The people of the Northshore started it. August Perez and Associates of New Orleans designed it. Southern Construction of Columbia, Mississippi, built it.
But those who truly gave St. Tammany Parish Hospital life upon its opening on Dec. 1, 1954, were without question those men and women who put their healing hands to work inside of it.
Which brings us to today’s installment – our 62nd – in our 70-part countdown to St. Tammany Health System’s big 70th anniversary celebration.
Installment No. 62: Hail to the chiefs
Today’s artifact: An installation at St. Tammany Parish Hospital honoring the more than 60 physicians who have served as chief of staff since the hospital’s 1954 founding.
Why it is significant: When you get down to it, a hospital would just be a building full of sick people if not for the doctors staffing it – and St. Tammany Parish Hospital has had the great fortune of being the professional home to a litany of highly skilled ones over the years.
It takes a special doctor, however – one who is knowledgeable, dedicated and diplomatic in equal measure – to stand up and lead the others by serving as the chief of a hospital’s medical staff.
At St. Tammany, the first to handle that job was Dr. H.E. Gautreaux, who held the role for five years, from the hospital’s opening in 1954 to 1959. Since then, some 60 other men and women have assumed that title and the responsibility that comes with it.
To salute their leadership, St. Tammany Health System in April 2024 unveiled its physician recognition wall, which lists the names of all the hospital’s past chiefs of staff, along with the names of those currently serving as part of its Medical Executive Committee.
“A lot has changed in the medical profession since 1954 and the days of Dr. Gautreaux,” said Dr. Patrick Torcson, the health system’s current chief medical officer and himself a past chief of staff. “We now have electronic health records, genomic medicine, robotic-assisted surgery and artificial intelligence. What has not changed is that physician leadership.”
Dr. Torcson, who spearheaded establishment of the wall – financed by donations to the nonprofit St. Tammany Health Foundation – went on to acknowledge that the installation is not exclusively about the past. It’s also about the future.
“This display,” he said, “will serve as a tribute and an inspiration to all of the physicians who practice at St. Tammany Health System to recognize their knowledge, skill and dedication in serving patients, the health system and this very unique and special community.”
According to health system President and CEO Joan Coffman, the timing of the wall’s unveiling was particularly appropriate given that it coincided with the celebration of St. Tammany’s big anniversary.
“This is truly a momentous occasion to us as we celebrate our 70th anniversary,” Coffman said. “What a testament to the efforts of the Medical Staff and the culture of excellence that exists here today. We have truly become a regional destination for healthcare because of that excellence.”
Do you have a St. Tammany Parish Hospital story or item to share? We’d love to hear about it! Email us at CommDept@stph.org.
Next week – Installment No. 63: Under the sea
Last week – Installment No. 61: Wild horses