Monthly Archives: April 2022

A new survey asks Milwaukee residents who live near Ascension St. Joseph Hospital about their health needs and experiences at the hospital, with hopes of informing new investments in the community.

The community health survey is being conducted by Voices For Health Justice MKE, a project of the St. Joes Accountability Coalition, an alliance of community groups that started in 2018 to advocate for residents with the health system. Participants can take the survey online.

The survey asks participants to rate their experience at St. Joseph hospital, located at 5000 W. Chambers St. in Sherman Park, asks which Milwaukee area hospital theyd most like to go to and if they were unable to receive any services they needed.

It also asks about their biggest health concerns in the community, and compares those priorities with those identified by Ascension, asking participants if they agree with the assessments.

Lisa Jones, executive director and lead organizer of the Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope, or MICAH, said the goal of the survey was to speak with those most affected by access to health careor lack of itin the central city.

What would it look like if community had a say in whats needed, really going from a bottom-up perspective instead of a top-down perspective? Jones said.

Jones noted the importance of St. Joes because of its status as the only general hospital on the citys North Side. Controversy ensued in 2018 when it was announced that the hospital would be cutting back on inpatient beds and surgical services. Some community members thought the hospital would soon close, which Ascension administrators denied.

The ultimate goal is to bring the survey results to Ascension St. Joseph Hospital administrators and ask for a community benefits agreement. The agreement between Ascension St. Joes as a private institution and community groups would outline specific community benefits for the hospital to provide.

Rafael Smith, climate and equity director with Citizen Action of Wisconsin and a member of Voices for Health Justice MKE, said the project will allow nearby residents to stop suffering in silence and give them a chance to voice their concerns.

Devin Anderson, membership and coalition manager for the African-American Roundtable and a member of the St. Joes Accountability Coalition, said the survey aims to meet people where they are and lift up their experiences to inform change.

For him, the importance of the survey was summed up in a picture of the Combahee River Collective, an activist group that marched against police brutality in Boston in the 1980s.

We cannot live without our lives, Anderson said, quoting one banner from the march.

The group does not have a timeline for when the survey will be finished or when an attempt at a community benefits agreement will be made. The survey itself is an early stage in the process, Jones said.

The Milwaukee Health Care Partnerships Community Needs Assessment is expected to be released in late April or early May. The study, which partners with local health organizations like Ascension, Advocate Aurora Health, Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin and Childrens Wisconsin, identifies major health concerns through phone and online surveys, community stakeholder interviews and focus groups.

When reached for comment, an Ascension spokesperson said the organization would wait to see the results of the survey.

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Survey seeks input from residents near Ascension St. Joseph Hospital about their health care needs - Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Nearly two years ago, developer Chris Ingram agreed to donate to Ascension Parish government roughly one-third of his property initially intended for use in a new housing development because the land was mostly wetlands.

Developing the now-donated 65 acres in the Galvez area would have required a crossing over a tributary of Henderson Bayou and extensive, costly mitigation through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Ingram said it wasn't cost-effective to extend his Hidden Lakes of Ascension neighborhood off La. 931.

"It wasn't profitable really. It was close, but not really," he said Thursday.

Under series of changes to the parish's development rules, a decision not to develop on wetlands in Ascension won't be left up to developers, but would rather be made most of the time by the government to protect nature's flood and storm buffers.

Sprawling development in Louisiana's fastest-growing parish over the prior two decades has stretched from the fringes of East Baton Rouge Parish into low-lying, flood-prone areas closer to the lower Amite River and the Maurepas and McElroy swamps.

In response, the parish will now require that no more than 40% of "hydrologically connected" wetlands of at least one acre in size can be developed.

The rest, at least 60%, must be preserved and also have a buffer around that land that is between 25 and 50 feet wide. The rule applies only to larger developments of greater than 20 acres or 50 lots, not single lots or smaller developments.

Modeled off rules adopted in Tangipahoa Parish in 2018, the new wetlands requirements were less than what advocates had said they wanted but were welcomed anyway.

The new requirement watered down an earlier proposal that called for even more preservation amid opposition from a split Parish Council.

In a letter Wednesday, Chip Kline, chairman of the Coastal Protection Restoration Authority, had advocated for the stronger rules.

He wrote the Parish Council and Parish President Clint Cointment that inland coastal parishes like Ascension need to act to protect wetlands because they are becoming more vulnerable to hurricanes as Louisiana's lower coast erodes.

