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5,057 Flu Shots Given in First Hour
Free flu vaccines were given to 5,057 residents throughout Louisiana during the first hour of the state’s mass vaccination effort. The free vaccines continue until 7:30 p.m. this evening at nine locations.
LDH News
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Free Flu Vaccination exercise a success
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals – Office of Public Health, and its volunteers vaccinated nearly 26,000 people within just a few hours, demonstrating the state’s ability to respond to a possible health emergency. Unofficial totals put the number of vaccinations at 25,955 statewide. Long, but fast moving, lines formed quickly at the nine regional flu vaccination clinics called Point of Dispensing sites, or PODS. The state’s Office of Public Health had hoped to vaccinate as many as 200 people per hour, but instead handled more than 550 an hour during peak times. People from 10 states and two countries showed up for the free flu shots.
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Flu Shots Available at Local Parish Health Units (Monroe)
Flu shots are now available at parish health units throughout the state. The Department of Health and Hospitals is making these important shots available to people in certain high-risk groups, including children and older adults.
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Beach Water Quality Advisories Still Affecting Cameron Beaches
Most of the beaches along the Cameron Parish coast continue to remain under swim advisories. Advisories are in effect for Hackberry, Constance, Gulf Breeze, Little Florida, Long and Rutherford beaches, as well as all sections of Holly Beach.
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West Jefferson Medicaid Reopens at Original Site
The West Jefferson Medicaid Office reopened this week on the fourth floor of the state office building at 2150 West Bank Expressway in Harvey. This is the same address, but on a different floor, as where the Medicaid office operated from before Hurricane Katrina.
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Superbug Bacteria Becoming More Prevalent
The tragic death of a 17-year-old high school student in Virginia from Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, has brought this bacterium, termed a “superbug” by some, to the forefront of the public health discussion.
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600 Nurses to Receive Grants from Greater New Orleans Health Service Corps
Efforts to address the critical nursing shortage in the New Orleans area are paying dividends as more than 400 nurses have committed to continuing their practice in the city, and an additional 200 nurses have applied for funds to move to the region.
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Free Flu Shots Available One Day Only
Next week, Louisiana citizens can help themselves get ready for the upcoming flu season, as well as help the state prepare to respond to a public health emergency (such as release of a chemical or biological agent).
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Dr. William Clark Named Medical Director for Emergency Medical Services
Dr. William Roger Clark has been named Medical Director for the Department of Health and Hospital’s Emergency Medical Services. The appointment was effective October 1, 2007.
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$1.5 Million Grant to Establish Health Information Network in Pointe Coupee Parish
The rural parish of Pointe Coupee will soon have a more advanced electronic network of medical information than most other areas of the state. That’s because funds awarded this week through the federal Department of Health and Human Services are being used to establish a health information technology network in the Pointe Coupee Parish area. The goals of this effort are to improve coordination of care, increase quality of care and provide cost savings to the system.
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DHH Brings Home Three National Health Communication Awards
The Department of Health and Hospitals won three awards from the National Public Health Information Coalition during the organization’s annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland last month.
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Beach Water Quality Advisory Issued for Martin Beach
A new swim advisory has been issued this week for Martin Beach in Cameron Parish. Swim advisories issued previously for Constance, Gulf Breeze, Little Florida, Long and Rutherford beaches in Cameron Parish remain in effect.