Thank goodness for April.  

After the chill of winter, the insanity of Carnival and the solemnity of Lent, spring is finally here, and we couldn’t be more ready for it.  

True, it would be nicer if crawfish prices would come down just a tad, but it is hard to be too bitter given the lovely spring weather that has descended on south Louisiana.  

There’s another reason we love April here at St. Tammany Health System, but it has nothing to do with the weather – and everything to do with the fact that April is National Volunteer Month, an observation near and dear to our hearts.  

Volunteerism has been central to our mission since our founding in 1954 by a group of community activists – technically all volunteers – determined to make the Northshore community better through local access to quality healthcare. 

St. Tammany Parish Hospital was only a few months old when the St. Tammany Hospital Guild was founded again, all volunteers – to support the work of the hospital’s care team. 

All these years later, the 90 current members of the guild continue to contribute daily to our healing mission, working in nearly every area of the hospital – including, notably, operating the hospital gift shop. 

Every spring, they reinvest much of the shop’s profits directly back into the health system, with an annual donation to St. Tammany Hospital Foundation. This year, the guild’s donation was a whopping $45,000. Even more impressive: It pushes the guild’s cumulative donations past the half-million-dollar mark since the foundation’s creation in 2003.  

That’s an incredible display of generosity, and we’re incredibly grateful for it. 

So, thank you, to all the members of the St. Tammany Hospital Guild, past and present, for your loyal support.  

While we’re at it, thank you to all the volunteers across the Northshore who help make our community better.  

And, as always, thank you, loyal reader, for trusting St. Tammany Health System with your family’s healthcare. 

Here’s what else is happening this month at St. Tammany … 

John “Pizzie” Romano was a nice guy, first and foremost. Ask anyone who knew him, and they’ll tell you the same. 

But Pizzie was also much more than that. The local businessman, restaurateur and longtime owner of the legendary Tugy’s Bar – the Covington watering hole once favored by Northshore politicos – was also a deeply dedicated civic leader. 

In addition to being a former member of the Covington City Council, he was also a founding member of the St. Tammany Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees and was for years a member of St. Tammany Health System’s Board of Commissioners, serving as a liaison between those two bodies. 

But, once again, he was more than that. 

“Pizzie was our heart and soul,” health system Board of Commissioners Chairman John Evans said upon Romano’s death in 2018. “When the hospital was first opened, he and his high school buddies washed its windows. From his earliest days to his very final days, Pizzie loved this hospital, and we all loved him back.” 

That brings us to today’s installment in our 70-part series chronicling the first 70 years of St. Tammany Health System. 

Patriotic and proud  

Technically, St. Tammany Health System’s trademark color is a hue called “burgundy berry.” But recently, it was supplanted by shades of red, white and blue, as two health system leaders were honored for their support of employees who are also service members. 

What’s cookin’?

STQ has presented its first-quarter Medical Director’s Award to two member physicians, Dr. Joseph Bobrowski and Dr. Ralph Millet, for attaining a perfect score on the St. Tammany Health System ambulatory dashboard for 2023.  

Simply the best  

The American College of Cardiology has once again recognized St. Tammany Health System’s flagship St. Tammany Parish Hospital for its demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating patients with chest pain.

Join the STHS family 

As one of the parish’s largest employers and a repeat recipient of CityBusiness’ Best Workplaces recognition, the time has never been better to start a career at St. Tammany Health System. But where does a person start? Click for the answer.