (patients and employees) to promote Kangaroo care and breastfeeding. This enhances OMC-BR’s leadership in Women’s Services and Baby Friendly status across the region.

Fundus Camera for the Northshore Region: Fundus camera will improve patient care for diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration and other diagnoses and complications in Slidell.

Having The Conversation: Using Peer-Reviewed Multimedia to Facilitate End Of Life Care: Evidence-based multimedia training for new providers across Palliative Medicine and Critical Care Medicine.

ImPACT Concussion Management Program: Concussion management tool software for area college athletic programs.

ImproveCareNow—A Collaborative Approach to the Care for Pediatric IBD: This would make Ochsner the first center in Louisiana on the ImproveCareNow network for pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease. ImproveCareNow is a health network that uses scientific data to drive improvements for kids with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis by analyzing results from patient visits and sharing data.

Intragrastric Balloon for Weight Loss: Training for Dr. Richardson and Dr. Wooldridge for new weight loss procedure expected to be approved by the FDA soon.

Kenner Fire Department and EMT Coordination: Innovative partnership pilot with Kenner Fire Department EMTs to visit high risk patients at home to identify issues, enhance communication, and intervene as appropriate.

Mobile Training Team for Obstetrics Emergencies: Mobile Noelle simulator for training Kenner staff on obstetric emergencies as well as other facilities without mother-baby services, such as River Parishes, where obstetric emergencies are high risk, low frequency events.

NESS H200 Wireless Upper Extremity Rehabilitation System: Rehab system to improve hand function and treat upper extremity impairments resulting from stroke.

NICU Ochsner Human Milk Bank: Pasteurizer for human milk bank at Baptist. The Ochsner Milk Bank will be the first milk bank in Louisiana and will supply breastmilk to critically ill infants at Ochsner facilities and other facilities throughout the region.

NICView - Westbank: Web cameras for Westbank that allow parents and family members to see their infant remotely while in the NICU.

Ochsner Patient Accident Respect Kit (OchPARK): Pilot of courtesy kit program for patients who may have had a personal accident on campus, intended for our patients learning how to use a colostomy, experiencing post-radiation or post-operative diarrhea, or having incontinence.

Ochsner Centering Pregnancy – OCP: Innocating Maternal Child Health: Group prenatal care at Ochsner St. Charles clinic to improve infant outcomes in concert with the Strong Start program.

Otto Ostomy: Ostomy Teaching Models: Realistic, life-size models to teach patients and nurses how to care for different ostomies.

Patient and Family Activities: Pilot project to create three carts filled with games, toys, puzzle books, playing cards, and other activities for outpatient waiting rooms and inpatient units. Increase satisfaction and possibly address pain management by providing pleasant distraction.

Patient Safety and Occupational Exposure Reduction to Radiation: Allows caregiver to position patient safely without supporting patient during radiation, reducing radiation exposure of staff and increasing patient safety.

Pediatric Urology Bladder Scan for the Pediatric Pavilion: Non-invasive technique for pediatric patients that is less traumatic and lowers risk of infection due to a catheterization.

Pelvic Floor Center PT Equipment: Pelvic floor physical therapy equipment, training for two PT providers to become knowledgeable with the equipment, and three iPads for patient instruction.

Pupillometers for Neuro Critical Care: Advanced technology for assessing neurocritically ill patients, including stroke patients.

Room of the Future: Innovative project to evaluate state of the art furnishings, innovations, and equipment such as lifts, lighting, communication improvements, etc. for the tower expansion project and future patient rooms.

Speech Pathology: SpeechVive Device for People with Hypophonia and Parkinson’s Disease: Demonstration device and programming equipment for a device for Parkinson’s patients to improve speech by increasing loudness and overall clarity.

In 2014, donors made 34 innovative projects possible!

Establish an Adolescent and Young Adults Cancer Clinic to meet the special needs of these patients, which are often not fully met by traditional adult or pediatric programs.

Provide funding for Body Weight Supported Gait Training with Lite Gait rehab equipment, which assists in establishing natural gait in therapy. It is best known for use with patients who have neurological conditions.

Facilitate integration of Bright Future for Ochsner for Children pediatric program into EPIC by providing iPads for patients to complete questionnaires at clinic.

