Is the pandemic over? Will there be another surge? As many surprises as COVID-19 has thrown at us over the past two years, it’s anybody’s guess – but we do know this:

We’re sure enjoying its recent retreat.

As of this writing, we have only two patients under COVID care at our Covington hospital, and infection rates throughout the community remain manageable. For that, we’re enormously grateful – but they’re not the only reasons we’ve got a little extra spring in our step.

The weather here on the Northshore has been beautiful as of late. Festival season is in full, glorious swing in southeast Louisiana. Saints fans are eagerly awaiting the results of this weekend’s NFL Draft. Pelicans fans are flying high over their team’s scrappy playoff performance.

As if all that’s not enough, things are humming along throughout our organization, as the headlines below make clear.

In short, optimism abounds at St. Tammany Health System – and we hope you’re feeling it, too.

Stay safe, stay healthy, enjoy the spring – and thanks, as always, for being part of our St. Tammany family.

In what is being described as a major advancement of neurological care on the Northshore, Ochsner Neurosciences Institute at St. Tammany Health System has expanded its footprint and its capabilities at the health system’s hospital campus in Covington.

The groundbreaking expansion allows for many patients with complex brain conditions who would have previously been transferred to a hospital outside the region to remain on the Northshore for the duration of their treatment.

Among other things, the expansion increases the number of dedicated beds in the hospital’s neurology unit from eight to 10, with room to expand to 14, and the number of beds in its Neuro Intensive Care Unit from six to 10.

“We’re really caring for the patient now from start to finish,” said Corey Olson, director of the neurosciences program at St. Tammany Health System. “They can get top-notch neuro treatment here – and stay on the Northshore.”