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The Department of Health and Hospitals stresses safety to residents returning home to areas that have been affected by Hurricane Ivan. DHH Offers the following reminders to residents for a safe and injury-free return:
Because of the continual threat of tropical storms and hurricanes, many Louisiana residents purchase individual, gas-powered, generators to provide power to their homes in the event of an outage.
Evacuation shelters for people with special medical conditions only will be opened in three communities in Louisiana. These are shelters of last resort and are not for the general public.
Due to local evacuation orders, the New Orleans Regional Office of Public Health has closed. During this time the office is unable to accept phone calls. Health officials are in the process of establishing a new number for the area. During this time, people in this area who are in need of public health services should contact the Baton Rouge, Lafayette or Alexandria regional public health offices.
The Department of Health and Hospitals has closed ALL oyster harvest areas from the Mississippi State Line to South West Pass, Vermilion Bay as a precautionary measure in anticipation of the adverse effects of Hurricane Ivan. This precautionary closure prohibits oyster harvest from all state waters and is effective today, September 14, 2004 at official sunset.
With more than 4,000 teams registered, Lighten Up Louisiana is fast becoming the most successful program in the country to challenge people to lose weight and become more physically active. According to Rudy Macklin, director of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and Lighten Up coordinator, Louisiana has more teams signed up than other states that have similar programs.
The Department of Health and Hospitals has detected five more cases of West Nile virus, bringing the total number of cases in Louisiana to 40 this year. There are two new cases from East Baton Rouge Parish and one case each from Livingston, Morehouse and West Carroll parishes.
Over the past week, the Department of Health and Hospitals has confirmed 16 new cases of West Nile virus in Louisiana. Six of the new cases come from East Baton Rouge Parish, two from Caddo and one case each from Bossier, Calcasieu, Livingston, Madison, Ouachita, St. Landry, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes. In addition, a 66 year-old male from St. Landry Parish is the second person with West Nile to die this year.
Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco today announced that the Department of Health and Hospitals, Office for Addictive Disorders has been awarded a national Access to Recovery grant that will expand the capacity to treat addiction in Louisiana. The grant, funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will pay $22.8 million over the next three years.
The Region 3 Health Care Consortium Organizational Meeting will be held August 24, 2004 at 6:00 pm at the South Central Planning & Development Office located at 5058 W. Main Street, Houma, LA (in the DOTD Sub-District Bldg. approximately 2 to 2 1/2 miles south of US 90). The meeting is open to the public.
Staff at St. Tammany Parish Health Unit in Slidell vaccinated 373 people, during the statewide immunization drill on August 5, 6 and 7. This is more than double the patients seen at last year’s three-day immunization drill, when 158 people were given immunizations.
Senator Lydia Jackson today announced the membership of the Region 7 Health Care Consortium in Northwest Louisiana. Of the more than 100 applicants, 55 people were chosen to serve. The consortium membership consists of health care providers (hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, pharmacies, clinics, etc.), local government, business leaders, civic groups, faith-based organizations and medical educators. Members were elected by majority vote of the regional legislative delegation.