Dr. Courtney N. Phillips is the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the state’s largest agency with a budget of $14 billion. Her oversight responsibilities include public health and other direct service programs for citizens in need such as behavioral health, developmental disabilities, aging and adult services, emergency preparedness, and the Medicaid program.
Dr. Phillips served as executive commissioner of Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) where she was committed to improving the health, safety and well-being for millions of Texans. She was responsible for more than 40,000 team members, a $78.5 billion biennium budget and more than 220 programs ranging from health care, food safety and benefits to public health tracking and regulation of child care, nursing and health care facilities.
Under her leadership, Texas HHS developed its inaugural business plan, Blueprint for a Healthy Texas, which served as the agency’s guide to transform into a more efficient, effective and responsive system. In addition, the agency continued to transform inpatient psychiatric care through the construction and renovation of state hospitals across Texas, expanded its newborn screenings, eliminated the waitlist for outpatient mental health treatment through local mental health authorities, and improved access to women’s health and family planning services in Texas, including a 30 percent increase in the number of women served in the Healthy Texas Women program.
Before joining Texas HHS, Dr. Phillips served for three years as the chief executive officer of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and spent 12 years with the Louisiana Department of Health in a variety of roles, giving her keen insight into all health and human services operations.
Dr. Phillips earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a Master of Public Administration from Louisiana State University, and a Ph.D. in public policy from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She continued honing her process-improvement skills by earning an Executive Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma.
The Secretary provides leadership and technical support services, while maximizing resources, in order to fulfill the mission of the Department.
The following report directly to the Secretary:
Deputy Secretary serves as the chief operating officer of LDH and acts as spokesperson for the department in the absence of the Secretary. The Deputy Secretary is the coordinator for LDH's Human Services Interagency Council (HSIC) and is solely responsible for direct supervision over the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities; Office of Behavioral Health; Office of Public Health; Office of Aging and Adult Services.
Undersecretary oversees the State Medicaid program, as well as eight administrative divisions with departmental responsibilities for budget preparation, financial planning, purchasing, personnel, accounting, data processing and development of strategic and operational plans.
State Health Officer serves as the Department's top medical official. The medical director is responsible for medical consultation on a variety of health care policy issues, including health care programs, quality of care and access to vital health-related services. The medical director also serves as the Department's liaison with medical, nursing, pharmacy, and allied health professionals as well as with professional associations and organizations throughout the state.
Office of Public Health develops, provides and assures public and environmental health services to protect and enhance the health of Louisiana citizens. Now functioning under the Office of Public Health, the Bureau of Primary Care and Rural Health works to support the development of health care in underserved areas of the state by identifying resources to improve the health services, fostering networks of care and recruiting health care professionals.
External Relations efforts are led by the Bureau of Marketing and Communications (BMAC) and the Legislative and Governmental Relations (LGR) section of the Office of the Secretary.
Bureau of Legal Services provides a complete range of legal assistance to LDH, its programs and facilities.