"It's a start," Ascension Parish resident and longtime wetlands advocate Polly Glover said.

Suite of changes

Persistent traffic and flooding concerns have driven opposition to new housing since the August 2016 flood devastated the area. East Baton Rouge and Livingston, too, have addressed ways to limit unbridled growth in their parishes.

The new wetlands preservation rule was among several the Parish Council adopted Wednesday night as parish officials pushed through a suite of changes aimed at getting a tighter rein on growth.

The parish has been under a development moratorium since the summer and recently extended it until May 31.A more thorough revamp of the rules is expected over the next year to 18 months after the moratorium is lifted.

Other changes adopted Wednesday include:

The council by May 31 is expected to also require that developers pay for independent firms to handle traffic studies for new neighborhoods; currently developers pay, but they also hire the companies. Development critics and Cointment support the change.

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A narrowly adopted amendment

Council members had met Wednesday to make final changes to the new rules before adopting them, and all that were approved were adopted without opposition, except for the rule that weakened the wetland preservation measure.

The wetlands amendment, which lowered the minimum preservation level from 85% to 60% of wetlands, passed on a 6-4 vote, gaining a majority that mixed some of most ardent development critics with those who traditionally take up for landowner rights.

Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller said Thursday his parish adopted an 85% wetlands preservation level in 2018 amid complaints over traffic and flooding in his parish's low-lying southeastern corner, east of Ponchatoula and south of Robert.

The remaining 15% that can be developed in Tangipahoa is set aside primarily for roads and infrastructure and came with an economic tradeoff that allows developers to create some lots that are narrower than usual, Miller explained.

Miller said a recent large-scale development went from a standard grid pattern that would have required lots of wetlands mitigation to one with more curved roads, varied lot sizes and plenty of green space.

"And so it really changed the characteristics of the subdivision. For the most part made it a lot nicer subdivision and the developer actually liked it better," he said.

Ascension's administration had hoped for the higher level of wetlands preservation.

"The reason we went and attacked it this ardently is because it's important. We've lost so many acres to development, and we need to do ... as good as we can, as big of an effort as we can, to protect these areas for water to go and protect our residents," Ricky Compton, assistant to the chief administrative official and former parish planning director, told the Parish Council.

Among those for the amendment to weaken wetland preservation were Councilwoman Teri Casso and Councilman Dempsey Lambert, who often take criticism for being too pro-development, and Councilmen Joel Robert and Chase Melancon, who have generally been more critical of the way the parish has grown.

Councilman Alvin "Coach" Thomas Jr. and Travis Turner also supported the amendment.

Other council members, like Dal Waguespack, had argued for the higher preservation level to protect wetlands at least until the rules could be better defined.

The wetlands measure has the potential to affect greatly areas like Sorrento and St. Amant, which Melancon and Robert represent.

Robert proposed the amendment to decrease the minimum preservation level to 60% and talked about creating a companion program in the future to incentivize local mitigation and detention areas that, he argued, would better affect local drainage than distant wetlands mitigation banks working through the Corps of Engineers.

Compton argued more wetlands preservation and flood benefit would occur if wetlands simply weren't developed in the first place.

In a later interview, Robert argued tougher wetlands standards would drive landowners to be annexed by Sorrento, which doesn't have the requirement.

Robert is part of large, extended landowning family in Ascension that is influential in local Republican politics and has long had parish government contracts.

But the councilman said his family's land would not be affected by the wetlands limits because he began working to have all his property annexed by Sorrento before the new parish development rules could take effect.

"My land is not affected," he said.

Continue reading here:

Ascension Council approves plan aimed at keeping wetlands from the bulldozer's blade - The Advocate

Murfreesboro, Tenn. - Ascension Saint Thomas is excited to participate in Stop Food Waste Day, an international campaign seeking to combat food waste with an annual flagship awareness day on April 27 and diverse year-round initiatives. The event comes as Ascension Saint Thomas increases its comprehensive efforts to reduce food waste with an investment in digester machines (pictured above) for its Murfreesboro Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital. Depending upon model size, digesters process between 15 and 100 pounds of food scraps per hour so that liquid soluble waste can be sent to local wastewater treatment plants.

The same type of device will be installed at their Midtown, West, and River Park campuses.

Between 30 and 40 percent of food in our country is thrown away, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This statistic is even more alarming when considered alongside the fact that 1 in 7 Nashville residents do not consistently have enough to eat and that food waste has a huge negative impact on the planet.

