Lolita LeBlanc is a Patient Service Representative at Dauterive Hospital by day, but at night, she is a certified Rox Star.

LeBlanc, 28, recently beat out 19 talented singers in an annual regional competition at Rox Nightclub, one of the venues inside Cypress Bayou Casino in Charenton, to become the 2009 Rox Star. Prizes included $5,000 cash, gift certificates to restaurants at the casino, a leather jacket and a gift basket.

“I was like, ‘Wow!’ That validated it for me after years of attempts, but never taking home a win. It boosted my confidence and motivated me to believe in myself again,” said LeBlanc, an employee of MedAssist, a Louisville, Kty.-based company contracted by Dauterive Hospital to offer Medicaid application and other assistance to uninsured patients.

Her passion began at age 9, when LeBlanc began singing for Easter, Christmas, family get-togethers and other occasions after her late uncle Rickey Pierre Sr. noticed LeBlanc stood out from the rest of the family members. Opportunities to showcase her vocal attributes came often at school, church and community events. LeBlanc even performed the “Star Spangled Banner” a capella at Louisiana Ice Gator games at the Cajundome throughout the 1990s.

LeBlanc put her talent to the test in several local competitions and at a larger competition in Nassau, Bahamas when she was 15.

“I didn’t place. You live and you learn,” she explained. “It was different things – song choice, no formal teaching and I didn’t have ‘the look’.  I didn’t dress up or prepare, just went out and did the raw talent thing, so I got looked over.”

LeBlanc studied chorus as a first soprano at UL Lafayette for a year after graduating in 1999 from St. Martinville Senior High School in her native St. Martinville, where she lives with her husband, Willie, and children Rayanna, 7, Layla, 4, and Willie II, 2. However, singing took a lesser role as LeBlanc began to focus more on work and family.

Then, she auditioned for American Idol when producers conducted a search for new talent at the Superdome in New Orleans in recent years. LeBlanc sat in line for nearly nine hours before she got her chance to sing.

“I sang ‘Inseparable’ by Nat King Cole,” she said. “It was the wrong choice for my voice. They said I wasn’t what they were looking for. After that, I quit. I just sang in the shower and the car.”

This is where the story ends for most. Not LeBlanc.

One day while driving, she came across a billboard advertising the Rox Star competition. LeBlanc decided to take one last shot.

“I told my husband that day to drive me to Charenton so I could sign up,” she said.

LeBlanc auditioned with “I Am Every Woman” by Whitney Houston, which she sang a capella, and earned a slot in the competition that began Sept. 25. She stepped out on stage to sing the same song with a backing track (music without the vocals). This time, she faced a panel of local judges, family, friends and about 100 people in the Rox audience.

“Everybody brought there ‘A’ game that night,” LeBlanc said. “I focused on my grandmother, Melanie Pierre. She’s my biggest inspiration, always there for me, telling me I can do anything. She’s my babysitter, my best friend, my everything.”

LeBlanc was “shocked” when she received an e-mail a few days later notifying her that she would advance to the finals that began in mid-October. He next night of competition was scheduled for Dec. 4. It was a “long wait,” she said, so LeBlanc decided to size up the competition.

She logged on to the venue’s Web site to watch videos of other competitors. LeBlanc admittedly was intimidated by a male singer who had “moves like James Brown” and stage presence that electrified the crowd, she said.

LeBlanc was the last of 13 non-employee and 6 employee competitors to take the stage in the Dec. 4 competition. Her voice hampered by an incessant sinus drip, she stepped out and performed “I Am Every Woman” with all the passion, fire and intensity she could muster inside and transfer to the crowd.

“I hit every note. Everybody was into it,” she said. “I finished, stepped off the stage and said, ‘Lord, whatever happens, it’s in your hands.’”

The official decision was announced 10 minutes later.

LeBlanc has no official plans in the near future and remains open and optimistic about opportunities to use her talents in a professional manner.

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Improving efficiency, quality and customer service is the focus of Terry Napper, the newest member to join the award-winning Dauterive Hospital leadership team.

