When it comes to healthcare, children deserve the very best.
But in the Gulf South, pediatric healthcare faces unique challenges. From access to care in rural communities to addressing complex medical needs, the work of improving children’s health is both vital and urgent.
In this episode of Straight from the Source, Shaun Kemmerly, MD, chief medical officer and interim president at FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health, shares how the health system is tackling these challenges head-on.
She highlights the innovative programs, partnerships and investments that are transforming pediatric care across Louisiana and beyond.
From expanding access to pediatricians in underserved areas to offering best-in-class trauma and imaging services, FMOL Health is committed to ensuring every child has the opportunity to grow up healthy and strong.
The State of Pediatric Healthcare in the Gulf South
The Gulf South faces significant hurdles when it comes to children’s health. Dr. Kemmerly explains that Louisiana and Mississippi often rank at the bottom of healthcare reports, with troubling statistics around infant mortality, preterm births, poverty and access to care.
“Healthcare for the Gulf South is not good for pediatrics,” she says. “We are struggling on many of those items, and we have been for many years. I think it’s going to take everybody — local government, community leaders, businesses, healthcare, education — everyone needs to work together to move that needle.”
One of the most pressing issues is the lack of pediatricians in rural areas.
In Louisiana, 21 parishes, over 30% of the state, do not have a single pediatrician. Families in these areas often travel up to two hours for basic care, creating barriers that impact children’s health and well-being.
To address this, Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health has made recruiting and retaining pediatricians a top priority. Over the past five years, the health system has hired more than 90 pediatric specialists and general pediatricians in the greater Baton Rouge area, ensuring more families have access to the care they need.
Excellence in Trauma and Imaging Care
FMOL Health’s commitment to pediatric excellence extends to its trauma and imaging services, which are setting new standards for care in the region.
FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital is a verified Level II Pediatric Trauma Center, providing life-saving care to more than 1,000 trauma patients each year.
“Our pediatric trauma surgeons respond to the hospital within 15 minutes for the most critical trauma patients, and our OR team is in-house 24/7, ready to take a child to the operating room as needed right away,” Dr. Kemmerly says. “Those first few minutes make a big difference.” Having that availability to impact children’s health in emergencies is a differentiator.
The hospital has also invested in advanced imaging technology, including a new 3T MRI. This state-of-the-art machine has reduced wait times for elective sedated MRIs from 10-12 weeks to just one week, providing faster, more precise diagnoses for children.
Connecting Pediatric Care Across Our System
While Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health serves as our hub for pediatric excellence, our commitment to children extends far beyond Baton Rouge. Across FMOL Health, we’re ensuring families in every community have access to the care they need.
In Lafayette, families turn to FMOL Health | Our Lady of Lourdes Children’s Health for its unmatched expertise and specialized care. As the only facility in Acadiana with both a Level III Surgical Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), FMOL Health | Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Children’s Hospital is the region’s premier destination for pediatric care.
In Monroe, FMOL Health | St. Francis stands out as the leader in pediatric services for Northeast Louisiana. With the region’s only six-bed PICU and an 11-bed pediatric unit, St. Francis offers advanced specialties like pediatric cardiology, neurosurgery and neurology.
In Bogalusa, families find personalized, family-centered care at FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Angels Hospital. The pediatric team at FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health Bogalusa focuses on building trust and strong relationships with families, offering everything from routine checkups to early intervention and preventive medicine.
By connecting services across the health system, FMOL Health ensures that children and families in every market have access to high-quality care, whether it’s routine wellness visits, advanced imaging or life-saving trauma services.
Partnerships That Expand Access and Innovation
Collaboration is central to FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health’s approach to pediatric care. By partnering with organizations like the Joe Burrow Foundation and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the health system is bringing care directly to children in schools, addressing both mental health and medical needs.
That’s the approach behind the partnership between FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health and Manning Family Children’s in New Orleans.
“Pediatric healthcare is hard enough, and the children of our state need us to work together,” Dr. Kemmerly says. “Let’s not be competitive, but let’s work together to improve access to pediatric specialties that are so hard to recruit for.”
A Vision for the Future
Looking ahead, FMOL Health is focused on expanding its pediatric residency program, which trains bright, young physicians to serve communities across Louisiana.
The program has already placed pediatricians in underserved areas like Walker, Monroe and Lake Charles, and plans are underway to launch a hospitalist fellowship to further enhance care for hospitalized children.
The health system is also addressing critical needs in mental and behavioral health, weight and nutrition, and epilepsy care, with new programs and clinics designed to provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary support for children and families.
Why This Work Matters
For FMOL Health, pediatric care is more than a mission. It’s a calling. Dr. Kemmerly reflects on the legacy of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady, who have been caring for children in Louisiana for over 100 years.
“Yes, pediatric healthcare does not make a lot of money for the system, but it’s what we are about, and it’s important to us to care for our community,” Dr. Kemmerly says. “Children are the most important part of our community, and that’s where we put our efforts.”
By investing in children’s health today, FMOL Health is building a brighter, healthier future for the Gulf South.
