Download ENVISION Spring/Summer 2016
All posts by Emily Eaton
Blindfold Bowling Night, July 28
Blindfold bowling is a fun way to understand the challenges people with corneal blindness face. Let’s raise awareness by having fun and supporting Southern Eye Bank’s mission of providing ocular tissue to those in need. Registration is limited, so act now!
DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION & INFO
$38 per person/ $210 per team (6 player maximum). Prizes for best score (and maybe worst score too!).
All proceeds go towards Southern Eye Bank’s community education and eye-donor awareness programs.
Learn more about how we help our community by visiting www.SouthernEyeBank.com.
Contact:
Colleen or Jenny at Southern Eye Bank: 504-891-3937, ext. 1000; info@southerneye.net
What?
• Bowling Blindfolded
• Live music with Lil Nathan
• Food, Soda, Wine, and Beer
When?
July 28, 2016
7-9pm
Lane Assignments at 6:45pm
Where?
ROCK N’ BOWL
3016 S. Carrollton Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70118
Included with fee:
• Bowling • Shoe Rental
• Food, Soda, Wine, & Beer
• Band Cover Charge
Strikes for Sight Blindfold Bowling Night, July 28th, ROCK N’ BOWL
Blindfold bowling is a fun way to understand the challenges people with corneal blindness face. Let’s raise awareness by having fun and supporting Southern Eye Bank’s mission of providing ocular tissue to those in need.
Registration is limited, so act now!
$38 per person/ $210 per team (6 player maximum). Prizes for best score (and maybe worst score too!).
All proceeds go towards Southern Eye Bank’s community education and eye-donor awareness programs.
Learn more about how we help our community by visiting www.SouthernEyeBank.com.
Contact:
Colleen or Jenny @ Southern Eye Bank: 504-891-3937 ext. 1000 | info@southerneye.net
What?
• Bowling blindfolded
• Live music with Lil Nathan
• Food, soda, wine, and beer
When?
July 28, 2016
7-9pm
Lane assignments at 6:45pm
Where?
ROCK N’ BOWL
3016 S. Carrollton Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70118
Included with fee:
• Bowling
• Shoe rental
• Food, soda, wine, & beer
• Band cover charge
New Executive Director Welcomed to Southern Eye Bank
Southern Eye Bank is pleased to announce the addition of Joy Marie Roussel, who will serve as the Executive Director for the organization. Ms. Roussel joins Southern Eye Bank from Gifted Healthcare, LLC, where she worked as Director of Advanced Practice Services. Ms. Roussel has over 25 years professional experience, including 19 in the healthcare industry.
To that end, Ms. Roussel has enjoyed a vested career in the medical field, including her recent work at Gifted Healthcare, where she managed operational responsibilities and worked with numerous physician offices, clinics, urgent care centers, and hospitals. She was successful in meeting financial goals and worked with management to plan, budget and set divisional goals.
Her background also includes a major international medical devices corporation, where she was a Spinal Sales Representative. Additionally, she served as office manager and administratively in the offices of local physicians’ practices. She has worked at Children’s Hospital Orthopedic Clinic and a pediatrics group. Her extensive background in the medical industry provides her with the knowledge and qualifications to serve as Executive Director of Southern Eye Bank.
“Joy will be able to effectively lead and serve as an ambassador for Southern Eye Bank as we continue to grow, expand and provide for the State of Louisiana,” said Gerard Plauche, Board President of Southern Eye Bank. “Joy will bring many new and exciting ideas and innovations to our mission to preserve and restore sight.”
Dr. Clifford Hendricks, Co-Medical Director at the Southern Eye Bank, expressed his elation over the recent hire through a statement: “The Board is excited about what we believe Joy can bring to Southern Eye Bank from an experience and a leadership perspective. After the interview process, we knew that she matched the criteria to continue our mission and take us to the next level.”
Joy received her Bachelor’s of Arts from Newcomb College of Tulane University in 1991 and was a member of the Varsity Track Team.
Gift of Sight 2016 Photos
GOS 2016 was a wonderful success, thank you to everyone for participating.