Napper recently accepted a position as Ancillary Services Director, a new position created to oversee the Radiology, Laboratory and Respiratory departments.

Overseeing the seemingly unrelated departments will be a challenge, Napper said, but it is a challenge the former hospital administrator said he is ready to tackle with a strong sense of optimism, creativity and initiative.

“Actually, the three departments have more similarities than differences. My initial goal is to get in there, get supervisors in place, learn what the individual issues are in each area and devise a clear set of goals and objectives,” Napper said. “We need to work together as a team toward a common goal – providing a new level of customer service through quality and efficient health care.”

Dauterive Hospital is proud to have a team of more than 400 gifted professionals dedicated to providing high quality, cost effective health care to Teche Area residents from Registration and Radiology to the cafeteria and the bedside, said Alan Fabian, Chief Executive Officer for Dauterive Hospital.

“Leaders like Terry bring a fresh dose of optimism, creativity, compassion and drive as they guide the staff to new heights of efficiency, quality and customer service,” Fabian said. “Dauterive Hospital is more than just the hospital of choice for Teche Area residents. It’s a great place for professionals to further develop their careers under the compassionate and confident leadership of a management team that truly cares about them as individuals.”

Napper, a Nashville, Tenn. native, earned a bachelor’s degree in health care services from Southern Illinois University in 1985 before going on to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif. in 1989. He served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years as a hospital corpsman, then moved to New Orleans, where he served as Radiology Director at the Oschner Clinic Foundation.

In 1992, Napper began an eight-year tenure as administrator for the Memorial Health System in Lufkin, Texas and later moved to Dallas, Texas, where he worked as Executive Director of Radiology at Parkland Hospital until accepting the Ancillary Services Director post at Dauterive Hospital this fall.

“I like people. I like helping people,” Napper said. “My interests revolve around leading a diverse group of individuals to provide patients and clients with the level of health care they not only desire, but deserve.”

The award-winning leadership team at Dauterive Hospital recently welcomed a new member.

Jeffery P. Bolotte of Scott recently accepted a position as Pharmacy Director.

 “Jeffery brings a renewed focus on teamwork and patient-first-focused care. With leaders like Jeffery on board, Dauterive Hospital is not only the hospital of choice for patients. It is a great place for healthcare professionals to work and further develop their careers while serving our families, friends and neighbors,” said Anna Burke, Chief Nursing Officer at Dauterive Hospital.

Bolotte, a native of White Castle, started pre-pharmacy studies at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux before earning a bachelor’s degree from University of Louisiana at Monroe in 1979. He spent 10 years as a Pharmacy Director at an Opelousas hospital before serving for three years as a Senior Management Consultant for Advocate Rx Solutions, a subsidiary of AmerisourceBergen Corp.

In the three years before joining the Dauterive Hospital team this fall, Bolotte worked as Corporate Pharmacy Manager with Regency Hospital Company in Alpharetta, Ga.

Bolotte describes himself as a typical Type-A personality – hard on himself about work. Still, Bolotte said, he enjoys working with people and takes pride in what he is able to accomplish.

Patient care is at the top of the list of improvements Bolotte intends to bring to the Pharmacy Department at Dauterive Hospital.

“I am proud to join such a dedicated team focused on providing the best and most efficient care to the people we serve. I want to capitalize on that focus and help Dauterive Hospital bring its customer service to a new level,” he said. “Also, I want to stabilize staffing and upgrade our pharmacy service by improving the automation and dispensing activities.”

The award-winning leadership team at Dauterive Hospital recently welcomed two new members.

Annette B. Schouest, RN, accepted a position as Medical Unit Director and Corey M. Duplechain took the helm as Cardiac Cath Lab Director. Schouest served as Interim Director for several months before accepting the post.

“We are excited to have such gifted professionals join the Dauterive Hospital leadership team,” said Anna Burke, Chief Nursing Officer.

“Each brings a renewed focus on teamwork and patient-first-focused care. With leaders like Corey and Annette on board, Dauterive Hospital is not only the hospital of choice for patients. It is a great place for healthcare professionals to work and further develop their careers while serving our families, friends and neighbors.”