Expansion of CHOP (Cooking Up Healthy Options and Portions) to one middle school and through community partners through 2 existing CHOP-in-a-Box toolkits and 1 new toolkit making a difference in the lives of at least 280 children.

Accelerate and improve the care of unstable critical care patients through Critical Moments: Point of Care Ultrasound by assessing them with a handheld ultrasound device at the point of care, often avoiding unnecessary tests and procedures and improving patient safety and outcomes.

Development of the Center for Interdisciplinary Simulation Training (CIST) by outfitting a teaching area and skills area on the 4th floor for the Noelle simulator so that this tool can be used at Baptist for interdisciplinary training.

Purchase a system to begin Digitizing and Cataloging the Ochsner Archives Collection in anticipation of the 75th anniversary.

Enhance Research Interest and Academic Productivity Among Ochsner Trainees by funding the transition of the existing "Senior Trip" to a national medical conference or meeting for residents in their final year of study to the first year of study when the learning from the trip could benefit Ochsner and fellow Ochsner residents.

Purchase equipment for instrumentation of ENT-BAHA or bone attached hearing aid to enable physicians to provide BAHA as an option for patients who are not good candidates for hearing aids.

Provide supplies for a Paintfest session at Ochsner to engage patients and improve visual experience through ceiling tiles, murals for windows and other Healing Art installations.

Equipment purchase for Holmium Laser, which would enable patients who enter OMC-BR with urethral stones to have them removed on the same day. Today, patients must receive palliative care and return for treatment when OMC-BR has contracted equipment on hand.

Purchase Imaging Center Blanket Warmer to increase patient comfort in the chilly environment, allowing staff to take time with them, allay concerns and get the best diagnostic images.

Incorporating Personalized Digital Assistant (PDA) Technology in the Urology Clinic by developing an app interface and purchasing 18 iPads for use across 3 urology clinics to improve patient satisfaction and education.

Purchase 6 iPads as well as Sight Selector patient education tool, ophthalmology videos and 3D images on common eye conditions for use in patient visits to provide Interactive Ophthalmology Patient Education at the Point of Care.

Provide the latest technology for wound care for Deep Tissue Injury (DTI) using Mist Therapy by Celleration for Accelerated Wound Healing to deliver ultrasounds.

Increase patient comfort and decrease anxiety with MRI Sound System to pipe in music throughout MRI scan, allowing tech to get better images and patient to have a better experience.

Provide MRI Wrist Coil device, which improves ability to get a clear image when diagnosing wrist injuries in orthopedics.

Ochsner Northshore - Corneal Topography imaging will assist in diagnosis and treatment of vision and corneal health and will allow patients to be cared for at the Slidell clinic rather than being sent to Covington for imaging.

Funding to provide Ochsner Northshore - Neuroscience Institute Covered Entrance.

Funding to revise and update three Ochsner Orthopedic Surgery iPhone and iPad Apps that deal with outcomes and treatment options for orthopedic surgery patients.

Ochsner Sports Medicine Concussion Management Project would make the ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) tool available to all of the schools Sports Medicine serves with Athletic Training Outreach for one year.

Software upgrade to provide OMC-Jeff Hwy Gastroenterology with Esophageal Manometry Equipment, bringing them up to date on this critical diagnostic tool for esophageal spasm.

Patient and Family Cell Phone Charging Stations throughout OMC-NO for the convenience of patients and families.

Funding will allow Pediatric Liver Transplant Hands-on-Training for a pediatric gastroenterologist with leading program at King’s College, London.

Positive pressure ventilation with HEPA filtration and double entry to create Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Unit.

Pediatric Unit Treatment Room Renovations to improve the 4th floor pediatric unit treatment room, making it a "safe" space for pediatric patients that are both coping and healing during invasive procedures.

Funding for a Perioperative Team-Building Interactive Workshop. This multi-disciplinary training and team-building day for 20 Ochsner physicians and leaders with Dr. Lynn Gillette of Sierra Nevada College will improve teamwork and communication among these team members, resulting in better outcomes and patient safety and satisfaction.

Persyst Software identifies abnormal brain activity, maps it longitudinally, and eliminates artifacts (from a patient moving or a loose lead during the test) from EEG recordings, providing reliable data to use in diagnosing epilepsy. Physicians are able to read EEGs in a shorter amount of time and with fewer errors, leading to more timely patient care and making it possible for Ochsner to expand our remote EEG reading services.