PHOTOS:
2016 Gift of Sight: Event Photos
2016 Gift of Sight: Rock It Booth
Thanks to www.acadianaphoto.com for donating the amazing photographs taken at the 2016 Gift of Sight Celebration.
WWL TV’s Feature on Southern Eye Bank
Watch WWLTV’s feature on Southern Eye Bank this morning. Learn more about what Southern Eye Bank does for the community, plus a reminder about our Gift of Sight celebration today at the Audubon Zoo from 11am to 3pm.
Gift of Sight 2016
Southern Bank invites you and your guests to the 8th Annual Gift of Sight Celebration!
Join donor families, corneal transplant recipients and friends of Southern Eye Bank at our annual celebration!
Southern Eye Bank Welcomes New Board of Trustees for 2016-2017 Term
Link: Southern Eye Bank Welcomes New Board of Trustees
Metairie, LA – Southern Eye Bank has recently elected board members for the 2016-2017 term. Newly elected members to the positions on the Executive Committee are as follows:
New Board President: Mr. Gerard Plauché
New Vice-President: Dr. Peter Kastl
New Secretary: Mr. Charles Seemann, III
New Treasurer: Mr. Robert Mora
Immediate Past President: Mr. Olivier C. Dabezies Co-Medical Director: Dr. Clifford Hendricks, III Co-Medical Director: Dr. Pulin Shah
Mr. Plauche is a financial advisor and the Managing Partner at Delta Financial Advisors. Dr. Kastl is a professor of ophthalmology and an adjunct professor of biochemistry at Tulane. Mr. Seeman is an attorney and a Principal in the New Orleans office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Robert Mora is an accountant and the Managing Partner at Pedelahore & Co. LLP. Mr. Dabezies is Senior VP of Commercial Banking at FirstNBC Bank. Dr. Hendricks is an ophthalmologist at the Ambulatory Eye Surgery Center of Louisiana. Dr. Shah is an ophthalmologist and the Medical Director at Ochsner Baptist LASER Vision Center.
“All of our newest board members embody the spirit of community and bring expertise, innovative ideas and energy to the table. We are ecstatic to have them on our team as we continue to strengthen community across Louisiana.” William B. Buras, Sr., Executive Director of Southern Eye Bank.
About Southern Eye Bank
Southern Eye Bank, located in New Orleans, Louisiana is a 501(c) 3, non-profit eye bank that provides eye tissue for transplant, research and education in Louisiana, the United States and throughout the world. Founded in 1947, Southern Eye Bank is the third oldest eye bank in the United States and is a fully accredited charter member of the Eye Bank Association of America. In addition to community service and donor awareness projects, Southern Eye Bank has assisted more than 40,000 people with receiving the Gift of Sight.
Read full article: Southern Eye Bank Welcomes New Board of Trustees
It’s here! ENVISION Newsletter Fall/Winter 2015
Link: Download SEB Winter 2015 Newsletter 12.9.15
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
As President of Southern Eye Bank, it is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you to another edition of ENVISION. In this edition, we will discuss Southern Eye Bank’s community outreach and impacts including the Mobile Vision Bus; our latest project with Lafayette General Medical Center, and much more.
This year, Southern Eye Bank was able to distribute grants to multiple organizations, including St. Thomas Community Health Center and the Childhood and Family Learning Foundation. We partner with each organization to help supply equipment in order to continue the success of our aligned goals, which include supporting our local community by educating and providing ocular care.
We also hosted our first annual blindfolded bowling event, Strikes-for-Sight, at Rock ‘n’ Bowl in New Orleans, LA, and will host a blindfolded kickball tournament, Scores-for- Sight, in the Lafayette area in 2016. Many thanks to those who participated and the staff and volunteers who made the events successful. We are encouraged and excited by the difference we are making with these investments and hope that you will read about them in the pages to follow.
Our organization would not exist without those who sustain it: our cherished donors, our generous community partners, and our fearless doctors pushing our mission ever forward with new methods and technologies.
