Described as a voice for the workers, a woman who spoke her mind and a hands-on board member, Betty Portera’s six-term service on the St. Charles Parish Hospital Board will end on May 7.
“It’s breaking my heart to get off the board,” Portera said of retiring from the board because of health issues. “I think we achieved a lot in my 35 years and I can remember starting when you had to catch the ferry to get there. It has come a long way.”
There is now an EMT on both sides of the Mississippi River, which ensures people can be transported to the hospital if anything happens with the Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge, she said.
“We had a hard time getting doctors,” Portera said. “But, now with the contract with Ochsner and it being a training hospital, it brought specialties we didn’t have before. I hope we keep growing.”
She said she gladly provided an open line for hospital employees.
Portera praised Fred Martinez, former hospital CEO, saying they survived times they weren’t sure the hospital could survive.
Martinez was equally respectful of Portera, who served on the board the entire 30 years that he was CEO.
“Betty is probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” he said.
Martinez called her one of his strongest supporters, as well as one of the most critical in a positive way.
“If she didn’t think we should be doing something, she certainly let me know,” he said. “If she liked the ideas I had, I couldn’t ask for someone more supportive. She was really a great person to work with.”
Martinez also welcomed Portera’s benefit as a nurse and the clinical knowledge she brought to board decisions.
“We acquired a lot of new technology over the years and she was very supportive,” he said. “She is probably one of the most community minded people I have ever met, always asking if this is a good thing to be doing for our community.”
Carolyn Slaton, senior executive assistant at the hospital, said Portera will be missed as a tireless advocate for hospital workers.
“To me, her biggest contribution to this hospital was she was always all about the employees,” Slaton said. “She had them at heart.”
Portera, who also had a florist business in St. Charles Parish, provided flower arrangements for the cafeteria tables at no charge, Slaton said.
Having worked with Portera since 1988, Slaton also considers her a friend.
“She was always hands on,” she said. “She’d make her presence known.”
That is, except when she received care at the hospital, Slaton said. She’d see doctors and say nothing about serving on the hospital board because she didn’t want special treatment.
“She was just instrumental in any project the hospital did since 1983,” Slaton said. “She questioned a lot and wanted the public to understand.”
Martinez agreed.
“You always knew where you stood with Betty, and I think that’s very helpful when you’re trying to get things done … to know that person feels it’s the right thing to do or not.”
For Portera, her mission was obvious every day.
“It’s there for the people,” she said. “This hospital belongs to the taxpayers. It belongs to all of you.”
Betty Portera is everything stated in your article and so much more. She is one of the most loving and caring people that I have ever known. She holds a special place in the hearts of all of us….
Way to go, Cousin Betty! And had it not been for your cupid talent, I may not have met and married my soulmate 51 years, 7 babies and 16 grandbabies ago. Love you!