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Houma – Health officials said today laboratory tests on samples from the suspect tuberculosis case at H.L. Bourgeois High School now have been completed and the individual has been confirmed to have TB. This individual is not showing symptoms, is no longer considered contagious, is undergoing appropriate treatment and has been cleared to return to school.
Baton Rouge –Annual changes in Federal Poverty Level guidelines that go into effect this month make more children eligible for the Louisiana Children’s Health Insurance Program (LaCHIP), by allowing their families to earn more income. Since the program began more than five years ago, more than 21,000 families have been denied coverage because their income was too high. In the past 11 months alone, since the last annual income increases, more than 4,000 families have been denied coverage due to excess income and in many cases because their income just slightly exceeded the limit.
Baton Rouge – Children who are at increased risk for behavioral disorders or mental health problems can now receive specialized services in six parishes in the state.
NEW ORLEANS -- The Department of Health and Hospitals Office of Public Health and the American Lung Association of Louisiana joined together to provide the free service, 1-800-LUNGUSA. Available throughout Louisiana, this toll-free hotline provides expert medical advice from trained experts. Smokers are also supported and encouraged as they deal with the myriad of emotional, physical and mental barriers they face while trying to quit.
Baton Rouge – Saturday marked the first day of spring, which is the time to kick off the state’s West Nile virus surveillance program, which involves testing dead birds for traces of the virus. Testing will take place through the Department of Health and Hospitals’ Office of Public Health.
Shreveport—The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will host a full-scale bioterrorism preparedness drill in the Shreveport area this week. Different activities involved in the drill will take place at the OPH Regional Office in Shreveport and other locations throughout the region.
Baton Rouge—Today the work begins to put into action the recommendations made at the historic Louisiana Health Care Summit. At the summit’s closing session Thursday afternoon, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Dr. Fred Cerise pledged to implement several short-term solutions to health care issues that plague the state.
Baton Rouge—Officials from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Department of Education and Department of Social Services will gather at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, in the Governor’s Press Room to announce the kickoff of a yearlong initiative to help families learn what they can do during public health emergencies. Along with announcing the insertion of the Family Readiness Guide into every newspaper in the state beginning this Sunday, state officials also will welcome several retail partners who have agreed to assist with getting the 12-page guide into every household in Louisiana by the end of 2004. Copies of the guide will be available.
Baton Rouge — There are now options other than nursing homes for aging citizens who require some assistance. Under a new Medicaid program being offered by the Department of Health and Hospitals, some people with disabilities and elderly people can receive in-home care and services.
Baton Rouge --- State health officials have released West Nile virus case counts from the 2003 season. During the past West Nile season, which began on March 21, 2003, 121 people from 33 parishes were infected with the virus, and seven of those people died from West Nile complications.
Baton Rouge --- This month, tens of thousands of Louisiana residents must deal with an increase in their monthly premium for Medicare Part-B. The Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals has a solution for these senior citizens and people with disabilities who qualify for Medicare. Through the Medicare Savings Programs (MSP), these Louisiana residents can save $799 per year in Medicare premiums alone if they qualify. Nearly 250,000 people in Louisiana are eligible to receive help through MSP, but only half actually participate
Baton Rouge – Vendors who wish to sell food along parade routes during the upcoming Mardi Gras season first must obtain a permit from the Department of Health and Hospitals - Office of Public Health.