I invite you to learn more about Southern Eye Bank in this volume of ENVISION. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions regarding this newsletter.
-Olivier Clé Dabezies
Southern Eye Bank Provides Vision Equipment Grant to St. Thomas Community Health Center
2014 Grant Statistics Prove Impact of Work – Leading to Expansion of Support
Following the outstanding impact of a 2014 grant provided to St. Thomas Community Health Center to purchase new equipment for eye exams, Southern Eye Bank has again decided to continue its support and provide a 2015 grant to Dr. Donald Costello at the St. Thomas Community Health Center.
The new grant will allow the eye clinic at St. Thomas to purchase a Retinal Camera and a Vision Testing System Letter Chart. Both pieces of technology will help the multitude of patients that St. Thomas clinic caters to and address eye issues that are common in this community, and often the byproduct of diseases such as diabetes.
The retinal camera will allow the staff at St. Thomas to perform diagnostic testing of the retina without dilating the pupils. This will decrease the time it takes to perform these tests, as well as the time required to diagnose and monitor retinal diseases. The retinal camera is WiFi-ready for telemedicine and is user-friendly, allowing various staff members to perform the necessary tests.
By providing a fixation device for young children, the Vision Testing System Letter Chart will aid in cooperation during the eye exam. The system can also be used as a patient education tool, showing videos that assist in explaining the eye diagnosis to patients.
“This equipment is vital to how we can serve the community-at-large. With a community and many patients being diabetic, or pre-diabetic, without even knowing that they have the condition, we can use this equipment together to diagnose and prevent a myriad of problems related to the disease that impacts the eye,” said Donald Costello, Optometrist at St. Thomas. “Southern Eye Bank’s generosity and partnership have been vital to the growth of our clinic and how we support our patients.”
In 2014, Southern Eye Bank made a donation to St. Thomas Community Health Center; a non-profit organization serving as a full-service primary eye clinic for the community. In the past year, through the work of Dr. Costello and his staff, St. Thomas Community Health Center was able to provide 2,649 eye exams to 2,114 patients. Since he began the eye clinic at St. Thomas, the clinic has experienced steady growth and the demand for superior eye care technology has become paramount to its success.
With the 2014 grant, St. Thomas was able to purchase an Optical Coherence Tomographer (OCT) and a Corneal Topographer. Without the generous donation, St. Thomas Community Health Center would have been unable to provide the diagnostic capabilities to their patients.
“We could not be more proud of Dr. Costello and the St. Thomas Community Health Center and how Southern Eye Bank is able to partner with them to provide the funding for the equipment,” said William B. Buras Sr., Executive Director at Southern Eye Bank. “The use of the equipment is astounding in how much it is helping those who are in need of eye care but are not able to afford it. Ultimately, Southern Eye Bank’s mission is to preserve and restore sight, and if this helps achieve that goal, then we are doing our job for the community.”
The OCT was instrumental to the continuing success of the St. Thomas Community Health Center; providing the ability to detect, diagnose, and treatment guidance for retinal diseases and conditions that are most frequently found in glycemic and diabetic patients. Many of the St. Thomas patients suffer from these diseases, which are also the two most common causes of blindness in the United States. The corneal topographer is used to map the surface of the cornea in order to determine the shape and power of the cornea. With the cornea topographer, one is able to identify curvature abnormalities and diseases.
As the partnership continues to flourish between Southern Eye Bank and St. Thomas Community Health Center, the patients are the real beneficiaries. St. Thomas’ mission is “to provide culturally competent health care of the highest quality regardless of the ability to pay.” The grants provided by Southern Eye Bank have created a snowball effect of change, making the staff at St. Thomas better equipped and more efficient, which has led to higher-quality eye care for their patients.
Dr. Costello’s Eye Clinic can be located at St. Thomas at Mahalia Jackson Location at 2405 Jackson Ave., Building B, Suite 222, New Orleans, LA, 70113 (on the corner of Jackson Ave. and Freret Street), 504-529-5558. St. Thomas will purchase the new equipment shortly after the Southern Eye Bank provides the funds.
