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Tuesday, the Department of Health and Hospitals took more steps to balance its Medicaid budget by implementing spending cuts that will save approximately $8.3 million this current fiscal year. DHH is still investigating other ways to solve the current shortfall in the Medicaid program that is estimated to be at least $70 million.
According to a recent survey, one in four middle school-aged children in the state use tobacco products. This statistic, along with several others, was obtained through the Louisiana Youth Tobacco Survey (LYTS).
The Department of Health and Hospitals Office of Public Health has awarded a $3.7 million loan to the City of Westlake to help the community improve its drinking water. The loan was finalized last Thursday, March 27.
The Department of Health and Hospitals Office of Public Health announces today that three dead birds have tested positive for West Nile virus. The Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine’s Diagnostic Lab performed the tests that detected the virus and reported the results to OPH. One bird, a sparrow, was found in Alexandria, another sparrow in West Monroe and a blue jay in Lafayette.
In an effort to make late diagnosis and emergency room visits for minor ailments a thing of the past, the Department of Health and Hospitals is now in the process of enrolling primary care physicians into CommunityCARE. This program will link approximately 637,000 (75 percent) of Louisiana’s Medicaid patients to a "medical home" so that each patient will have a doctor to coordinate his or her care.
Friday marks the first day of spring and the first official day of this year’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.
What should be done when your state leads the nation in rates of childhood obesity? That was the question various attendants sought to answer at "Childhood Obesity in Louisiana," a conference sponsored by the Environment and Health Council of Louisiana and the Louisiana Council on Obesity Prevention and Management.
The Department of Health and Hospitals urges citizens to be aware, but not concerned, about the spread of an atypical strain of pneumonia that began in Southeast Asia and possibly could spread to other parts of the world.
A newly released reported by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured shows that Louisiana has made significant reductions in its number of uninsured children. In fact, the report showed that Louisiana was the state with the greatest improvement. The report, titled "Health Insurance Coverage in America: 2001," was based on federal census estimates compiled through the end of the 2001 calendar year.
Louisiana leads the nation in childhood obesity. However, various health and physical fitness organizations throughout the state are looking to slim down the problem. The Environment and Health Council of Louisiana, in conjunction with the Louisiana Council on Obesity Prevention and Management, will sponsor a statewide conference to discuss factors that lead to childhood obesity and explore solutions. Conference attendants will look into the benefits of long-term prevention options, such as better health and fitness classes and nutrition programs implemented in schools.
Each year, more than 200,000 Americans die of complications from diabetes, and the disease claims lives in Louisiana at the highest rate in the country. In an effort to raise awareness about the disease, the Department of Health and Hospitals’ Office of Public Health has launched a public education campaign this week, titled “Diabetes: The Silent Killer.”
The Department of Health and Hospitals awarded grants to 11 health care providers throughout the state, giving them financial assistance to enhance or expand their community-based primary and preventive care services.