St. Charles Parish Hospital and St. Charles Parish Public Schools Partner to Host Student Health, Wellness and Vaping Awareness Event

Luling, La. – St. Charles Parish Hospital and St. Charles Parish Public Schools have partnered to host the event “Team Up for Student Health” on Nov. 10, designed for sixth through 12th grade students and their parents/guardians to encourage health, wellness, and smoking and vaping prevention.

“Team Up for Student Health” will take place at the Dr. Rodney R. Lafon Performing Arts Center, 275 Judge Edward Dufresne Parkway in Luling. The lobby will open at 5 p.m. with STEM activities, interactive demonstrations, and educational health-focused exhibits from Ochsner Performance Training, Ochsner Eat Fit, Ochsner Education Outreach and more.

Following the exhibition portion of the evening, a panel of speakers, including St. Charles Parish Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ken Oertling and St. Charles Parish Hospital Chief Executive Officer Keith Dacus, will take the stage at 6 p.m.

Presentations will focus on wellness with a direct emphasis on smoking and vaping prevention and the correlation between successful educational engagement and positive health.

“As vaping has become more popular among today’s youth, we want to share the facts about smoking with our community to encourage health and wellness. When students feel good and have positive, healthy habits, they are more likely to succeed academically and experience great success. Our goal is to empower our community with the knowledge and tools to form healthy habits for a bright future,” said Dacus.

An adult should accompany those participating students in middle school. Attendees will have the opportunity to win exciting prizes, including tickets to New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans games.

“As a school system, we provide high-quality educational experiences to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and values required to become productive global citizens. Topics surrounding health and wellness in general are at the forefront of our society right now, and we want to help provide our students and community with the knowledge and tools needed to ensure their health and wellbeing for the future,” said Oertling.

Ochsner Health is proud to partner with St. Charles Parish Public Schools to bring this initiative to life in hopes of creating a healthy community. For more information about St. Charles Parish Hospital visit Ochsner.org/locations/st-charles-parish-hospital and visit stcharles.k12.la.us for more information about St. Charles Parish Public Schools.

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About Ochsner Health

Ochsner Health is an integrated healthcare system with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate. Celebrating 80 years in 2022, it leads nationally in cancer care, cardiology, neurosciences, liver and heart transplants and pediatrics, among other areas. Ochsner is consistently named both the top hospital and top children’s hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report. The not-for-profit organization is inspiring healthier lives and stronger communities. Its focus is on preventing diseases and providing patient-centered care that is accessible, affordable, convenient and effective. Ochsner Health pioneers new treatments, deploys emerging technologies and performs groundbreaking research, including over 700 clinical studies. It has more than 34,000 employees and over 4,500 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties. It operates 40 hospitals and more than 300 health and urgent care centers across Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South; and its cutting-edge Connected Health digital medicine program is caring for patients beyond its walls. In 2021, Ochsner Health treated more than 1 million people from every state and 75 countries. As Louisiana’s top healthcare educator, Ochsner Health and its partners educate thousands of healthcare professionals annually. To learn more, visit https://www.ochsner.org/.