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DHH Closes Oyster Harvesting Area in Southwest Louisiana
Officials with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals today ordered the closure of Area 29, the oyster growing area in Calcasieu Lake (lower Calcasieu Lake).
LDH News
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This Week Proclaimed “Influenza Immunization Week” in Louisiana
State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry, M.D., announced today that Governor Bobby Jindal has proclaimed this week Influenza Immunization Week in Louisiana, in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Influenza Vaccination Week. The text of the proclamation is included below.
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H1N1 Vaccine Now Available to the General Public
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals announced today the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine is now available to anyone in the general public. Interested residents should call their provider to schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine, and can view public providers of the vaccine on the H1N1 flu shot locator at www.FightTheFluLA.com.
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DHH to Expand H1N1 Vaccine Availability to the General Public after the New Year
The 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine will be available to anyone in the general public starting Monday, January 4, 2010, State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry, M.D., announced today. The department has already alerted H1N1 vaccine providers statewide that they may begin offering H1N1 vaccinations to the general public after the New Year.
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DHH Announces Mid-Year Spending Reductions
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine today announced mid-year reductions in department spending of state general funds, and proposed utilization of other means of financing, in order to offset a $108 million deficit in available funding. DHH's reductions are part of an overall across the board mid-year reduction plan for each agency to help address the state's mid-year budget deficit, and is supplemental to the Department's now downward-revised mid-year expenditure deficit in the Medicaid private provider program of $46.9 million.
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DHH Secretary Appoints Advisory Committee for Medicaid Program
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine today announced appointments to the Medical Care Advisory Committee (MCAC). The Committee will advise the Department on policies in the state’s Medicaid program, which provides health coverage to more than 1.2 million Louisiana adults and children for healthcare services from acute through long-term care.
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Louisiana One of Nine States to Receive Medicaid Performance Bonus for Improving Coverage for Kids
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine today announced that Louisiana’s Medicaid program received a $1.5 million performance bonus from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the program’s significant progress in enrolling children and improving access to health coverage for children through Medicaid and LaCHIP, or the Louisiana Children’s Health Insurance Program.
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Safety Not a Concern in H1N1 Vaccine Recall
State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry, M.D., emphasized today that the voluntary recall of certain children's H1N1 vaccine by the vaccine manufacturer is not related to the vaccine's safety, and that this and all forms of the vaccine remain very safe.
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DHH Secretary Levine Announces Major Initiative to Improve Birth Outcomes in Louisiana
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine today announced a statewide effort to improve Louisiana’s birth outcomes, one of the most important indicators of a healthy society. Levine has asked assistant secretary of the Office of Public Health, M. Rony Francois, M.D., Ph.D., MPH, to lead the effort full time.
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Clayton Williams Appointed LDH Assistant Secretary of Public Health
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine announced today the appointment of Clayton Williams to succeed Dr. Rony Francois as assistant secretary for the DHH Office of Public Health. Williams will assume his responsibilities January 18, 2010, when Francois begins a comprehensive, statewide effort to improve Louisiana’s birth outcomes.
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DHH and LDOE Announce Increased H1N1 Vaccine Availability at School-Based Events Statewide
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) and the Louisiana Department of Education today announced increased availability of the H1N1 vaccine for K-12 students at school-based vaccination events across the state. State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry also announced the availability of H1N1 vaccine at qualified pharmacies statewide and for additional target groups, and emphasized the results of a recent CDC study showing the H1N1 vaccine to be as safe as the seasonal flu vaccine.
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DHH Secretary Testifies Before U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform today in Washington, D.C. Secretary Levine testified as part of a hearing entitled, ““Post-Katrina Recovery: Restoring Health Care in the New Orleans Region.”