Maternal & Child Health

Reducing the incidence of premature birth in Louisiana is a goal of the Louisiana Department of Health and one in which improvements are being made. In just three years, the rate of preterm birth has been reduced from 15.1 percent to 12.3 percent. In spite of this improvement, communities in Louisiana still have some of the highest rates of preterm birth in the country.

New policies allow for coverage of breast reconstruction post mastectomy and genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer

Children with special medical needs are especially vulnerable

Both Louisiana and the nation have experienced declines in teen birth rates over the past decade, and Secretary Rebekah Gee of the Department of Health and Hospitals says that’s something to celebrate. Teen girls who become mothers are much less likely to complete high school. Teen fathers also see a decline in graduation rates.

DHH Secretary Dr. Rebekah Gee today urged mothers across Louisiana to live healthily and to ensure that they get regular health checks, including annual mammograms and other cancer screenings when appropriate. Gee, a mother of five, cited the loss of her own mother as one reason why she makes sure to always get her own annual physicals and has begun to get an annual mammogram.

Dr. Melinda Wharton, director of the Immunization Services Division of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) and the nation’s chief immunologist, will visit Louisiana in advance of National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), April 16 – 23. Dr. Wharton will be in Louisiana April 14 and 15.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals’ Office of Public Health, Bureau of Family Health, in collaboration with the Southeast Louisiana Area Health Education Center, announces the recent implementation of the Parents as Teachers (PAT) home-visiting program in select areas of northern Louisiana. The voluntary and evidence-based program is currently available in the following parishes: Caddo, Bossier, Webster, Claiborne, Bienville, Red River, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Morehouse, West Carroll, East Carroll, Madison and Tensas.

DHH Secretary Kathy Kliebert visited Louisiana hospitals participating in the Best Fed Beginnings initiative this week to assess the progress made as each hospital approaches the final phase to become a designated “Baby Friendly” facility.

The [Best Fed Beginnings] program’s major goal is to increase the number of breastfed babies. The $6 million initiative began last year and will conclude in September 2014. The 89 participating hospitals must complete the American Academy of Pediatrics-endorsed Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding program. By doing so, they will receive a “baby-friendly” designation from the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund.