3 Slidell Memorial team members selected as 2022 Healthcare Heros

The New Orleans City Business Health Care Heroes List honors health care professionals in the New Orleans area in the following categories: first responders, nursing, physicians, professionals and volunteers. Slidell Memorial is honored to have 3 team members selected based on their achievements and community involvement in the healthcare industry.  Hope Arriaza, Dr. Edward Mannina Jr., and Bill Kahrs represent Slidell Memorial in the best way possible. Read below about the accomplishments of each of our 2022 awardees.

 Hope Arriaza, Director of Health Information Management

When you meet Hope Arriaza, you immediately feel the warmth and kindness she projects. Hope has served as the Supervisor over Coding and Clinical Documentation Integrity in the Health Information Management department for two years now, and is an amazing addition to the SMH team.

Hope has a passion for helping others in the Slidell community. She is an active member of the Slidell Women's Civic Club (SWCC). During her time with SWCC she acted as representative for the Keep Slidell Beautiful campaign, which focuses on beautification, community improvement, waste reduction, and litter reduction in the city of Slidell.

Some of Hope's volunteer experiences at community events include: 

• Assisting with the coordination of the children’s play area at the 2022 Heritage Festival.
• Assisting with a Christmas gift-giving program that helps underprivileged children in low-level income schools.
• Volunteering for events through STARC
• Volunteering for events through One Way Love; a ministry that helps provide safe, comfortable, effective services to youth who are homeless or unable to safely remain in their homes and keeps them out of the child welfare system.
• Volunteering at Bayou Christmas for the Boys and Girls Club.

In 2022, Hope was recognized as a Silver Plume Recipient through the Slidell Women’s Civic Club. This award is given to a member who demonstrates selfless volunteerism and work in the Slidell community. Hope also serves as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer. CASA volunteers make a life-changing difference for children who have experienced abuse or neglect. 

Hope’s commitment and accomplishments over the past several years have made a major impact on our community!

Edward M. Mannina, Jr., M.D., M.P.H., M.S.

Dr. Edward Mannina, Radiation Oncologist physician, has been in practice in Slidell since 2016 at the Slidell Memorial Hospital Regional Cancer Center. He is well-loved and well-respected by his community and is continuously going above and beyond for his patients and coworkers.

 Dr. Mannina is dedicated to utilizing research to bring new equipment, quality improvement and innovation to the practice to offer the best, state-of-the-art care to patients in our community. He works with other specialists to bring new treatment options to patients with lung, liver, breast and prostate cancer, among other diseases. He has been asked to give numerous oral presentations on radiation therapy and has been published in several peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Mannina believes in a holistic approach, meaning his care and time with a patient does not end when the patient’s appointment ends. He likes to play an active role in the care of his patients and makes sure that they receive better, faster and more precise care in all aspects of their needs, such as connecting with social workers and support groups.

Dr. Mannina has been the recipient of several awards including:

•Diplomate, American Board of Radiology

•Veterans' Choice Award for Excellence in Patient Care, IUSM Radiation Oncology

•RSNA Roentgen Resident/Fellow Research Award

•Humanism Award, IUSM Radiation Oncology

Dr. Mannina serves as the chairman and liaison physician for the American Cancer Society Commission on Cancer at the SMH Regional Cancer Center, a position he volunteered to take on. He is a volunteer and active member of the SMH Foundation Board of Trustees, which is an all-volunteer board.

Dr. Mannina is always ready and willing to volunteer at events in our community and provides valuable education to our community members. He has volunteered for multiple talks with students and community groups to help them learn about cancer topics. He also speaks at celebratory events, such as National Cancer Survivors Day, Pinking of the Fountain, and other community activities to educate cancer patients and survivors on new treatment options or survivorship topics. He is continuously staying late and finding ways to better serve our patients. Dr. Mannina has been a champion for cancer care in our community and his work has impacted so many patients. 

Bill Kahrs, Slidell Memorial Hospital Volunteer

Bill Kahrs is a long-time volunteer at the SMH Regional Cancer Center.He greets and directs patients to their appointments, assists with any questions the patients may have, delivers mail or packages to each department, answers phones and helps the staff with any duties that they may need assistance with. His coworkers at the Cancer Center say that Bill is a very positive person who is willing to do anything to help.

Bill does everything with the type of compassion and empathy that comes from standing in the patients’ shoes: he is a four-time cancer survivor of different types of cancer, including breast cancer. Bill can speak to patients with the wisdom he has gained from his own experiences, and he does a lot to put their minds at ease. One special thing that he does is carrying metal tokens with inscriptions to give to patients who need to focus on something positive. When Bill senses that a patient is anxious or upset, he will give them a token to help them get through their appointment or treatment. And he always keeps his pockets stocked with them so he can step in when needed.

Bill began volunteering with Slidell Memorial Hospital in September 2014. He has logged nearly 3,300 volunteer hours over the years that he has worked with the hospital, most of them being in the Cancer Center. Although volunteers were called off from working in patient areas for nearly two years during the pandemic, Bill did not stay away long. He asked to resume his volunteer duties while only taking off a few months because he wanted to keep helping our patients and staff.

Bill also volunteers for community events that raise awareness or money for cancer, including National Cancer Survivors Day celebrations; Faith, Hope & Fashion; and the Slidell Women’s Health Alliance Fall Seminar. In addition, the SMH Volunteers raise money throughout the year to fund up to ten scholarships for local students who are in enrolled in medical programs. 

Congratulations to these honorees for this wonderful accomplishment. Slidell Memorial is proud to have staff members that are excellent community stewards.