LDH News

The Louisiana Department of Health is accepting comments through 11:59 p.m. CST on March 29, 2019 on developing a vision for a modern and comprehensive crisis system of care.

In its most recent comprehensive audit of the management and finances of the Louisiana Department of Health and its Medicaid program, the Legislative Auditor identified nine findings. The findings included process and record keeping errors and a single overpayment of $8,112 to home and community-based providers because services were not properly documented.

The cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge are joining with the Louisiana Department of Health in pledging their support for the U=U Campaign. In February, LDH Secretary Dr. Rebekah Gee gave the Department’s support for the campaign.

The system is intended to serve people who are experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis. A question-and-answer session will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 14 in Room 118 of the Bienville Building, 628 N. Fourth St., Baton Rouge.

Taking Aim at Cancer in Louisiana (TACL), an organization formed last year to address Louisiana’s high rates of cancer, reached a milestone last month when its executive committee adopted bylaws and elected officers to establish TACL (pronounced ‘tackle’) as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. The Louisiana Department of Health is currently providing leadership and support for the initiative.

The Department of Health submits a detailed monthly report to the Legislature that provides a comprehensive overview of Medicaid spending. The reports include projections for future revenues and expenditures for the given state fiscal year.

Dr. Rebekah Gee, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, said that having three pharmaceutical companies submit a response means the State is one giant step closer to its goal of eliminating hepatitis C in Louisiana.

Gov. John Bel Edwards has proclaimed March 2019 as Problem Gambling Awareness Month in Louisiana. The month-long observance promotes awareness of the resources available to those experiencing problems with gambling.

Louisiana has been chosen as one of a select group of states to partner with Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending addiction, on the development and implementation of a rating system for addiction treatment programs. The state joins Massachusetts and New York, both of which have joined the pilot project in recent weeks.

The Department of Health’s implementation plan follows a review by the Department of Justice in December 2016 that claimed Louisiana was unnecessarily relying on nursing facilities to serve people with serious mental illness.