Ashley Torres, RN
Caring for others has been a central part of life for Ashley Torres, RN. While she’s early in her nursing career, so far it has been as an Our Lady of the Lake team member. She started as a student nurse in 2015, worked briefly as a nurse tech and has been a full-time RN…
Johnathan Segovia
With strengths in diagnosing and fixing broken things, Johnathan Segovia serves as a maintenance mechanic 3 for St. Francis Medical Center’s downtown campus. “Working in maintenance allows me to use my gifts and talents to keep the hospital running,” he says. “I believe in working for a cause greater than myself.” A member of our…
Mayra Rocha, RN
Mayra Rocha, RN, is a first generation Cuban American, and she’s been working at Our Lady of the Angels Hospital since 2009 when it was known as LSU Bogalusa Medical Center. As a bilingual registered nurse in the hospital’s ER, Rocha is able to help many people. “Having the advantage of speaking Spanish has helped…
Overcoming Breast Cancer Day by Day
Brooke LeBlanc was only 30 years old when she received her breast cancer diagnosis, despite having no family history of…
Karla Espinoza
Karla Espinoza has turned her passion for working with children into a fulfilling career with Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health. Espinoza is a nurse assistant for Health Centers in Schools in the East Baton Rouge Parish Public School System. She assists students and parents with an emphasis on providing care for students living…
Claudia Nelson
A childhood experience seeing her grandmother get hurt being pushed to the pavement led Claudia Nelson to want to pursue a career in healthcare. Nelson has been in the United States for more than 40 years and is originally from El Salvador in Central America. She is a Pipil Indian, who are descendants of Aztecs.…
A Listening Ear for When Life is Upended by a Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Being there with women as they receive a breast cancer diagnosis is sacred work that Evelyn Goodrow, RN, BSN, OCN, feels called to do. At Our Lady of Lourdes Breast Center, Goodrow’s job is primarily education, helping patients make sense of and navigate their cancer treatment, connecting them to care across the continuum. She serves…
Mary Ann Smithhart RN, BSN
Mary Ann Smithhart, RN, BSN, currently serves as the director of nursing-geriatric services for St. Dominic’s Behavioral Health Services. She started her journey with St. Dominic’s in 1982, when the hospital was hiring 15 new graduates to help staff the upcoming critical care wing. Simple Beginnings Smithhart credits her parents with encouraging her to pursue…
Judy Goodwin, MLS, SBB (ASCP)
When people ask Judy Goodwin, MLS, SBB (ASCP), how long she has worked at St. Francis Medical Center, she has to remind herself it has been 45 years. To her, it doesn’t feel like that long, but she says time flies when you love what you do. Goodwin is supervisor for the blood bank at…
