Life Measures, Life Matters: Organ Donation & Disaster Readiness for Nurses

Life Measures, Life Matters: Organ Donation & Disaster Readiness for Nurses

Strengthen your ability to respond when life depends on you. This evidence-based professional development day delivers essential training in organ procurement and disaster management across care settings. The morning session, Organ Donation - What Nurses Need to Know, features LOPA experts who clarify referral triggers, communication strategies, ethical considerations, and the nurse's role in supporting donor families. The afternoon session, Disaster Management & Nurse Readiness, provides practical, actionable approaches to disaster triage, communication, and coordinated response - addressing well-documented gaps in nurse preparedness.

Speakers:

Charles M. Canan, MA, NREMT-P, serves as the Region 3 Public Health Emergency Response Coordinator for the Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health, Bureau of Community Preparedness. In this role, he leads regional preparedness, response, and recovery operations across the Region 3 river and bayou parishes of Southeast Louisiana.

Amanda Falgoust, RN, is the Regional Nurse Manager for the Bureau of Regional and Clinical Operations within the Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health. She oversees public health nursing services across her region, supporting high-quality clinical operations and coordinated community health initiatives. Amanda also plays a key leadership role in disaster preparedness and response, working with regional partners to strengthen readiness for hurricanes, infectious disease outbreaks, and other public health emergencies.

Amber R. Cavalier, MA, RN, serves as the Manager of the Mental Health Clinic at the South Central Louisiana Human Services Authority, where she oversees clinic operations and coordinates behavioral and mental health programs that support individuals and families across the region.

Lana Stevens, LOPA - (Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency) Community Educator and Volunteer Specialist.

Larry Leblanc, NREMT-P, CCPC, ALSC, MLS, is a Donation Services Coordinator III with LOPA who has devoted more than 28 years to strengthening organ and tissue donation across hospital communities. Through leadership, education, and collaboration, he has helped save and heal countless lives. A graduate of the National EMS Academy and trained in Medical Laboratory Science/Biology, Larry's diverse clinical and scientific background has shaped a lifelong calling to support, sustain, and save lives in every role he serves.

Missie Durapau, RN, has more than a decade of pediatric intensive care experience at Children's Hospital - now Manning Family Children's Hospital - in New Orleans. She is a mother of her donor hero, Mason Kiley, whose legacy inspires her ongoing volunteer work with LOPA, where she shares her story, supports donor families, and advocates for the lifesaving impact of organ donation.

Jamie Napolitano, MS, CCLS, is a Certified Child Life Specialist with more than 25 years of experience supporting children and families in hospital and community settings across Texas and Louisiana. She also teaches in the Child Life program at Southeastern Louisiana University. Diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy as an infant, Jamie received a lifesaving heart transplant on January 2, 2009, and honors her donor hero, Cameron, through her volunteer work with LOPA advocating for organ donation.

Activity Learning Outcomes:

● Explain core donation criteria and the nurse's role in early identification.

● Differentiate brain death vs circulatory death in the context of donation.

● Demonstrate trauma-informed communication with families during critical moments.

● Describe the phases of disaster management (mitigation, preparedness,

response, recovery).

● Differentiate among medical needs shelters, critical transportation needs shelters,

and general population shelters.

The target audience is registered nurses, case managers, and social workers involved in patient care, coordination, and emergency preparedness and organ procurement.

Location: Nicholls State University, Betsy C. Ayo Hall - Nirmala Yalamanchili Donepudi Auditorium

Networking………………………………………………………………................….8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.

Presentation time……………………………………………………........…….…8:45 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Credit………………………………………………………………….................…………5 contact hours.

Fee..............................................................................................................$75.00

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