Schouest, a resident and native of St. Martinville, has been part of the Hospital Corporation of America family in Acadiana since 1988, when she first arrived at Dauterive Hospital as Maternal Child Care Director. She moved to Women’s & Children’s Hospital in Lafayette from Feb. 2000 to 2006, when she returned to Dauterive as a supervisor and nurse educator.

“My goal is to provide the Medical Unit with consistent leadership and move forward with a positive vision that is directly related to employee, patient and physician satisfaction,” Schouest said. She intends to reach this goal by “creating a work environment that revolves around teamwork and great customer service.”

Duplechain graduated from Beau Chene High School in 1998 in his native Arnaudville before attending McNeese State University in Lake Charles. He earned a degree in Radiologic Technology there in 2002 and went on to work as a Cath Lab Specialist Technologist at Baton Rouge General Medical Center and a Cath Lab Supply Coordinator at Regional Medical Center of Acadiana in Lafayette.

On a professional level Duplechain describes himself as “a driven individual focused on patient care.” On a personal level he is more “laid back and easy-going.”

“I intend to capitalize on both to help Dauterive Hospital and the gifted and dedicated Cardiac Cath Lab team there expand the level of services we offer,” Duplechain said. “I want to help the community become aware of the services currently offered right here at home. The people of the Teche Area have a local option for quality care. There is no need for them to drive to Lafayette or Baton Rouge.”

The award-winning leadership team at Dauterive Hospital recently welcomed three new members.

Kitty Howard, RN, recently took the helm in the Intensive Care Unit, Leslie Thomas, RN, accepted a position as Director of the Surgery Unit and Catherine Belden, RN, came aboard as the new Education Department Manager.

“We are excited to have such gifted professionals join the Dauterive Hospital leadership team,” said Anna Burke, Chief Nursing Officer. “Each brings a renewed focus on teamwork and patient-first-focused care. With leaders like Kitty, Catherine and Leslie on board, Dauterive Hospital is not only the hospital of choice for patients. It is a great place for healthcare professionals to work and further develop their careers while serving our families, friends and neighbors.”

Providing the best possible care for our patients is a top priority for Kitty Howard.

“To do that, we have to work together,” Howard said. “I’m a team player. The way I see it, everyone’s job is as important as mine.”

Howard intends to instill her enthusiasm for patient care and teamwork in the staff she oversees as Intensive Care Unit Director.

“Staff will benefit knowing someone is always there to lend a hand and back them up,” she explained. “As a result, patient care will benefit from a staff that works with confidence.”

Howard is a native of Orange, Texas, who moved to Louisiana at age 7 and spent most of her youth in Eunice. She graduated from Mamou High School in 1981, earned a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from McNeese State University in Lake Charles in 1989 and a second bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1998.

She worked in the Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center Intensive Care Unit from 1997 to 2004 before moving on to serve as Director of Quality Resources at MeadowBrook Rehab Hospital, Director of Acute Care Services for Doctor’s Hospital in Opelousas and positions at the Heart Hospital of Lafayette, including Clinical Services Coordinator, Interim Vice President of Clinical Services, Emergency Room Director, Infection Control and Employee Health Director and Interim Education Coordinator.

Thomas also came to Dauterive Hospital from a Lafayette-area healthcare facility. She served as the Operating Room Manager for Southpark Hospital for nearly four years before the hospital recently closed its doors.

“I applied for the Surgery Department Director position at Dauterive Hospital and came in for the initial interview,” she explained. “While waiting in the lobby I was able to observe the comings and goings of the staff. The thing that impressed me most was that everyone seemed happy to be here.  That says a lot about a facility. After interviewing with the staff in the OR, I realized that I had found the position I was hoping for. Working together with this great staff, I feel strongly that we can make our OR the best in the area.”

