From the Heart: A look at tomorrow in St. Tammany

Monday, August 31, 2020 | Vol. 1, No. 7

A look at tomorrow in St. Tammany

The Gulf is aswirl with tropical activity. COVID-19 continues to upend our lives. And then there’s the summer heat – oh, that heat.

Welcome to late summer 2020 in Louisiana.

But while bellyaching can bring a certain satisfaction, we’re firmly of the mind that looking to the future – and working to strengthen it – is a far more productive and fulfilling pursuit.

Here at St. Tammany Health System, we’ve been busy on that front.

Our new patient tower is nearing completion on our Covington hospital campus. The new cancer center we’re building with our partners at Ochsner Health is taking shape near I-12 and Highway 21. And our pediatrics practice is getting ready to move into the renovated and refurbished Covington Clinic building just a mile south of the hospital.

But that’s not all. Not even close, in fact. And so, in addition to the usual COVID-19 updates, we’ve peppered this month’s newsletter with a peek at some of the changes going on at St. Tammany Health System – from our new family practice in Madisonville to fascinating technologies we’ve recently put into service.

Because while there’s plenty to worry about in the present, we’re convinced the future is bright in St. Tammany Parish.

Community Checkup with Joan Coffman

COVID-19 infections in St. Tammany Parish and across the state are once more headed in the right direction, and STHS President and CEO Joan Coffman knows why: the community is taking it seriously. Click the video at right for her latest update.

The doctor is in, Madisonville.

After three years of functioning as a pediatrics practice, St. Tammany Health System’s Madisonville clinic at 1520 Highway 22 is transitioning back to a full-family primary care practice.

Dr. Catherine Pechon, a board-certified family medicine practitioner, is now operating out of the Madisonville clinic under the St. Tammany Physicians Network banner and is accepting new patients.

Learn more about Dr. Pechon and the changes in Madisonville at the link below.

A high-tech sidekick

STHS’s robotics arsenal keeps on growing. Already established as the first robotics institute along the 1-12 corridor, the health system recently added the Stryker Mako system, which assists doctors in performing total knee and hip replacements.

A GPS for your prostate?

Your car has a GPS system. Your phone has one. Your wristwatch might even have one. And now, so does your prostate. Kind of. STHS recently unveiled its new UroNav system, the latest high-tech tool in the fight against prostate cancer.

Scared to death

In May, Lacombe resident Gary Kern woke up in the middle of the night with chest pains. Suspecting a heart attack, he called an ambulance but – reflecting a troubling national trend – initially refused transport to the hospital out of fear of contracting COVID. It almost cost him his life.

Accentuating the positive

Every child needs to be taught discipline, but for many parents, that’s one of the least enjoyable parts of the job. There are ways, however, to make it effective without making it a negative experience. The Parenting Center’s Alexis Dill explains in her latest parenting column.

St. Tammany Health System