Recently, a headline on NOLA.com declared April to be “peak Louisiana,” and we are hard-pressed to disagree.

What isn’t there to love about this time of year? Springtime festivals are rocking, the weather is (mostly) agreeable and, man, oh, man, how about those azaleas!

If April in Louisiana could be bottled and sold, it would probably outsell Tabasco and Abita Beer combined.

Here at St. Tammany Health System, we have an added reason to love April: It is Autism Acceptance Month.

On its face, that might not sound quite as sexy as say, the French Quarter Festival (April 10 to 13) or Jazz Fest (April 24 to May 4). But when you consider all the things our St. Tammany Health Foundation has accomplished in just the past few years to change the healthcare landscape for patients with autism, it’s hard not to be impressed.

Thanks to the foundation’s work, led by board member Sunny McDaniel, five of our departments have earned the Certified Autism Center designation, meaning at least 80% of the staff at those sites have received specialized training in how to interact sensitively with people who have autism.

One of the newest elements of the foundation’s autism work is the creation of “sensory bags” for neurodiverse patients at our clinics. The bags are filled with items like noise-cancelling headphones and a fidget toy intended to help blunt any overstimulation that might make a doctor’s visit overly stressful for them.

Additionally, McDaniel worked with our Communication team to create a series of videos to help patients with autism know what to expect when they head to the doctor’s office. “It’s a little bit of a dress rehearsal,” McDaniel explained. 

All of these initiatives are made possible by donors to the foundation, and all are helping to make a profound impact on the local healthcare landscape for patients with autism and their families.

See what we mean? How can you not love that?

So before we do anything else this April, we want to thank all of those generous donors who have helped the foundation grow its autism initiative efforts.

And after that, we’re definitely buying our Jazz Fest tickets.

Happy April. We hope you enjoy the below headlines from our STHS newsroom – and thank you, as always, for trusting St. Tammany Health System with your family’s care.