Thomas graduated from Mercy High School in 1971 in her native St. Martinville before graduating from Our Lady of Lourdes School of Surgical Technology in 1980 and earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing from LSU at Eunice in 2005. She worked for Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center and Opthamologist Dr. Paul Azar for 25 years before joining Southpark Hospital in 2005.

Belden joined the Dauterive Hospital staff soon after Thomas and immediately began restructuring the education program for nurses and other staff members. Her efforts included a complete revitalization of the orientation process for new staff members.

Immediate goals Belden has set for herself includes developing a “premier education program for the staff, management and community served by Dauterive Hospital that fosters a holistic, client-centered approach to healthcare grounded in contemporary, evidence-based and patient safety practices,” she explained.

“I accepted this role to advance the continual improvement of services and community outreach provided by Dauterive Hospital through client-centered, evidence-based education initiatives that expand the clinical knowledge base of the staff while utilizing and sharing the skills and knowledge I have acquired through my career as a Performance Improvement Coordinator and Education Manager,” Belden said.

A New Iberia native, Belden earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from UL Lafayette in 1995 and a master’s degree in nursing with a focus on healthcare services management from Loyola University in New Orleans in 2007. She plans to begin her doctoral studies through A.T. Still University in Arizona this fall.

Belden has spent more than 15 years in pursuit of professional nursing and healthcare management experience at various facilities, where she worked in home care, rehabilitiation, long-term care, geriatrics, infection control and prevention, clinical professional education and staff development, performance improvement and healthcare legal consulting services.

The best defense against the recent outbreak of Swine Flu is in your hands.

“Good hand washing is key in helping prevent acquiring or transmitting the disease,” said Dr. Jason D. Landry with New Iberia Family Medicine. “Transmission is from respiratory droplets, like sneezing, coughing or coming into close contact with someone who has the disease.”

Hospital Corporation of America and its affiliates, including Dauterive Hospital, launched the Clean Hands are Cool Hands campaign at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year to help combat the spread of Methicillin-resistent Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA, a highly contagious bacteria frequently inhabits a person’s skin or nostrils.

Tools to combat the spread of MRSA, including proper hand washing, may be applied affectively to the fight against the spread of Swine Flu, Dr. Landry said.

Click on the Clean Hands are Cool Hands icon in the bottom left corner of the Home screen to learn more.

The CDC on Saturday, April 25 confirmed the presence of Novel Swine Influenza Virus in 11 influenza-like illnesses in southern California, Texas and Kansas. Additional cases are under investigation in California, Kansas, New York City and Canada.

The World Health Organization indicates more than 800 cases occurred in three clusters in Mexico thus far, causing 61 deaths since mid-March.

Swine Flu symptoms are similar to more common strains of influenza – fever, coughing, sore throat, body aches, headaches and chronic fatigue. Some also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.

Physicians perform a specific test in the office to determine if a person presenting with known influenza symptoms has a Type A or Type B strain of the virus, explained Dr. Cassandra Pillette with New Iberia Family Medicine. The test takes only minutes to complete.

A sample must be sent off for further testing to determine if it is indeed Swine Flu, she said.

Traditional medicines, such as Tamiflu and Relenza, are affective in treating Type A forms of influenza, like Swine Flu, Dr. Landry added.

“Dauterive Hospital is well-equipped with adequate supplies on hand to sufficiently treat any outbreak of Swine Flu in the Teche Area,” said Alan Fabian, FACHE, Chief Executive Officer.

Transmission of the virus is from person-to-person, Dr. Landry stressed.

“You won’t get it from eating pork or pork products,” he said.

However, those who received an influenza vaccination within the past year are not protected, Dr. Pillette said. Vaccinations available last fall do not cover Swine Flu.

The Centers for Disease Control advises you:

·         Cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Discard the tissue immediately after use.

·         Wash your hands with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers also are effective when used properly.

·         Avoid close contact with sick people.

·         If you develop influenza or flu-like symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control recommends you stay home from work or school. Limit contact with others.

·         Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth – which is how germs spread.

People infected with the Swine Flu should be considered potentially contagious for seven days after symptoms arise. However, an infected person should be considered contagious as long as symptoms last.