This session will explain the partnership between SLCC, LHC Group, and the Myers Family Foundation. The five-year project called “A Legacy of Caring in the Home and Community includes $2.5 million funding – the largest private investment in a community college in Louisiana. The donation funded the creation of home health labs on six SLCC campuses.

Presenters: 

• Lana Fontenot, SLCC Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the SLCC Foundation
• LHC Group representative

Presenter: Dr. Warren Hebert

Dr. Warren Hebert has been a home health nurse since 1985. He has been CEO of the HomeCare Association of Louisiana since 1998, and a nursing professor since 2016 and holds adjunct positions with Loyola New Orleans and with the Rutgers Institute of Health, Healthcare Policy, and Aging Research. Also a consumer of care at home, Warren’s daughter Brooke, 30, has Down Syndrome. Hebert’s father received home health and hospice. He had dementia and Parkinson’s for seven and his mother and nine siblings cared for his father at home through his death.  In February of 2020 Dr. Hebert was invited to Capitol Hill to testify before the United States Senate Special Subcommittee on Aging related to rural home health care. Dr. Hebert is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Presenter: Nelda Godfrey PhD, ACNS-BC, FAAN, ANEF

Nelda Godfrey is Professor and Associate Dean of Innovative Partnerships and Practice at the University of Kansas School of Nursing.  She was the architect of a three-course sequence of professional development courses that focus on professional identity in nursing.  She is also the chair of the International Society for Professional Identity in Nursing, a no-cost group committed to helping every nurse and nursing student incorporate an evidence-based understanding of professional identity in nursing in everyday practice. Nelda is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and in the Academy of Nursing Education.

Presenter: Dr. Warren Hebert  

Dr. Hebert will discuss the future vision of Home Health Care from the Home Care Association and nationally. 

Dr. Warren Hebert has been a home health nurse since 1985. He has been CEO of the HomeCare Association of Louisiana since 1998, and a nursing professor since 2016 and holds adjunct positions with Loyola New Orleans and with the Rutgers Institute of Health, Healthcare Policy, and Aging Research. Also a consumer of care at home, Warren’s daughter Brooke, 30, has Down Syndrome. Hebert’s father received home health and hospice. He had dementia and Parkinson’s for seven and his mother and nine siblings cared for his father at home through his death.  In February of 2020 Dr. Hebert was invited to Capitol Hill to testify before the United States Senate Special Subcommittee on Aging related to rural home health care. Dr. Hebert is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Presenters: Kyle Lavergne and Zachary Indest

Kyle Lavergne is a nurse practitioner at LHC Group in Lafayette, Louisiana. Originally from Opelousas, he earned his bachelor's degree in nursing from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He earned his master's degree, with honors, as a family nurse practitioner after completing his studies at Northwestern State University. He is currently in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, with graduation on May 14, 2021.

Lavergne began with LHC Group in 2020, where he serves as the Director of Clinical Programs. In this role, he has begun instituting evidence-based disease management clinical programs to address conditions such as heart failure, diabetes, and COPD, all to improve care in the home setting. He also researches to find clinical solutions which have positive impacts on patient care. He works collaboratively with various internal departments on educational material, best practices, and evidence-based material. He also oversees the evaluation and utilization of virtual care technology.

His responsibilities also include support for LHC Group’s ongoing clinical strategies and innovations – in partnership with both internal and external sources, and in alignment with the company’s strategic plan and business goals. He regularly reviews and analyzes internal and external data to support clinical innovation and identify strategic opportunities to improve patient care and outcomes amongst all service lines.

Lavergne’s role is essential in evaluating potential clinical pilot projects. He works directly with the clinical team on design and implementation of these projects in target markets. Lavergne has earned many accolades, including the CIS Leadership Award, Telehealth Peak Performer from InTouch Health, and a Nightingale Awards and Acadiana Celebrates Nursing nomination.

Lavergne is board-certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. He is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Zach Indest has been with LHC Group since 2004 and currently serves as Vice President of Clinical Services. Mr. Indest works directly with the Chief Medical Officer to drive the clinical programs for the company.

He works on a wide range of strategic initiatives from developing innovative clinical models for value based payor arrangements to overseeing LHC Group’s centralized on-call department, which handles the after-hours workflow necessary for the care of patients after regular work hours and on holidays and weekends.

Mr. Indest has been with the company since 2004 holding positions from direct patient care to management and oversight of multisite operations. He is a Registered Nurse earning his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, La. He also holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.