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LDH News

• May 31, 2016

  HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell Applauds Louisiana Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act

  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell applauded tomorrow’s launch of Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion program under the Affordable Care Act. Beginning June 1, Louisiana residents with a household income below 138 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible to obtain health coverage through the state’s Medicaid program. As of tomorrow, 31 states and the District of Columbia will have expanded Medicaid. With Louisiana, we have reached a “tipping point:” More than half of the uninsured who could gain coverage from Medicaid expansion live in states that have expanded this program.

• May 24, 2016

  Gannett: Zika in La.? ‘I’m very worried,’ LDH secretary says

  Louisiana’s top health official doesn’t mince words when discussing the Zika virus threat to the state.

• May 19, 2016

  DHH expert discusses study that shows gay and bisexual men at greatest risk for HIV

  In order to lower Louisiana’s rate of new HIV infections, DeAnn Gruber, STD/HIV program director with the Louisiana Office of Public Health, joined researchers from Emory University to share new information that analyzes the rates of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) both nationwide and in Louisiana.

• May 17, 2016

  Healthy Louisiana Medicaid expansion tour comes to Houma

  The statewide tour to promote Medicaid expansion, known as Healthy Louisiana, continues this week at an event in Houma. Healthy Louisiana will bring health insurance coverage to an estimated 375,000 working Louisianans. The event will be May 18 at 2 p.m. at the Teche Action Clinic at 1014 West Tunnel Blvd.

• May 13, 2016

  Too Much Screen Time Can Make Children Overweight

  Too much time sitting in front of the television or watching a phone or tablet is linked to poor school performance, childhood obesity and attention problems.

• May 12, 2016

  DHH Secretary Celebrates Declines in Teen Birth Rates

  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.

• May 12, 2016

  Gov. Edwards, LDH Outline Cuts to LDH in House Budget Proposal

  Today, Governor John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) outlined how the proposed changes to the Executive Budget, HB 1, would threaten vital health care services and families in the State of Louisiana. This week, the House Appropriations Committee Chairman unveiled drastic changes to the budget without prior consultation with legislators and the administration. The plan would likely close hospitals across the state, including our flagship hospitals that train the next generation of medical professionals, eliminate waiver programs that provide lifesaving services, and would limit the state’s ability to provide licenses to facilities and adequately investigate complaints. In addition, the state is at risk of losing more than $1 billion in federal funding.

• May 12, 2016

  DHH Secretary Applauds Senate Passage of Equal Pay Bill

  Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Dr. Rebekah Gee praised the Louisiana State Senate for its passage of SB 254, a bill that would require Louisiana employers to pay men and women the same wage for the same work. Women in Louisiana earn just 65 cents on the dollar compared to men when performing similar work, according to a widely cited 2014 study performed by the American Association of University Women.

• May 06, 2016

  DHH Secretary Dr. Rebekah Gee Shares Hopes for Mother’s Day

  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.

• May 03, 2016

  State Health Officials Offer Guidance to Prevent Zika Virus Transmission

  Officials with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals have developed a plan to protect the public should an outbreak of Zika virus occur in the state. The multi-part plan is designed to reduce mosquito populations and mobilize against transmission of Zika virus if an outbreak does occur.

• May 02, 2016

  Gov. Edwards and Dr. Rebekah Gee Begin the Healthy Louisiana Statewide Tour

  BATON ROUGE – Today, Governor John Bel Edwards and Dr. Rebekah Gee, Secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, began a statewide tour to discuss Medicaid expansion in Louisiana. Gov. Edwards and Dr. Gee also announced that the Bayou Health program is being renamed Healthy Louisiana. The new program seeks to improve the health of those who are currently covered by Medicaid and those who will become eligible for coverage under Medicaid expansion. Gov. Edwards and Dr. Gee also unveiled a new website, www.healthy.la.gov, for enrollment information for qualified individuals.

• April 29, 2016

  DHH Releases State Health Assessment

  The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, in collaboration with hundreds of local governments and community organizations, has released the Louisiana State Health Assessment and State Health Improvement Plan. The State Health Assessment presents an analysis of the health needs and priorities facing every region of the state, detailing the strengths and weaknesses of each community as well as the opportunities and challenges facing them.