Film production of a Salt Education video to be used with heart failure patients to educate them about hidden salt and hopefully reduce readmission of congestive heart failure patients. This will enhance the current pilot project to reduce admission and readmission of these patients.

Endoscope and da Vinci hardware to allow BR to provide Single Site Laparoscopy “scarless” robotic abdominal procedures.

The purchase of a Digital Retinography System-Non-mydriatic Fundcas camera will allow Ochsner to develop a Telehealth diabetic eye screening service that will help prevent blindness due to diabetes.

Validation of Hand-Held Spirometer to Monitor Pulmonary Function After Lung Transplantation allowing lung transplant patients to monitor their pulmonary function at home and log the results so that acute pulmonary events are detected early. This increases patients’ engagement in their care and improves patient outcomes.

Provide Verion Image Guided System for Cataract Surgery. This advanced surgical planning tool for implanting intraocular lenses will improve results by automating the current manual process of aligning astigmatisms and eliminates the possibility of poorly centered lenses, improving patient satisfaction and outcomes.

Develop Web App for Ochsner OB Patients. This pregnancy app, which can be accessed on smartphones, will include a link to MyOchsner, frequently asked questions, physician bios, department highlights, etc.

In 2013, donors made 17 innovative projects possible!

AccuView pH-Z program will help improve results and outcomes for pre and post op-lung transplant patients.

Cardia Rehabilitation Equipment will expand availability for high quality rehab resources such as treadmills, elliptical machines, recumbent bikes and upright bikes for patients rehabilitating after a cardiac event.

A Cobalt Source for the West Bank gamma camera will improve quality and efficiency for our nuclear medicine team and their patients.

Colposcope and Ultrasound for Lakeview OB/GYN will allow physicians to address abnormal pap smears and weak fetal tones at this neighborhood clinic, rather than asking patients to go to OMC-Jefferson Highway for additional appointments.

Cooling Blankets in the Emergency Department at Ochsner Baptist will help lower brain temperature for cardiac arrest patients, possibly helping to increase chances of survival and/or reduce the risk of severe brain damage.

Electrophysiology Imaging equipment will reduce wait time for intracardiac ultrasound appointments for heart patients.

LUCAS devices, or mechanical CPR machines, will be provided for all Ochsner Emergency Departments. These machines improve care and survival rates of cardiac arrest patients by providing more efficient and effective chest compressions than a human caregiver can provide.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) equipment will give Ochsner the ability to conduct OCT scans, which measure the thickness of the lining at the back of the eye (the retina). Thinning of this area can reveal the earliest signs of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) damage.

Palatometer – Smart Palate Device provides visual feedback to a patient with speech pronunciation problems who cannot hear or feel the difference between a correct or incorrect tongue position.

PICU Central Line Project will make ultrasound guided placement of central lines possible and help to decrease the risk of infection and complications for patients.

Privacy Curtains for the pediatric floor at Ochsner will improve patient and family comfort during their stay.

Serenity Rooms will be created at Ochsner Medical Center – Jefferson Highway by renovating space to provide a healing, tranquil space on the busy hospital floor.

SimMan 3G Patient Simulator, a learning tool for Anesthesiology residents and fellows in training, will simulate anesthesia complications for residents, medical students and fellows, helping to improve surgical patient safety.

35 Sofa Sleepers in the pediatric hospital rooms will be replaced, providing a more comfortable experience for parents and caregivers who spend the night with their little patients in the hospital.

Telemedicine Program Expansion Project will upgrade telemedicine carts at all seven Ochsner Emergency Departments, allowing Ochsner to build on the award-winning telestroke program and expand to provide other telemedicine services throughout the region.

Total Pancreatectomy and AutoIslet Transplantation for Chronic Pancreatitis is an innovative procedure for patients with significant, life altering chronic pancreatitis. The Excellence Fund will fund equipment that allows Ochsner to initiate the service, becoming the only site in the Louisiana/Mississippi/Arkansas region to offer this pioneering program.

Volumetrics and 3D Modeling Software: This software allows volumetrics and 3D modeling for surgical visualization as planning, which is key in developing image-guided surgery programs for living donor liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgical oncology.