According to the Louisiana Department of Education, 57% of children in Northwest Louisiana enter kindergarten below the kindergarten readiness threshold. This latest snapshot highlights a  long-standing literacy problem that plays a significant role in our state’s education achievement.

Knee arthritis is caused by the wearing out of cartilage in the knee. Cartilage is the cushion in the knee that allows us to move without pain in our daily lives. As the cartilage wears out, we start to hurt! All the catching, locking and deep toothache pain are because of arthritis.

THROUGH NOV. 30: SKETCHY BUSINESS- INKTOBER COMES TO THE NORTON:.

This award program recognizes individuals who have achieved the highest level of professional excellence, contribute time and energy to improve quality of life for others in the community and for actively assisting others, particularly women in realizing their full leadership potential.

Kae Bell is the chief financial officer for Brentwood Hospital, a role she has performed for a decade. For more than 25 years, she has been dedicated to Brentwood Hospital's mission of providing help and hope to individuals and their families.

Debra Roberson’s exhibition, “Cane River Chronicles: Unveiled,” at Artspace prompts viewers to consider our role in helping each other thrive. Wilkerson and Roberson discuss her photography practice and the inspirations for her exhibition that explores darkness, despair and desire.

We all want healthy bodies, and perhaps even more, we want healthy brains. Unfortunately, there is no pill that a doctor can prescribe to keep our brains at peak performance. Still, there is real hope if we focus on where some of the most exciting Alzheimer’s disease successes in research have been achieved: prevention!.

As a physician who practices maternalfetal medicine, I was pleased to learn that Willis-Knighton and the American Heart Association have partnered to focus on reducing hypertension, or high blood pressure, in pregnant women.