Jambalaya

RRMC Expansion Public Tour

Charla Ducote, the Vice President of Marketing and Business Development invites the community to a grand opening/ribbon cutting. The hospital will open to patients May 19. But the furniture, artwork and all the medical equipment is in place now. And the public can get a chance to get a good look before the patients move in. A community-wide Grand Opening is being held Tuesday, May 13 from 2-4 p.m. at the new main entrance on Medical Center Drive. Tours will be held every 15 minutes. 

$1.5 Million Technology Expansion

Chuck Butterfield, the Assistant Director of Information Services, tells us about RRMC new South Tower expansion included a $1.5 million budget for technology. According to RRMC, that’s 1/50th of the total expansion budget. Everything in the South Tower, from the 275 computer monitors to televisions, are flat-panel. Every computer monitor in the South Tower is equipped with PAX, a digital X-ray system that allows physicians to pull up a patient’s X-rays and other diagnostic images at any nurses’ station or in any patient room.

New Patient Beds

Clara Wiley, RN is the Unit Manager. Wiley expalins that May 21 is when they will be moving from a 17-bed unit on the third floor of the main hospital to a 36-bed unit on the third floor of the new South Tower. The rooms are approximately 160 square feet larger than our current patient rooms. And that extra space gives better access to the patient.  In addition, the nurses will have bedside charting capabilities – which means they won’t have to push a computer cart around to each patient room. The computer is right there at the bedside. 

RRMC New ICU & Waiting Area

Beth Flaherty the Director of Nursing Practice and Missy Carruth the ICU Manager explains the new ICU and family waiting area. The rooms in the South Tower are larger. The expansion project provided new patient monitoring capabilities, new equipment and modern technology – all of which helps patient care. And, there’s been a vast improvement over the previous waiting area. The waiting room is larger. Not only is it larger, it’s also separated into different areas so families can have more privacy

RRMC Overview of Library Expansion

Karen Hathorn is the Director of Rapides Health and Lifestyle Center.  Hathorn gives us an overview of the new Medical Library at Rapides Regional Medical Center.  The new medical library is designed to serve as a reference center for our doctors and nurses, hospital employees, students, visitors and patient families. The library will include a small make-your-own coffee area where visitors, physicians or employees can stop by for a few minutes to read or think.  Hathorn says the in-house video-on-demand patient education program has been expanded. It’s called APPLE. That stands for A Pleasant Patient Learning Experience. It has 16 channels and videos on a wide range of topics from diabetes to baby care. All of these can be ordered via telephone and delivered directly to the patient’s television

RRMC New Emergency Department

The Emergency Department Director, Shawn Lacombe, RN, BSN, CEN explains what makes the new emergency department different from others.  Lacombe also speaks about how the new emergency department is 10,000 square feet larger than the current department.  Moreover, tt has two drive up ambulance bays, with parking for additional EMS vehicles and secured entrance.

Local Author Publishes Book “WAC”

Marie Itar Howard is formerly a resident of Central Louisiana.  Howard’s book entitled “WAC,” is about a young African American woman who has left a very abusive and violent past and decides to join the U.S. Army. She meets the man of her dreams while serving her country. Jeff has a secret and doesn’t want to reveal it until he’s sure of her undying love for him.  Amanda also has a secret that only she and her mother share, and when she reveals it to Jeff, it only makes the love which they share even more formidable.

Nutrition Myths and Eating on the Run

If you’re worried about nutrition and wonder what to believe, here’s the scoop on nutrition myths and how to eat healthy while maintaining an on-the-go lifestyle. Linda Greco is a registered and licensed dietitian and serves as a Program Account Manager with the Southeast Dairy Association. At the Dairy Association Linda is responsible for implementing nutrition programs for health professionals, educators, and consumer leaders for the state of Louisiana.

Ebonite Sr. Tour

The Ebonite Sr. Tour (professional bowling) arrives in Alexandria May 16-18 at the Four Seasons Bowling Center, 3510 North Blvd.
The schedule of events:
Friday, May 16
Practice Session and Sweeper Tournament Noon-5 pm
“Bowl with the Pros” Pro-Am 7 pm

Saturday, May 17
“A” Squad qualifying ( 8 games ) 8:45 am-1 pm
“B” Squad qualifying ( 8 games ) 1:45 pm-6 pm

Sunday, May 18
Lower half qualifying ( 4 games ) 8:45 am-11 am
Upper half qualifying ( 4 games ) 11:30 am-1 pm
Finals (Match Play) 1 pm

All sessions are free and open to the public for spectating.  The Pro-Am is open to any bowlers with an established league average from the 2007-08 season.  Entry fee is $35.  Entry forms will be available at Four Seasons Bowling Center.  All pre-paid entries will be eligible to win a free bowling ball from Ebonite.

Avoyelles Tourism Commission

The Avoyelles Commission on Tourism invites the public to attend the numerous events scheduled for Avoyelles Parish through May.  For example:  Saturday, May 24 the Bunkie Chamber of Commerce and the city are sponsoring an Art Market and Farmer’s Market; The weekend of May 16-18 the Tunica Biloxi Pow Wow will be held on the Tunica Biloxi Reservation in Marksville. 

LSU Tiger Tour 2008

The LSU Tiger Tour 2008 hits the road this year traveling to 12 cities across the southern region.  Wednesday, May 7 at 7pm the tour begins at the Alexandria Riverfront Center. This year’s tour will feature National Championship Football Coach Les Miles along with appearances by other LSU personalities including Women’s Basketball Coach Van Chancellor, Baseball Coach Paul Mainieri, Director of Athletics Skip Bertman and many more.  Child Ticket (12 & Under) - $25& Individual Ticket - $50.  Doors open at 6:00pm

Tasty Tuesday Broccoli Salad

Here is the recipe for broccoli salad from Gary Perkins of Lee J’s Restaurant.

Raw Broccoli, Water Chestnuts, White Onions, Pecans, Raisins and Coleslaw Dressing. 

Chop the onions and pecans, mix together with the broccoli, water chestnuts, raisins and then toss together.  After tossing dry ingredients, add the dressing and toss to coat.  You can use varying amounts of the ingredients to suit individual taste.