The U.S. Local Business Association has selected Dr. Samuel Moss for the 2008 Best of Lafayette Award in the dentists category. The Best of Local Business Award program recognizes outstanding area businesses throughout the country, identifying companies the USLBA believes have achieved exceptional marketing success in their respective communities and business category.

Lafayette General Medical Center received the 2009 clinical excellence award for spine surgery from HealthGrades, the leading independent health care ratings company. This award places LGMC’s clinical outcomes in the top 5 percent nationally for spine surgery. Other notable HealthGrades recognitions and awards include: five-star rated for spine surgery; five-star rated for back and neck surgery (except spinal fusion); and five-star rated for back and neck surgery (spinal fusion).

Elizabeth Champion has been named director of Franciscan Way to Excellence and corporate compliance at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center. In addition to her responsibilities as Lourdes’ corporate compliance officer, Champion assumed the leadership role in the hospital’s quest to achieve organizational advancements through the Franciscan Way to Excellence. Her duties consist of working with department directors, team members and physicians to identify opportunities for improvement and recommend action plans. Champion also works closely with the medical staff to grow relationships by continuously assessing its needs as well as the needs of its patients. She has a bachelor’s degree in health information management from UL Lafayette, is certified in health care compliance and is a registered health information administrator.

Physical therapist Jacqueline Bravo of Bravo Therapy Services was awarded the Certificate of Achievement in pelvic physical therapy from the American Physical Therapy Association. Bravo is only one of 27 in the nation to be awarded this certificate, which is based on education, training, written and laboratory testing, and submitted case study. Bravo’s case study was only one of a handful invited to be submitted for publication in the Journal of Women’s Health Physical Therapy. Pelvic pain and discomfort along with urinary and bowel incontinence affect men and women of all ages. In a study published in September 2008 in the Journal of American Medical Association, 24 percent of U.S. women are affected with one or more pelvic disorders. More than 25 million Americans have urinary incontinence, according to the National Association for Continence.

A year ago Gerald Fornoff, president and CEO of Opelousas General Health System, made a $2,000 donation to Louisiana Emergency Medical Unit project, and Fornoff recently donated another $1,800. Fornoff presented the check to Dr. Anthony Blalock, president of LEMU, which was established after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The unit is the only surge capacity vehicle available for disaster care in the U.S., serving a seven-parish area. It responded after hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Blalock also has been involved in bringing a unit of this type to other areas in the U.S.

Lafayette General Medical Center, in conjunction with the American Cancer Society, will host a Man to Man talk on Jan. 20 at 5:30 p.m. in the hospital’s radiation oncology waiting room, 155 Hospital Drive, Suite 100. The talk is for anyone interested in learning more about prostate cancer and the latest treatment options. Dr. Scott Neusetzer, a board certified urologist, will speak on Living With Prostate Cancer:  Morbidity of Prostate Cancer and its Treatment.

Acadiana Yoga and Wellness at 911 Harding St. in Lafayette’s Oil Center has begun offering yoga and Pilates classes, massage therapy, Pilates equipment sessions and Zumba classes. The new center has several workshops in the next few weeks and is open daily for tours of the facility. A wide variety of classes are held before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m. and on Saturdays to suit clients’ work schedules. Call (337) 236-9000 or visit www.acadianayoga.com for more info.