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Some of the biggest names in health care will be honored this summer as Business Report hosts the inaugural Excellence in Health Care Awards, recognizing the leaders, clinicians and organizations strengthening care delivery across the Capital Region.
Finalists and honorees will be celebration at an awards dinner on Wednesday, Aug. 12 at the Crowne Plaza in Baton Rouge, bringing together top executives, physicians, nurses, researchers, administrators and care providers from across the sector—from hospital systems and specialty clinics to behavioral health and medical innovation. Tickets are on sale now.
“In our region, healthcare isn’t just a service—it’s one of the defining forces shaping our economy, our resilience and our quality of life,” says Julio Melara, publisher of Business Report and chairman of parent company Melara Enterprises. “This awards program was created to honor the leaders, clinicians and organizations who bring excellence, innovation and compassion to patient care every single day.”
The Baton Rouge Clinic CEO Edgar Silvey will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his extraordinary leadership across more than five decades in health care. He helped transform The Baton Rouge Clinic into one of Louisiana’s largest and most respected outpatient networks, now operating 18 locations across multiple parishes.
His influence reached the national stage as chairman of the Medical Group Management Association’s Government Affairs Committee during a pivotal era of health care reform, and he is among the rare leaders to earn both the Medical Practice Executive of the Year Award and the Harry Harwick Lifetime Achievement Award. Under his guidance, The clinic has been named an MGMA “Better Performing Practice” every year since 1998—a nearly unmatched 26-year streak.
The Woman’s Hospital Perinatal Mental Health Unit will be honored with the Community Impact Award for confronting one of the most urgent and overlooked challenges in maternal health. Opened in 2024, it is Louisiana’s first inpatient mental health unit dedicated exclusively to pregnant and postpartum women—and one of only a handful of its kind in the nation.
Created in response to a crisis in which roughly one in seven women experience a mental health condition during pregnancy or the first year postpartum and nearly 85% go untreated, the unit offers a safe, judgment-free and clinically specialized environment built around both mental health and perinatal needs. Since opening, it has helped hundreds of women regain stability, drawing patients from seven states.
The Excellence in Health Care Awards will also recognize finalists in five additional categories—Outstanding Health Care Executive, Emerging Health Care Leader, Outstanding Practitioner, Outstanding Health Organization and Achievement in Innovation. One honoree in each category will be announced live at the event.
Named as finalists for Outstanding Health Organization:
- Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area
- FMOL Health
- Ochsner Health
- The Spine Hospital of Louisiana
- Woman’s Hospital
Named as finalists for Outstanding Health Care Executive:
- Ochsner Health Baton Rouge CEO Chuck Daigle
- Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center President and CEO Jonas Fontenot
- FMOL Health CEO EJ Kuiper
Named as finalists for Emerging Health Care Leader:
- AnnaBeth Guillory, VP of Cancer Services & Screening Prevention, Ochsner Health
- Mark Laperouse, Medical Director, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center Emergency Department
- Blasia Rivet, founder and CEO, Decision Critical
Named as finalists for Outstanding Practitioner:
- Dr. Curtis Chastain, Lake Men’s Health and Executive Wellness Center
- Julie Neumann, orthopedic surgeon, Ochsner Health Baton Rouge
- John Tabor, general surgeon, Baton Rouge General Advanced Robotics of Louisiana
Named as finalists for Achievement in Innovation:
- Deep Brain Stimulation surgery — The NeuroMedical Center
- Intellisep — FMOL Health & Cytovale
- Phenomune — Dr. Henry P. Barham
Title sponsor for the Excellence in Health Care Awards is b1BANK. Premium sponsors are Orion, Subcontain and Guaranty Health Solutions. Signature sponsors are Decision Critical, Taylor Porter, Grace Design Studios, Breazeale Sachse & Wilson, The Carpenter Health Network and Gerry Lane Chevrolet. Get tickets.
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