From the Heart: Springtime in St. Tammany

Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025 | Vol. 6, No. 2

Springtime in St. Tammany

For the rest of the world, the vernal equinox arrives March 20 this year, marking the start of spring. But here in South Louisiana, we do not have much use for equinoxes. We have Mardi Gras.

No matter where it technically falls on the calendar, spring in the Bayou State unofficially arrives the day after Carnival festivities end for the year. That would be Ash Wednesday – which also happens to be today.

In addition to marking the start to Lent, that solemn 40-day season of sacrifice and reflection leading up to Easter, it also brings crawfish season, baseball season and, best of all, spring festival season.

In short: Our long winter hibernation is at last over.

Here at St. Tammany Health System, we will admit to already having a touch of spring fever – which is why we are wasting no time getting out there and enjoying the spring sunshine (yesterday’s wet weather aside).

Among other things, you can expect to see our Be Well Bus out and about at any number of festivals and other spring gatherings in upcoming weeks, offering mammograms and other screenings to community members. It will be joined soon by the newest member of our fleet, a first-in-the-region lung cancer screening vehicle made possible by a generous donation from the Mauti Cancer Fund.

Consider this your invitation to come aboard and check it out should you see us out and about.

Either way, we hope you enjoy this season of rebirth – and, as always, we thank you for trusting St. Tammany Health System with your family’s care.

Community Checkup

Construction has been completed, inspections have been passed and the ribbon has been cut. Now, on Monday, the very first cases will be treated at the new $75 million St. Tammany Health System Surgery Center on Bootlegger Road – one of a number of things President and CEO Joan Coffman is celebrating this month at STHS.

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Grief and gratitude

“Anhydramnios”: It’s not a word with which Sierra and Hunter Smith were familiar when they first heard it. The Amite couple would learn all about it soon enough, though.

A medical diagnosis, it would be the catalyst for a healthcare journey that would break their hearts. It would also, however, begin the process of putting it back together again, reinforcing their faith in the power of human kindness.

“Every single person we encountered (at St. Tammany Health System) – from the nurses to the support staff – treated us with so much compassion and grace,” said Sierra, whose overwhelming gratitude prompted her to share her family’s story. “They made the hardest experience of our lives feel just a little more bearable because of how deeply they cared.”

A tradition of giving

In March 1955, just three months after the founding of St. Tammany Parish Hospital, the all-volunteer St. Tammany Hospital Guild was formed to aid its doctors and nurses in their healing mission. Seventy years later, it’s still going strong – and it’s welcoming new members.

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Simply the best

Voting in The Times-Picayune’s inaugural Best of St. Tammany poll begins Monday (March 10), and St. Tammany Health System has been nominated a whopping 24 times! Join us in celebrating the Northshore’s longest-serving hospital by remembering to vote for us at VoteStTammany.com – but we’ll help remind you with an email listing all the categories in which we qualify once voting begins.

The art of awareness

In recognition of March as Brain Injury Awareness Month, St. Tammany Parish Hospital is hosting “Unmasking Brain Injuries” through March 13. The free, traveling art exhibit is intended to promote awareness of brain injuries by showcasing art created by survivors and their families.

Sleeping easy

St. Tammany Sleep Disorders Center in Covington recently earned program reaccreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The sleep center has been accredited by AASM since 2005. This latest reaccreditation remains valid through 2029.

St. Tammany Health System