If you have visited St. Tammany Parish Hospital in the rain and wondered who to thank for instituting valet parking, thank Sharon Toups, the hospital’s chief operating officer. She also started room service for patients so they can order what they want to eat when they want to eat it.

Toups, a former physical therapist, has risen through the ranks to become an administrator at the hospital. She was recently elected greater New Orleans area president of the Women’s Healthcare Executive Network.

“I am proud to be a part of WHEN, a talented group of women helping to influence changes that need to occur in healthcare,” said Toups. Her personal healthcare philosophy is to provide the best care possible in a caring environment. She brings this outlook to the WHEN group as well. Other members of the group from the hospital include CEO Patti Ellish and Chief Nursing Officer Kerry Milton.

Sharon Toups, senior vice president and Chief operating officer of St. Tammany Parish Hospital, has recently been elected president of the greater New Orleans chapter of Women'€™s Healthcare Executive Network. (Staff Photo by Debbie Glover)

WHEN is a national organization dedicated to women executives in healthcare fields, including insurance, physicians, hospitals, private business owners, healthcare architects, healthcare attorneys and other related fields.

The networking of healthcare executives in several fields allows the viewing of area problems from a number of industry perspectives, not only those that impact just hospitals or only physicians.

The female group also provides a support system for women executives who, only a few years ago, would not have been in their current positions, said Toups. The diverse group of women can give feedback and direction to a variety of problems.

The group has about 50 members, rebounding from a low of about 25 after Katrina. Part of their mission is to serve as mentors to up and coming women in the field and to “grow the next generation of healthcare workers,” said Toups. “We are seeing more and more women in high level executive positions with opportunities today that did not exist only a few years ago,” she said.

The group has no student affiliation because its purpose is to network with those already in their field. They prefer to mentor women who have reached certain levels in their career rather than those in entry-level positions.

Some of the healthcare issues the group is helping to resolve are workforce issues including future workers and educational programs; making sure there is an adequate primary care physician network to help relieve overcrowding in the emergency room due to lack of physicians; and reimbursement issues for those on Medicaid.

The continuing concern of the group post-Katrina is the healthcare climate in the greater New Orleans area. The group wants to help find solutions to make sure all heathcare needs are being met, said Toups.

Toups said that hospitals are like miniature cities. It’s not only doctors, nurse and patients, but it requires a variety of professions and workers to succeed, such as housekeeping, cafeteria workers, information technologists, physical therapists and maintenance workers. Even if someone does not want patient contact or contact with a sick person, they can still work in a healthcare field career that can grow throughout their life.