Kitchens across Ascension Saint Thomas campuses will strive for zero waste on the April 27th holiday through tactics that include meticulous calculations for meal planning, adoption of the new digester machines, and use of fully recyclable eating utensils.

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Saint Thomas - Continued...

"Our involvement in Stop Food Waste Day is just one small part of our determination to tackle this issue," said Lionel "Dean" Chadwick, executive chef at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown. "The values of the campaign align with our broader vision to reach a time when all uneaten food is recycled, repurposed, or somehow used in a beneficial way."

As part of its long-term commitment to the cause, Ascension Saint Thomas is exploring ways to begin diverting uneaten prepared meals and excess ingredients to local community members in need.

Middle Tennesseans who would like to address this problem in their own homes can visit StopFoodWasteDay.com to sign the Stop Food Waste Day pledge and to join the ongoing Food Waste Warrior Challenge.

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Local Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital a Leader in "Digestion" Technology to Minimize Hospital Food Waste - Wgnsradio

Staff Report| Gonzales Weekly Citizen

East Ascension High School teacher Jordyn Vicknair is a finalist for Louisiana High School New Teacher of the Year.

This new recognition program, which is open to first-year teachers only, is run by the Louisiana Department of Education in partnership with Dream Teachers.

"We are so appreciative that the Louisiana Department of Education created this new recognition! A continuous cohort of new teachers entering this profession is obviously critical to the success of students today and for generations to come," stated Ascension Public Schools Superintendent David Alexander. "We are always so grateful to have first-year teachers consider Ascension Public Schools as a choice for beginning their career, and Jordyns successful first year is a great example of what can happen when a new employee builds great professional relationships with their employer for support, guidance, and professional development."

"I can't put into words how shocked, excited, and grateful I am to have been awarded New Teacher of the Year. To make it to be a state finalist is the most rewarding feeling, and makes all of the hard work worth it," said Vicknair. "The students are a big reason why I push myself so hard. This award is for them!"

A native of Montz, Vicknair is currently in her first year of teaching geometry at East Ascension High School. Passionate about her subject matter, she graduated from Louisiana State University in May 2021 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics along with her secondary teaching certification earned through LSUs GeauxTeach program. In this program, she was able to earn a degree in mathematics while taking education courses and completing field experience at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Vicknair completed her student teaching experience in a geometry classroom during the spring of 2021 at East Ascension High School, where she then accepted a geometry position for the 2021-2022 school year. She also received the Margaret Oxley Mathematics Education Award while in college for her dedication to building relationships with her students during her field experience. Her intention is to cultivate a classroom environment in which students collaborate to explore geometry using a variety of tools geared toward different learning styles.

"Jordyn is among many great first-year teachers in Ascension, and we congratulate her for being selected as a State Finalist for New Teacher of the Year in Louisiana. Her energy and passion for student success shine brightly in her daily work with students. Her commitment to being a great teammate, bringing positive energy to others, and seeking professional growth and new learning are great examples of what makes her excellent, even in year 1," said Superintendent Alexander.

On May 31, Vicknair will be recognized at the Teacher Leader Summit along with the other eight state finalists.

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Ascension Parish's Jordyn Vicknair among finalists for high school new teacher of year - Weekly Citizen

Digital.ai announced it has reimagined the future of software delivery for technology-driven organizations with its AI-Powered DevOps Platform.

The new releasedubbed Ascensionempowers both private and public sector organizations to unify, secure and generate predictive insights across the software lifecycle, increasing business value with integrated software delivery, and driving down technical debt through enterprise connections.

The Ascension release further enables technology leaders to scale their distributed workforce and connect agile development at the portfolio, team and individual levels. The new features help ensure their business strategy is aligned to team-level execution while gaining increased visibility of the entire toolchain. Digital.ai is trusted by more than 1,500 organizations worldwide and across industries, including over 50% of the Fortune 500, to meet the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation.

The last decades worth of well-funded, VC-backed software vendors has forever fragmented the way software is developed and delivered, said Stephen Elop, chief executive officer at Digital.ai. Technology leaders today need a platform that offers the connective tissue to plan, measure and accelerate business value from software investments, while reducing costs, maintaining security, and managing compliance. With our latest release, Digital.ais platform solves problems organizations encounter by delivering connected tools that offer a wealth of insight across the full development and delivery lifecycle.

