Office of the Secretary

Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced four nominees to the New Orleans Academic Medical Center Initial Corporation Board, marking the next step forward toward creating the new Academic Medical Center in New Orleans. In August 2009, Governor Jindal joined LSU System President John Lombardi, Tulane President Scott Cowen, Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) Secretary Alan Levine and other New Orleans officials to announce an agreement of the governance structure.

Today, Governor Bobby Jindal addressed the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce where he laid out the Louisiana Way Forward for facing the state’s long-term budget challenges and national economic challenges so that Louisiana’s economy continues to outperform the South and nation. Governor Jindal emphasized the difference between Louisiana’s and Washington, D.C.’s approach to the national economic challenges.

Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced appointments to the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board.

BATON ROUGE— Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine announced today the appointment of Louisiana Medicaid Director Jerry Phillips to succeed Charles Castille as undersecretary of the Department. Phillips will assume his new responsibilities following Castille’s retirement from the state after 12 years as undersecretary and nearly 35 years of stellar public service.

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine announced today the appointment of Louisiana Medicaid Director Jerry Phillips to succeed Charles Castille as undersecretary of the Department. Phillips will assume his new responsibilities following Castille’s retirement from the state after 12 years as undersecretary and nearly 35 years of stellar public service.

BATON ROUGE— Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine today praised LSU basketball great Durand “Rudy” Macklin for his work on and off the court. Macklin serves as director of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and the agency’s Bureau of Minority Health Access, and is having his jersey retired this weekend by the LSU Athletic Department.

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine today praised LSU basketball great Durand “Rudy” Macklin for his work on and off the court. Macklin serves as director of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and the agency’s Bureau of Minority Health Access, and is having his jersey retired this weekend by the LSU Athletic Department.

SHREVEPORT – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal and Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) Secretary Alan Levine launched http://www.healthfinderla.gov/, which will give residents across the state easy access to detailed, accurate information on the cost, quality and performance of health care facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes, as well as health plans and prescription drugs. The Governor and Secretary were joined by State Senator Willie Mount, and other state and health care officials at Willis-Knighton Medical Center in Shreveport.

BATON ROUGE-Today the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals launched Health Care Assist Louisiana, www.HealthCareAssistLA.org, as a resource for those in the health care community wishing to provide aid to Haiti. The site serves as a single point of reference for health care workers, nonprofits and corporations throughout Louisiana who may wish to donate time, money, supplies or other resources via national and international relief organizations following the earthquake and related health crisis in Haiti.

BATON ROUGE – Governor Bobby Jindal announced today an historic, transformative agreement on a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership between Louisiana State University (LSU) and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center that will improve and expand access to health care services for the poor and enhance graduate medical education for Louisiana’s doctors, nurses and health care professionals. The agreement is now subject to approval by the boards of each organization. The Governor also announced the state has reached a tentative agreement with the federal government on two disallowances regarding Medicaid payments and have an update on the progress of the state’s Medicaid reform efforts.