On the Northshore, if your business or organization isn’t growing, then it is falling behind, plain and simple. 

It has been that way for decades – at least since the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway opened in 1956 – and it has only accelerated along with local population growth in recent years. 

Here at St. Tammany Health System, expansion started in 1958, just four years after the founding of our flagship St. Tammany Parish Hospital. Nearly seven decades later, it has yet to slow down.  

In fact, our small but mighty STHS Project Management team is currently and capably managing a staggering 23 projects of various shapes and sizes, continuing the longest period of sustained growth in the health system’s history. 

Some are relatively minor renovations. Others, though, are major construction projects. That includes the truly impressive Ambulatory Surgery Center taking shape on Bootlegger Road, as well as a new family medicine clinic under construction in north Covington. 

You’ll hear more about those projects as they near completion – but before that, we are particularly excited about the forthcoming expansion this spring of our St. Tammany Pediatrics practice into the heart of Mandeville. 

In addition to offering traditional office visits, the facility will house a new Express Care for Kids clinic, giving local families the flexibility of seeing a healthcare provider in nontraditional hours.  

It is just one of the myriad ways we are growing to meet the needs of our Northshore friends and neighbors.  

As always, thank you for growing with us – and thank you for trusting us with your family’s care.   

Five months after acquiring Braswell’s pharmacy in Covington, St. Tammany Health System leaders made it official Thursday (Feb. 29, 2024), with a ribbon cutting and grand re-opening of the newly branded St. Tammany Health System Pharmacy at Braswell’s. 

In addition to uniting two long-standing local healthcare institutions, the acquisition ensures Braswell’s, which has served Northshore residents since 1981, remains locally owned and operated. 

“We are, of course, excited and grateful to expand St. Tammany Health System’s retail operation today,” health system President and CEO Joan Coffman said. “But I am particularly gratified that we were able to purchase this iconic business and keep it locally owned. Under our stewardship, our Northshore neighbors can rest assured that Braswell’s will continue to serve the Northshore community with compassion and professionalism for years to come.” 

Citizens of the year 

On Jan. 23, a combined 100-years-plus of service to the Northshore community was honored when retired STHS physicians Dr. Libeau Berthelot, Dr. Gerald Foret and Dr. Mark James were named Citizens of the Year for 2023 by Franklinton Mayor Gregory Route. 

Meet Great Aunt Emmy 

On Jan. 4, when publishing a number of old photos of some of St. Tammany Parish Hospital’s first nurses, we lamented that we did not know those nurses’ names. Then we received an email from ninth-generation St. Tammany resident Rebecca Mohr Carter. 

A community effort 

Cancer, they say, is a team sport. That philosophy is on full display with the therapeutic food pantry at St. Tammany Cancer Center – A Campus of Ochsner Medical Center, which leverages community partnerships to address patients’ nutritional needs.  

Women’s choice   

Women’s Choice Award has once again ranked St. Tammany Health System among the Best Hospitals in America, placing it in the top 10% in 10 distinct specialty areas for 2024, including in the top 6% for patient safety.