Technology leaders are under extreme pressure to innovate faster but face many challenges in doing so. Developers spend roughly one-third of their time on low-level tasks that could be automated so they can focus on more strategic work. However, enabling automation at scale is hindered by technical debt, and security and quality assurance teams are struggling to secure and support an ever-growing range of mobile devices and operating systems.

This situation is fueling the global demand for new software delivery platforms like Digital.ais AI-Powered DevOps Platform. In fact, Gartner says By 2024, 60% of organizations will have switched from multiple point solutions to value stream delivery platforms to streamline application delivery, up from 20% in 2021.

The AI-Powered DevOps Platform provides innovative solutions that support the software development and delivery lifecycle, enabling technology teams to use individual solutions or the entire platform. Digital.ai solutions can be easily integrated into existing processes, applications, and infrastructure to propel innovation and bring greater visibility and insight across the entire software architecture and ecosystem.

Key new enhancements include:

Modernizing legacy systems has been an ongoing goal for our digital transformation efforts, and moving to agile and DevOps was a critical development for us. We previously had a couple of unsuccessful attempts to replace our aging legacy financial systems, but Digital.ai made successful modernization possible, said Jilee Rich, director, financial service center PMO, The United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

Since implementing a Scaled Agile and DevOps approach, were achieving our digital transformation goals. This has brought better, more consistent outcomes, predictability and more features delivery for customers, increased delivery speed and velocity, and improved interagency communications.

The AI-Powered DevOps Platform Ascension release is generally available now.

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Digital.ai Ascension empowers organizations to unify predictive insights across the software lifecycle - Help Net Security

In 2020, more than 6 out of every 1,000 infants in Tennessee did not make it to their first birthday. In an effort to save lives, Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford has partnered with the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) and the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) to reduce infant mortality by promoting breastfeeding, early elective delivery elimination, and safe sleep to meet the criteria for the BEST award. The BEST award stands for Breastfeeding, Early elective delivery reduction, and Safe sleep for Tennessee babies.

Increasing breastfeeding, reducing early elective delivery, and increasing adherence to safe sleep practices can reduce infant deaths.

Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford strived to meet the following criteria set by TDH around these topics:

Breastfeeding: Maintain baby-friendly designation through the year, increase five percent or more in breastfeeding initiation rate from one year to the next, or have a breastfeeding initiation rate of 82 percent or higher.

Early Elective Delivery: Have an early elective delivery rate of five percent or less.

Safe Sleep: Have either the Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification or a safe sleep policy meeting current American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. In addition, must have submitted cribs audits to TDH with a minimum of 90% of cribs considered safe.

*It's important to note thatAscension Saint Thomas Midtown also strived to meet the same above criteria.

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Ascension Saint Thomas - Continued...

We are dedicated to improving the health and well-being of babies across Middle Tennessee and are pleased to receive this recognition for our efforts, says Kristen Toth, vice president of women, childrens, and oncology services, Ascension Saint Thomas. We are proud to work with the Tennessee Hospital Association and the Tennessee Department of Health to provide life-saving education, resources, and support for new parents."

Sleep-related deaths account for approximately 20 percent of all infant deaths each year. Premature birth and unsafe sleep environments were among the leading causes of infant death in 2020. Breastfeeding is a known protective factor against infant mortality and improves the mother and the baby's overall health. Focusing on these efforts can increase the number of babies who get to celebrate their first birthday.

Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown and Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford are committed to the health and safety of all patients and are proud to partner with the TDH and THA in this effort to reduce infant deaths.

For more information on the BEST award, visit the TDH website at : https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/program-areas/safesleep/BEST_for_Babies_Award_applicaton_-_updated.pdf.

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Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Received the Tennessee Department of Health BEST Award for Efforts to Decrease Infant Mortality - Wgnsradio

GONZALES - Police are looking for a group of burglars who stole multiple guns, including a law enforcement officer's service weapon, during a series of thefts.

According to the Gonzales Police Department, surveillance footage from several residences shows at least four men tugging on car doors early on the morning of April 21 and rummaging through those left unlocked.

The GPD said the men stole weapons and cash from vehicles they could get into. One of the vehicles they were able to steal from belonged to an off-duty police officer.

The suspects are also reportedly tied to other burglaries around Ascension Parish that same morning.They allegedly drove in a white Chevrolet Tahoe.

Anyone with information regarding the identity of the two men in the video or anyone else involved in this string of burglaries is asked to call 225-647-9583.

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WATCH: Burglars find guns while rummaging through cars in Ascension neighborhood - WBRZ